Outdoors

Captain's Corner

By DAVE MISTRETTA, Times Correspondent
Published November 2, 2007

Potential for great fishing

If weather allows us to get out, fishing should be extraordinary. The water temperature has dropped to the 70s, allowing many options for anglers. Inshore action has been great along the beaches. Loads of Spanish mackerel have been devouring small minnows, pushing them within 100 feet of shore. This feeding frenzy allows land-based anglers an up-close view of bait schools being ravaged by mackerel. All it takes is a short cast into the commotion for an instant hookup. A few cobia have also been taken near these mackerel frenzies. Small minnows are the best bait now. Throwing a small cast net near shore should fill your bait bucket with ease. Just about any grass flat holding baitfish will be holding trout.

Grouper: We have been having great gag grouper results in depths as shallow as 30 feet. Most of our fishing takes place in 50-foot depths because there are many other species to target there. Bonito, kingfish, cobias and sharks have been lured to the boat while bottom fishing.

We started to catch large triggerfish and small amber jacks on our last few outings in 50- to 60-foot depths. This is usually a sign of cooler weather to come, as these two types of fish become active during the winter.

Kingfish catches have been spotty of late. Some days have been great, while others produce only a few fish. This was due to the unseasonably warm water temperature. The past few days, strong winds and lots of cloud cover helped drop the temperature to where it should be. We should see our main push arrive this weekend, and anglers may find big mackerel at all depths. Expect to see some of the best fishing of the year for the rest of the month.

Big action: The best places to search for pelagic species would be the reefs that are holding the largest amounts of baitfish. Most of the 10-mile artificial reef is abundant with small sea life. You can count on some great action from giant Spanish mackerel, kingfish, bonito and spinner sharks. A small baitfish doesn't have much of a chance with all these aggressive feeders attacking at once.

Dave Mistretta captains the Jaws Too out of Indian Rocks Beach. Call (727) 595-3276 or visit www.jawstoo.com.

[Last modified November 1, 2007, 18:17:47]