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Captain's corner

By JAY MASTRY

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 11, 2000

Rarely do we complain about seas being too calm. When kingfishing, however, the bite may be affected by it.

I've noticed how shy leader kings become on those "mirror" calm days, and have watched them streak up to a bait and turn away.

Last weekend, although we tricked a few to bite when it was slick, we did better when the seabreeze kicked in.

One way to entice a bite is to lighten up on tackle. Even the subtle change from 20-pound test to a 15-pound test tournament quality line can make a difference. Risk dropping down to a No. 2 wire (29-pound test) if you must.

I'd rather take my chances on lighter stuff than not get the bite on the more visible No. 4 (40-pound test) if they refuse to hit it. A single hook often will coax more bites than a stinger rig on calm, clear days. Though you'll likely miss a few to the "short-striking" kingfish, at least you have a chance. Trolling will outperform anchoring sometimes in these conditions.

The turbulence caused by the prop wash often will camouflage dangling treble hooks riding alongside your bait. Wednesday, with winds out of the southeast at 15, and gusting to near 20 mph, Capt. Dan Baumgarner, Steve Ellis and Larry Mastry caught their limit of kings and released more than a dozen others near buoys 1 and 2 in the Egmont Ships Channel.

Though these cold fronts may not seem fisherman-friendly, they may be what is needed to push the next bunch toward us.

- Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.

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