Outdoors

Captain's Corner

By Troy P. Sapp, Times Correspondent
Published February 28, 2008

Strong north winds mean lower-than-normal tides and a drop in water temperature. Popular inshore species will return to deeper, protected waters. Deep canals and channels close to the flats that were holding fish would be the most productive as well as area rivers.

Bait: Warm weather was allowing scaled sardines to be caught on a regular basis but they may be difficult to locate. Artificial jigs and jerk baits allow anglers to cover more ground and locate more fish. Try scented baits or a jig tipped with a fresh piece of shrimp. Work these baits slowly and close to the bottom with a slight twitching of the rod tip.

Tackle: Line-to-line knots and leaders testing in the 20-pound range offer better presentations. Reels spooled with braided line in the 10-pound range offer long casts and provide easy detection of subtle strikes as well as a good hook set with the no-stretch characteristics of braided line.

Troy P. Sapp with Fins and Tails Guide Service can be reached at (813) 920-6928.

[Last modified February 27, 2008, 21:04:35]