Captain's corner

By DAVE MISTRETTA

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 30, 2000

Depths of 70 to 80 feet have produced banner catches of gag and red grouper. Some have bottomed the scales at 18-plus pounds. My success has been attributed to carefully monitoring the sonar machine while traveling across rocky bottom. As the water warms, grouper have become more aggressive while searching for food and are venturing farther from their holes. This makes it easier to locate the fish because they hover away from the bottom. Throw a marker jug on a show of fish, anchor, fish for 20 minutes, then pull up and look for a new show. This is called the "hopscotch method." Persistency is the key to success. Some stops will not produce. Keep moving from one spot to another and eventually you'll hit the jackpot.

Work the edges of the sand dunes that meet the rocky bottom. Because of an abundance of baitfish, grouper have been holding close to the edge of the sand. Squirrel fish and cigar minnows camouflage themselves by hiding over the lightly colored sand, keeping your bait and your bite in one location.

-- Dave Mistretta captains the Jaws Too out of Indian Rocks Beach. Call (727) 595-3276.

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