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By JAY MASTRY
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 11, 2001
Many of the large schools of tarpon we saw a week ago have begun to break up. Smaller bunches and singles can be seen traveling the swash that runs parallel to our gulf beaches from Clearwater to Longboat Key.
This time of year, the alternative to idling down the beach looking for some to sight-cast to is anchoring and letting them come to you. Referred to as "edge fishing," this technique requires dialing in the depth and positioning yourself in the path in which most of the fish are traveling. Because they don't all move in single file, adjusting may be necessary. Pay particular attention to rolling fish and to which side of the boat most bites are coming from and move accordingly.
Often only 10- to 18-feet deep, the edge will vary depending on the beach. Saturday, we caught three silver kings between 100 and 120 pounds in 14 feet off Anna Maria. Others at Longboat Key had similar success in slightly deeper water. Off St. Pete Beach, there have been reports of a pretty fair flow of fish in 18 feet.
Fishing with eight rods cast in all directions with fresh shad fly-lined on the bottom has been my most productive method. Not only does it allow coverage of a large area, it helps me figure out what depth on which to focus.
Capt. Carlos Lima on the charter Strega used a combination of bottom baits and suspended some live bait under corks to entice several bites while edge fishing Longboat Key on Saturday.
- Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.