Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By DOUG HEMMER
Published October 25, 2005

Weekend fishing was slow and difficult. Slow tides made the fish feed unevenly. We chummed areas that held good numbers of snook and had only the occasional topwater strike.

The snook were visible where the grass meets the edge of the sand holes. They would swim along the edge of the grass and stop where the sandy holes were a foot deeper than the surrounding area. When handfuls of live whitebait were tossed near the snook, they would scatter rather that feed. For the occasional big female, we would cast a bait over and in front of the snook in hopes of not spooking her.

Pool-clear water was a problem. You could see the bottom in areas where I hadn't in more than 20 years. Every cast would spook the snook. We were able to fool only a 25- and 34-inch snook into feeding. If you find a spot holding good numbers of fish that won't feed, try downsizing your tackle. Eight- to 10-pound test rigged with a 20-pound leader with a short piece of 40-pound test next to the hook will draw more strikes.

Bait for the trip was easy to find. Look for large schools of medium to large threadfins west of the south Skyway pier. Most of the schools were near the beginning of the pier, not the end. A quarter-inch mesh will keep you from hanging baits in your net.

--Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 347-1389.

[Last modified October 25, 2005, 03:00:29]