Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By DAVE ZALEWSKI
Published September 4, 2006

The first four stops during a recent trip offshore resulted in neither a bite nor a loss of one bait. Still, it was a success. On the first stop, we bagged two Mylar balloons that could have injured or killed sea turtles who confuse them with jellyfish and eat them. One of the youngsters on board spotted a blue object some distance away. It turned out to be a 5-gallon blue bucket that contained some hydraulic oil. Anyone running into it could have suffered propeller damage and released contaminants into the environment. Mate John Shelton gaffed a bag filled with Styrofoam cups and other trash. On the fourth stop, we picked up a 50-foot length of rope floating on the surface. Wrapped in the props, it could have resulted in serious damage or, at the very least, the loss of fishing time while it was cut loose. When you spot trash offshore, take a few minutes to pick it up, bring it ashore and properly dispose of it. That's just as important as returning with a cooler full of fish.

The rest of the morning was spent trolling live blue runners and Spanish sardines over two shipwrecks, producing nonstop action from barracudas of all sizes, Spanish mackerel up to 4 pounds and bonita that put a smile on both the kids' and their parents' faces. We like to attribute that great fishing to the good karma we built up on our first four stops as trashmen. Think about it the next time you spot something floating that should not be there.

Dave Zalewski charters the Lucky Too out of Madeira Beach. Call 727 397-8815 or e-mail Luckytoo2@aol.com.

[Last modified September 4, 2006, 05:31:27]