Citrus: Fishermen catch break from weather

Fishermen catch break from weather

By PETE KATSARELIS

With the weather remaining seasonably mild, the fall is being marked with unusual fishing opportunities .

Whitebait is out in force and remains the key for inshore species. Try anchoring and chumming for it with any mix of fish-flavored catfood, oatmeal, jack mackerel and/or menhaden oil.

The flats around the inside of Three Rooker, Anclote Key and its north sandbar have been holding bait consistently.

If you have success one day with a bait but not the next, try looking in slightly shallow or deep water in the same vicinity. If the bait moves due to a slight change in weather conditions, odds are it won't go far.

Once you've managed to load your livewell with a bunch of greenies, you should have a good chance at catching a few snook or redfish.

Snook seem to be stalled at the mouths of rivers and channels. Try locating them in areas where barrier or spoil islands drop off into deep channels or potholes. As usually is the case with snook, strong tides, light tackle and patience should be the key.

Try fishing these schools during the first portion of stronger tides. Use 10-12-pound tackle with two feet of 20-30-pound shock leader.

Monofilament works well. But for snook, flurocarbon gives you an added advantage.

A size 1 hook is a bit smaller than the norm, but it allows the bait to act more lively and last longer. As long as it's stout and sharp, it should be all you need.

Once you've got your bait in front of the snook, be patient. Most of these fish should be fattening up for the upcoming winter, so sooner or later they should feed.

If you present fresh baits with a tide that's moving well, you should get some opportunities.

Nice size redfish seem to be lingering in the same areas as the snook. Along with large trout, they should keep you busy while waiting for the snook bites.

Remember, trout regulations vary from area to area so make sure you're current with the laws. Even if you catch a trout in legal waters and drive south with them to fish where the season is closed, you're in violation.

Offshore kingfish and mackerel seem to be lingering along with the mid-temperature water.

Try anchoring on artificial reefs and hard bottom and letting out a chum slick. Good baits include live blue runner, ladyfish and threadfin herring.

Drift your baits back into the slick on 25-pound rigs with about 5 feet of 40-pound shock leader. At the end, use a foot of No. 5 wire leader connected to a stout 2/0 or 3/0 hook with a stinger rig.

Usually the time in between kingfish strikes will be filled with large mackerel, amberjack and sometimes larger quarry.

While slow trolling shad for kings during a recent tournament, we had a rod double over. You can imagine our surprise when a 90-pound tarpon broke the water where our winning kingfish was supposed to be.

The disappointment quickly faded. Twenty-five minutes later, with the fish boatside, my suspicions that I was out of tarpon shape were confirmed. As if that wasn't enough, five hours later while anchored up in the same area, we hooked and landed another tarpon around 80 pounds.

With the weather being so mild this late in the season, you never know what you might get at the other end of the line.

- Capt. Pete Katsarelis, (727) 439-FISH, charters out of Tarpon Springs.