Outdoors

Captain's Corner

By DOUG HEMMER
Published August 21, 2007

What's biting: Inshore fishing has been slow the past week. If we could get the school to stop, the redfish would feed. Most were 20 to 25 inches. The best feeding period: during the end of the incoming tide. Temperatures on the flats will reach 95 degrees, making fish seek areas with cooler water. Look for them under the mangroves and the shadow lines close to the islands.

Tactics: Snook on the beach were in smaller schools then normal. They usually don't thin out until the first week of September. Smaller schools mean fewer hookups. Bigger schools were found inside the beach but weren't feeding. The problem was keeping the bait alive. Scaled sardines and threadfins netted in deep water did not survive the move to shallow water. The 10-degree change in water temperature was too much for the bait to handle.

The flats: Fishing for mackerel over the deep flats inside Tampa Bay was the most productive. They were running 2 to 5 pounds. They were not feeding as aggressively as in weeks past. We had to work through bluefish, trout, jacks and ladyfish to get a few strikes. Fishing over deep flats was slower than normal, but it was the best action of the week.

Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 347-1389.

[Last modified August 20, 2007, 23:16:25]