Captain's corner

By RANDY ROCHELLE

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2000

Heading home after a recent trip near the Mexican Pride, I watched two frigate birds circle approximately 30 feet above the water. Knowing they were watching something below the surface, I headed in their direction. As I approached, I saw flying fish being chased out of the water. That was all I needed to see.

I positioned my boat in front of them and threw out a couple of live Spanish sardines. It didn't take long before both rods were bent over with two small dolphin at the end of the line. Thirty minutes later we had 20 nice school-size dolphins on ice.

Any time you fish offshore, always watch for birds, especially frigate birds and seagulls. If you see frigate birds within 30 or 40 feet of the surface, chances are they're following large fish, such as dolphin, tuna, kingfish, bonito or sailfish.

In most cases, seagulls will be near the water just above a school of fish feeding on the surface. If you spot birds working near the surface, watch for which direction they're heading, go around the school so you don't spook the fish and position your boat in front of them. Shut off the motor and cast out a couple of live baits.

If you don't have live bait, a surface plug might get the job done. It's important not to drive your boat through the school. This will spook them.

Randy Rochelle run Islander Charters in St. Petersburg. Call (727) 528-1213.

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