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Outdoors

Dead fish continuing to surface

By ED WALKER
Published September 10, 2005

With the passage of Hurricane Katrina, many anglers had hoped the big ground swells and wind in the gulf would help break up the unprecedented red-tide outbreak that's been lingering off the coast for months.

Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be what happened.

The deadly organism still is killing fish and other marine organisms offshore. Even worse is that inshore guides from Tarpon Springs to Hernando Beach have encountered sporadic patches of dead fish inshore on the flats.

A few weeks ago, there had been unusually good quantities of large scaled sardine on Nature Coast flats, but now that seems to have changed.

Chumming with a mix of canned cat food and sardines or jack mackerel continues to draw some baitfish but nothing like the 200 baits per cast of the net from a few weeks ago. For many anglers, it now takes an hour or more to secure enough of the prized baitfish for a day.

Fishing on the flats has been fair, with a few schools of large redfish providing the most consistent big-fish action to those who've found where they are holding.

When exploring new areas on the flats, artificial baits can help cover the most ground. Prospecting is best achieved with fairly fast-moving lures such as the classic weedless gold spoon. Perhaps more redfish have been caught on spoons than all other lures combined.

Most experts prefer the half- or three quarter-ounce model. Since this type of spoon will cause the line to twist if retrieved too fast, it's helpful to add a tiny, unobtrusive swivel between it and the main line. Tie one at the top of the leader or attach it directly to the spoon with a small stainless split ring.

When spoon fishing, touch up the point of the hook before each trip. They are relatively dull out of the package due to the gold coating applied at the factory. A few strokes with a file or sharpening stone will make a better edge.

The downside when knocking off the gold coating is that the hook will rust once you start using it. The hooks on the lures are not replaceable, so you will have to file them more each time. If you're fishing with braided line, it is imperative to add a minimum of two feet of transparent leader material ahead to the lure. This will keep the fish - especially those in clear, shallow water - from seeing the line and shying away.

Fifteen to 25-pound test flourocarbon leader material is preferred. But it's expensive, and monofilament will work.

If an angler discovers a school of redfish while prospecting the flats, try not to cast the lure directly into them.

A three quarter-ounce spoon makes a good splash and easily can spook the fish if misplaced. Always cast past the spot where fish may be and retrieve the lure below the water's surface.

When the fish are finicky, guides and tournament anglers often switch to a smaller spoon with more flutter to its action. These may draw more strikes but are not weedless and require a bit of finesse to work properly in grassy areas since they have a free-swinging treble hook on the back. No matter the choice of lure, every flats angler should always have a gold spoon or two somewhere in the tackle box.

Ed Walker charters out of Tarpon Springs. Call 727 944-3474 or e-mail info@lighttacklecharters.com

[Last modified September 10, 2005, 01:22:18]