Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By JAY MASTRY
Published January 1, 2006

Red snapper fishing in 2005 was better than in years, and mangrove snapper fishing in the bay was as good as it ever has been. But anglers would be pressed to name many more good things for the year.

My 2006 predictions? Red Tide will become a term rarely used, hurricane season will come and go with barely a whimper and gas will be plentiful and less than $2 a gallon. Kingfish will return to terrorize schools of Spanish sardines and greenbacks near shore, and anglers at Redington Long Pier will haul in a couple 40-pounders. Spanish mackerel will be abundant.

Tarpon will stack up in the 90-foot hole off Egmont and huge schools will migrate just outside the swim buoys from Tarpon Springs to Sarasota. There will be giant schools of bait top to bottom on the reefs, and they'll be easy to jiggle on gold hook rigs. Blue runners will return to buoys lining the Egmont ships channel. Grouper will be caught inside 50 feet.

Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:29:14]