Captain's Corner

By Steve Papen, Times Correspondent
Published March 11, 2008

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What's hot: Fishing offshore between fronts has been full of action. The mangrove snapper fishing has been better in the 70- to 90-foot depths. Normally I target them in 100-140 feet this time of year, but the red snapper have taken over most of the productive areas in these depths and are hitting every bait.

Bait and switch: There are many ways to target amberjack. On a recent trip offshore, we made a quick stop at a local bridge to fill the well with large horse minnows and threadfin herring, which were used to live chum amberjack in the 30- to 50-pound class right to the surface. After catching about a dozen jacks on jigs and live baits, we switched our technique and started pitching large topwater plugs into the school. Every hit was a massive explosion. Most caught on plugs were the larger and more aggressive fish, while the smaller fish were taking baits halfway down the water column.

Tips: When fishing in deep water, anglers should use a couple of important tools. One is some sort of venting device, so you can expel the gasses that expand in the swim bladder of the fish you have to release. This tool is usually a 16-gauge needle. A good quality hook extractor is a good idea as well.