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By LARRY HOFFMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 30, 2001
Bluewater fishing is hot. Sid Rice and I on Team Gator fished 65 miles and 242 degrees out of John's Pass on Saturday and were rewarded with four blackfin tuna, one sailfish and 20 bonito by 2 p.m. We were trolling 7.9-8.2 knots using jethead lures and doorknobs.
Our best bite was between first light and 10:30. The sailfish hit a small black and red doorknob lure at 9. It weighed only 30 pounds, but it put up a good fight. We tagged and released the fish.
When you can count on good weather offshore, it is a great opportunity to go bluewater fishing. Saturday's fishing was made more challenging because the weed lines were broken up by low-pressure winds last week. That meant a lot of extra work keeping lures and lines clean. It would be discouraging except fish stay near the structure. It takes a little work and patience.
- Larry "Huffy" Hoffman charters out of John's Pass, Treasure Island. Call (727) 709-9396.