Outdoors

Captain's Corner

By Rob Gorta, Times Correspondent
Published March 3, 2008

What's hot: Strong winds from passing cold fronts have muddied the water and kept the tide from its full potential. Trout has been a charter savior when blind-casting several usually reliable redfish spots did not work.

Tactics: Trout fishing in some areas has produced big numbers of smaller fish, and other spots have produced larger fish, but patience is needed. Arrange a drift in 3 to 4 feet over grass flats and work the edge. The area from the sand to the grass has been holding smaller speckled trout. Larger fish have been holding in deeper sand holes on shallower grass flats. It takes time on the water to figure out the area grass flats.

Be ready for anything: Big schools of large black drum, some more than 40 pounds, have been roaming the flats around Pinellas Point. They have been following sand bars on the lower tides levels. Drum like crustaceans, with shrimp imitation jigs drawing a few strikes. Pompano also have been caught drifting for trout, so have a yellow banana jig ready.

Rob Gorta charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at captainrobgorta.com or (727) 647-7606.

[Last modified March 2, 2008, 20:22:14]