Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
By LARRY A. HOFFMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 26, 2001
The hot topic this week on the beach was the 96-pound wahoo weighed in at John's Pass Bait and Tackle. It was caught trolling near the USF weather buoy about 50 miles offshore by the charter boat Electric Blue. Craig Lahr on the Team SeaView boat jumped a 250-pound blue marlin Tuesday, 30 miles offshore, while amberjack fishing.
This is a great time to break out trolling gear and go after early season wahoo and marlin. Once you find a weedline or tidal rip concentrate in that area. You need to troll at at least 7.5 knots. As the water temperature gets to be warmer than 80, the pelagics move into deeper water.
Larry Jeisy and sons, Rich and Kurt, landed half a dozen amberjack in 85 feet recently. The bait was blue runners, but a few were caught using live Spanish sardines. The amberjack ranged from 15-35 pounds.
Mangrove snapper fishing should be hot through the new moon. Most have been caught in 85-95 feet.
- Larry "Huffy" Hoffman charters the Enterprise out of Kingfish Wharf, Treasure Island. Call (727) 709-9396.