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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 27, 2001
Mangrove snapper continues to provide enough entertainment to keep us in the bay. Tuesday, six of us caught our limit of mangos and we wrestled five gags out of their homes after getting abused by several others.
Fishing the first three hours of daylight and surrounding a tide change was best. A 2-ounce egg sinker on 20-pound test line was plenty to stay down and a 30-pound leader was adequate for the snapper but no match for the bottom-hugging grouper. But it was 50-pound tackle and a 100-pound leader that helped even the score.
Schools of bait seen "raining" on the surface along the flats approaching the Sunshine Skyway bridge have matured. Four-inch sardines and whitebait are mixed with the smaller stuff and a few pinfish in each throw of the bait net will provide all the grouper chow you'll need.
Mackerel are feeding on schools of bait in the bay, too. After getting our limit of mangos Saturday, we chummed the well out at an artificial reef inside the Skyway and left them biting after catching more than 20.
- Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.