Captain's Corner

By ED WALKER
Published October 30, 2007

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What's hot: Inshore action continues to be good in the North Pinellas area. When the winds are moderate or from the east, we have started each morning in the gulf catching big Spanish mackerel and schoolie kings on light tackle and live bait.

Morning run: When the nearshore water is clean, these migratory fish have been tearing up bait pods just offshore from daybreak until about 11 a.m. Most are within a mile of the beach, but some days they are a little farther out. For the kings, we have been chumming with live sardines. Once you get them going, casting with flats fishing tackle or fly-fishing gear gets you the most sport from the kings.

Afternoon bite: As the beach bite slows, we have been moving back to the flats for snook and redfish. Small to medium snook have been on a tear under the mangroves at high tide. Most have been under the slot size but are fun to pull from beneath the limbs. The arrival of huge breeder fish that typically live out in the open gulf is key for going after redfish. There has been at least one herd of 20-pound reds moving around the Palm Harbor-Tarpon Springs area. Once located, they usually gobble up any baitfish or lure in sight. Further north, there have been numerous reports of giant black drum, which bear a strong resemblance to big redfish when in the water. One way to tell the difference is by their reaction to your bait. If they do not bite a sardine or pinfish, they are usually black drum. Switching to a half blue crab or shrimp is the best way to draw a strike.