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Captain’s corner

By BRENT GASKILL

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 23, 2001

Before this cold front, the wind and seas allowed me to go offshore with some friends for bottom fishing. We headed out through the morning fog at John's Pass to an area of broken hard bottom about 55 feet deep. This depth has been just on the inside fringes of the deeper offshore action.

Anchoring on the limestone ledges, we landed several grouper in the 26-inch range on frozen sardines or fresh cut grunts. The bite seemed slow as we expected with the low water temperature, but all of our keepers came on a minor solunar feeding period. They seemed to chew actively for about 30 minutes, and then it was over. My buddies confided that was the way it had been on all of their trips lately.

The fish are there, as another commercial diver confirms, they are just very sluggish because of the cold. The solunar feeding period seems to be just the push they need to eat the bait that has been sitting in front of them for some time. The bite is so subtle that sometimes you don't even know they have taken your bait until you raise the rod tip to check your sinker on the bottom and realize there is a fish attached.

The solunar periods are listed daily in the Times. They refer to the position of the moon that triggers feeding activity. Use this information to your advantage when planning a fishing trip. With such tough conditions, you need an edge.

- Brent Gaskill charters the Summer Vacation. Call (727) 867-1751.

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