Outdoors

Captain's Corner

By ROBERT MCCUE
Published November 28, 2007

Inshore: The redfish bonanza continues in Pasco and Hernando counties. Over the past few months catches have consisted primarily of mid- to lower-slot fish. Now it's upper- to oversized. Frequent large trout and flounder catches have been a bonus.

Nearshore: Off Hernando the grouper bite remains productive in 12-20 feet when the wind allows for a comfortable ride 6 to 9 miles offshore. Key to success: accessibility of live scaled sardines.

Pro logic: Anchor uptide of small rock piles. Start a chum line by cutting up minnows and allowing them to drift back to the rocks. Thereafter, slightly crush handfuls of the live bait and disseminate it in a semicircle behind the boat. The grouper will move up the chum line and away from the structure. Done properly, the fish often become frenzied and are caught by free-lining a live sardine in the current. Fishing the minnows without weight optimizes the chances of catching other species, including Spanish mackerel, kingfish, sharks and the oddball cobia.

Robert McCue can be reached at GiantTarpon.com or (800) 833-0489.

[Last modified November 28, 2007, 00:06:01]