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Trout, mackerel common catches

By ED WALKER
Published September 2, 2006

Speckled trout have been the fish of choice for many Nature Coast anglers this week. Most have been running on the small side with just enough keepers mixed in to make the effort worthwhile. Drifting over grassy bottom in 5 to 6 feet of water while fan casting has been the key to keeping the rods bent.

Spanish mackerel are also being caught in these areas, with most running in the 2- to 3-pound class. Quarter-ounce jigs with soft plastic bodies have been the top producer. Everyone has a preferred color pattern, but dark brown, often referred to as "root beer," is a local favorite. In very dark water, such as near the river mouths and creeks, something with a little bit more glitter or shine, such as gold or silver flake, will draw more strikes.

Depending upon who you ask, the redfish action has been either good or lousy. Some flats fishermen had trouble finding the reds during last weekend's low tides. Most areas that are normally shallow but fishable were dry, which forced the fish toward deeper water. Those familiar with the situation caught redfish in deeper holes and troughs adjacent to the empty flats.

When the water is as warm as it is now, small pinfish are the preferred live bait for reds. This is primarily due to the fact that there are thousands of small pinfish just about everywhere there is grassy bottom now. This not only causes them to be a primary food source, but it also makes it very difficult to fish with shrimp. Within seconds of hitting the water, packs of pins will nibble the legs off a shrimp like corn on the cob.

This negates the whole purpose of using live bait, and after a while all that will remain on your hook is an empty shrimp carapace. For the most part, the pinfish will not attack others of their own kind, so when using them, your live bait will remain just that.

Sharks have been common, even too much so for many folks. In some areas small sharks are all you can catch. We recently stopped by a pothole in 8 feet of water to cast jigs for trout. Every cast produced a shark hook-up or a follow-up by a pack of 3-foot-long black tips. As we drifted over the deepest part of the hole we could see no less than 20 of the toothy critters. We switched to topwater plugs and had some real fun with them, then moved on.

We opted against keeping any, but if we had, ice would have been important. To be decent table fare, sharks must be gutted, bled and put on ice immediately, especially when the temperatures are as high as they are now. Sharks release urea into the meat of their bodies when they die, which creates a foul taste and odor. Removing the guts right away eliminates this issue. State law limits anglers to one shark per person, per day or two per boat, whichever is less.

While grouper fishing has been relatively slow within 20 miles of shore, that does not necessarily mean they are not there. Rod-and-reel fishermen who also do some diving have reported that after dropping baited hooks near some of the shallow rock piles with little success, they slipped over the side for a look around.

Even with poor visibility they were surprised to discover good-sized gag grouper and mangrove snapper milling around right where their baits had been. It seems that these fish are reluctant to feed due to the hot water. Hopefully that means the upcoming fall grouper season will be a good one.

[Last modified September 2, 2006, 07:13:59]