Outdoors

Captain's Corner

Bottom fish and the pelagics made a great showing last week.

By DAVE ZALEWSKI
Published March 12, 2007

What's hot: Bottom fish and the pelagics made a great showing last week. Kingfish, Spanish mackerel, bonita and barracuda, along with the Spanish sardines, blue runners and hardtails they feed on, arrived in greater numbers at the end of the Egmont shipping channel and the artificial reefs and wrecks in 40-60 feet.

Tactics: Use hardware to locate the fish. Slow-trolled live baits provide great light-tackle action. Using sabiki rigs to catch baitfish on site ensures that you are fishing with what "matches the hatch." The fish have been finicky, refusing to hit baits that have been caught in another location.

Tip: Kingfish have a two fish per person daily limit and must be at least 24 inches fork length to be legal. Spanish mackerel have a 15 fish per person daily limit and must be 12 inches fork length. Fish regulated by fork length are measured from the tip of the jaw or snout, mouth closed, to the center of the fork in the tail. Marking these lengths in several places on the boat makes it easier to quickly measure and determine legal size.

Dave Zalewski charters the Lucky Too out of Madeira Beach and can be reached at 727 397-8815 or by e-mail at Luckytoo2@aol.com.

[Last modified March 12, 2007, 00:21:31]