Tarpon are on move, fishing is on the rise

By STEVE BOWLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 6, 2000

Well, the water temperature keeps inching higher and higher and the fishing is getting better and better.

The annual migration of tarpon has begun, with schools showing up around the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and along the beaches all the way to the Anclote River. Although they are not abundant along the beaches just yet, before you know it they will be everywhere. Usually they show up around the new moon in May, which was the 3rd, so keep your eyes open for rolling schools.

The best bet to get one to bite is to locate a school and see what direction it is heading and maneuver your boat in front. You have to be patient and stealthy in your attack or the tarpon will not show up where you want them.

Once you have set up in front of a school you can cast plugs, jigs, flies, live or dead bait in their direction, and if they don't bite this time, reposition and do it all over again. If you don't spook the school, you can get several attempts to hook up.

Remember, the fish you see rolling on the surface are just the tip of the iceberg. Below the fish on the surface are usually a lot more cruising the bottom.

INSHORE: Snook are still in the creeks and canals, but good numbers have been showing up outside the canals and creeks from Aripeka to Tarpon Springs. They also have started to show up around sandbars and beaches, not in great numbers, but more and more each day.

These fish like moving water, so try fishing for them on days when the tide is running hard. Find some structure on the bottom or a shallow point near deep water, position your boat up-current and free-line a live bait to that place. Or, you can drift an area with the current and cast jigs or diving plugs in those areas.

Several large schools of redfish have been spotted from Hudson to Anclote. Working the areas around Seapines channel, Salt Springs and Green Key has produced some reds from 28 to 34 inches. These fish are too big to keep so take a photo and release them. The reds are eating small pinfish fished under a float, gold spoons or jigs.

Trout fishing has been off and on with the fronts moving through the area in the past weeks, but when you find them they are more than willing to pull on your line.

The deeper grass flats from Hudson northwest to Marker 10 have been consistent producers. Fishing with jigs or plastics that resemble shrimp has worked best. If your line gets cut off while fishing in this area, try a little wire in front of your jig.

You can throw a chum bag over the side and catch your limit of Spanish mackerel. Fishing the area around Anclote Island and on the east side in the patchy grass and sand mix in 3 to 5 feet of water has been working well.

OFFSHORE: The gumbo is showing up from Hernando to Clearwater in water anywhere from 20 feet out to 45 feet. When you encounter this slimy substance, you can only try to find clean water by going farther west to deeper water, or you can try fishing in it. Trolling is out of the question, but if you can get your baits to the fish fast enough, they may just dance with you.

Grouper fishing has been good in 50 to 75 feet. King mackerel have been hit-and-miss lately. One day you can find them and the next they are gone, so you have to move around the artificial reefs or hard-bottom areas along the coast until you find the bait. Find big bait schools and the kings won't be far away.

Try trolling spoons or reflective plugs to get the best action, but for the big boys, try live bait slow-trolled or bait free-lined while anchored up.

Last week in 50 feet of water off Clearwater we had sailfish around the boat and saw another boat catching one in the 60-pound class. They can be a lot of fun, but not when you're in a tournament for kingfish.

-- Capt. Steve Bowler can be reached by calling (727) 861-FISH (3474), or by sending e-mail to gofish41@gte.net.

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