Offshore fishing report

West-coast billfish star in the Loop Tournament

By MIKE WHITMAN
Published August 19, 2005

The big news this weekend is the Old Salt Loop Tournament. There will be 25 or more boats fishing 90 to 135 miles offshore of Sarasota in pursuit of blue marlin, white marlin, swordfish and sailfish to release. They also will catch dolphin, wahoo and yellowfin tuna for the weigh-in.

When a typical Tampa Bay angler thinks of these species, exotic far-off destinations such as Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and the Bahamas probably come to mind before the Steps or the Box, two fishing areas off the west coast of Florida. But the Steps and the Box provide some of the best billfishing you can find.

At the Steps the bottom breaks off and depths plunge from 600 feet to well over 10,000 feet. The currents create upwellings that attract and hold weed lines, which attract bait and the whole food chain.

Combine the bottom structure of the Steps, the flow of the Loop Current and baits with hooks in them, and you had better watch out - something big is going to hit the deck. Most of the blue marlin weigh 300 to 450 pounds, and every time we have fished this area we have had multiple hits and releases.

The boats will troll large plastic lures or bait spreads consisting of ballyhoo or Spanish mackerel during the day. At night they will set up to catch swordfish, and most boats will use two lines at different depths. They will use clear soda bottles filled with light sticks, so they can keep the lines from tangling. Live blue runners or large squid are the baits of choice for swordfish.

The weigh-in will be at Long Boat Key Moorings in Sarasota on Sunday. It is worth the trip to see the tuna, wahoo and dolphin weighed in. All billfish are catch-and-release in the tournament.

For those wanting to fish a little closer to shore, amberjack fishing is hot. They can be found on any wreck and many of the larger breaks offshore. Their favorite baits are large blue runners, which have been difficult to find because of the Red Tide. Pinfish and spot tails also work.

Grouper fishing has been average for this time of year. With the Red Tide and water temperatures in the mid 90s we have been lucky the fishing has been even that good. On a 10-hour trip Saturday we made 14 stops to find only 10 grouper and 10 snapper.

The red snapper fishing that has been so good this summer is also starting to slow down. The fish are there, but they are moving deeper to cooler water and are more difficult to reach.

Bait is a problem. Patches of Red Tide out to 50 feet have killed any bait caught inshore by the time we clear the Whistler Buoy. We have found a few sardines and pinfish on the wrecks between 50 and 75 feet, but that also has taken several stops each morning. There are still lots of barracuda around the wrecks that take advantage of what food is available, so do not be surprised while trying to catch bait if your Sabiki rig gets cut off mid water.

The fishing will improve in a few weeks - we are halfway through August, and October's run of pelagics will be here before you know it. So hang in there and the fishing will get better.

Mike Whitman charters the Mega-Bite out of Gulfport. Call 727 384-5729, view the Web site at www.megabitecharters.com or e-mail capt@megabitecharters.com

[Last modified August 19, 2005, 01:05:15]