Outdoors

Captain's Corner

By DAVE ZALEWSKI
Published August 14, 2007

What's hot: August and September are the best months to watch for schools of mahi-mahi offshore. It is difficult to target them unless you are offshore in the 100-mile range trolling high-speed lures. At 80- to 100-foot depths they are small but numerous. Every piece of floating debris should be carefully checked to see if they are present. Whether they are or not, pick it up and dispose of it onshore.

Sunday we checked out a bright red floating gas tank in 80 feet that two other boats ran by and ignored. As soon as we pulled up we saw the "chicken" dolphin milling around under it.

Tactics: Being prepared is the key to catching these hard fighting, brilliantly colored fish. Ten- to 12-pound spinning tackle that we use to catch bait is changed to a 2/0 single long shanked gold hook, which will often trigger a strike by itself when the bait has been stripped off, tied directly to the line without a leader. A pair of scissors is used to cut frozen sardines into slivers to use for chum and baiting the hooks. Large pieces of chum will quickly fill up these fish if the school is small. It is easy to catch more than needed in the excitement of seeing the fish striking the bait right next to the boat. Only take what can be used and leave some to reside on the next piece of material or patch of grass they find.

Dave Zalewski charters the Lucky Too out of Madeira Beach. Call (727) 397-8815.

[Last modified August 13, 2007, 23:49:03]