Offshore fishing report

The days between cold fronts should offer plenty of action

By DAVE MISTRETTA
Published November 4, 2005

Let's hope there is more action this month than in October. Bad weather combined with the Red Tide made it quite a chore to catch fish, but if cold fronts don't arrive more than once a week, the fishing could bust loose this month.

This is a good month to catch some action within 10 miles of the beach. Gag grouper should become available. We normally have the first pushes of gags venture into relatively shallow water by now, but it hasn't happened. I have learned from experience that when a migration is late, the fish will bombard the the shallows overnight.

The great news for now is that we can travel into deeper waters if needed. A judge this week ruled that fisheries managers can't close all grouper fishing in federal waters of the gulf in November and December. This leaves the door wide open for angler options.

There are concentrations of grouper in 70 to 80 feet. Expect small groups to travel east. And after a severe drop in water temperatures in the past few weeks, expect the Red Tide to not stop the grouper migration.

We can count on kingfish action picking up. Bait has been a serious issue for many fishermen the past two weeks, but if weather patterns cooperate we will see more schools of baitfish. Reports of giant schools of threadfin herring have recently come from people fishing areas off Hernando County, and these baitfish should slide toward Pinellas County as each cold front arrives. Some fishing guides reported schools of blue runners and cigar minnows around markers No. 5 and 6 near the Whistler Buoy.

Even if large concentrations of bait don't show up, some rogue kings will swim close to shore searching for anything that wiggles. I assure you they will take a wide variety of bait fish because their favorite foods haven't been abundant.

One thing we can count on is the annual mullet run starting this month. A large mullet is considered kingfish candy, for a good reason. They are one of my favorite baits to put in front of a giant kingfish. Double-stinger rigs, with several treble hooks trailing the lead hook on wire, are a must with these oversized baits. The attack is often awesome, because a smoker kingfish will leap onto a mullet.

Mullet are a bit sneakier than most baitfish. Throwing a cast net in the dark is a great tactic for catching these keen vegetarians. I like to shut the motor down and listen for the splashing sounds of the mullet as they leap. If you listen carefully you can hear which way they are swimming and line up ahead of them before throwing.

Mullet often loiter around unlit docks pilings. Hop from one dock to another until hitting the jackpot.

The beach is also a great place to look. Mullet travel the swash channels in massive schools no more than 30 feet from shore. A quick sweep with a spotlight allows you to see leaping fish. Don't leave the light on the fish too long or they will spook.

Schools of Spanish mackerel are bombarding small baits and should be around for most of this month. Most of the juvenile baitfish consists of Spanish sardines, threadfin herring and pilchards. When you see birds above all this commotion, be sure to investigate. Sometimes a giant smoker kingfish is nearby, waiting to grab a a small Spanish mack.

Last year at this time we had some decent action on many of the artificial reefs 10 to 20 miles from shore. Cobia made their last appearance before traveling south for the winter. It's common to see 30 or more cobia hovering over a wreck.

Dave Mistretta captains the Jaws Too out of Indian Rocks Beach. Call 727 595-3276, e-mail jawstoo@msn.com or see www.jawstoo.com

[Last modified November 4, 2005, 19:31:46]