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By GARY FOLDEN
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 13, 2001
Trout fishing from Clearwater to Tarpon Springs is the best I have seen in years. Even though bait is in short supply, the fish are there.
If you prefer artificial lures, topwater baits work well in the morning on shallow grass beds. Trout move into deeper areas as the day wears on, and lures that sink provide better action. Live bait has been hard to come by but has produced nice-sized trout. This time of year, many other fish can be caught while trout fishing, including redfish and snook. Spanish mackerel, tripletail and tarpon are not out of the question.
Offshore, the brown algae that appears when the water hits 80 degrees is abundant. Commonly called gumbo, this algae makes bottom fishing for grouper tough; it will cover your bait in a matter of seconds and render it unappealing. The gumbo starts in 20 feetof water and extends to 80 feet.
- Capt. Gary Folden charters out of Clearwater and can be reached at (727) 585-8544 or by e-mail at jcgfolden@mindspring.com.