Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By JAY MASTRY
Published October 12, 2006

Red Tide that has nagged area anglers for weeks has eased its grip at least on the southern end of Pinellas County. Bait has been abundant at the Sunshine Skyway bridge, schools of mackerel, ladyfish and bluefish are crashing baits on the surface from Egmont Key to well inside Tampa Bay, and the mangrove snapper bite has remained strong all along that stretch.

Tuesday, we castnetted whitebait, greenbacks and pinfish that have bunched up near the gulf pier at Fort De Soto and never lost any bait in the livewell during our 10-mile trip offshore. An area in 42 feet just south of the Egmont Ships channel that had been hard hit by last year's Red Tide has recovered well.

We had nonstop action during the latter part of the outgoing tide. Mangrove snapper, mackerel, grunts and triggerfish kept us busy. Fifty-pound test line, 60-pound leader, a 4-ounce weight and a 5-ought hook matched up well for the baits we offered grouper. A 2-ounce weight, 20-pound test and a 1-ought hook were better suited for the smaller species.

Cooler water temperature has seemingly already begun drawing grouper in and will soon push our fall migration of kingfish into our area. Now is the time to get your castnets in order, build your stash of gold hook rigs, and start twisting some wire.

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

[Last modified October 12, 2006, 01:10:31]