Fish Tales
Full moon fishing at its finest
By CAPT. TYSON WALLERSTEIN
Article published on Thursday, June 8, 2006  |
In saltwater fishing, levels of productivity often coincide with different stages of the tide and the moon. Each full moon brings the strongest tides of the month, which often result in the best fishing.
This week’s upcoming full moon bears significant importance, if you factor in the amount of fish we have in our area right now as well as the quantity of bait. I would venture to say the stage has been set for some epic fishing adventures.
Strong afternoon outgoing tides, known also as “hill” tides, make tarpon anglers drool.
The 90-foot hole at Egmont Key, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Pass-A-Grille, Longboat Key and Clearwater Pass will all be loaded with fish this weekend. There will be plenty of crabs out there for you to dip up. Please be courteous and conscious of what you are doing, especially at the 90-foot hole. There’ll be plenty of boats there and no one likes the guy who drives around trying to net crabs among the other boaters who are fishing.
There are plenty of crabs to be caught far uptide of the hole, away from the other boats.
If the snook weren’t thick in the passes before this weekend, they will be now. This full moon triggers their spawning ritual, making them very vulnerable to being caught. Please handle the fish with care and make sure they’re fully revived before releasing. An early morning walk down the beach will give plenty of shots to sight fish for snook.
The snook will be found right up against the shore and can be seen from a good distance away. The only catch is they can also see you. Lead the fish in the direction it’s moving in and don’t start your retrieve until the fish gets a couple of feet from the lure. D.O.A. shrimp work well, as do a variety of small soft, plastic swim baits.
Inshore mangrove snapper fishing will also be very good this weekend. Anglers fishing the Skyway piers, Gandy Bridge and the inshore reefs of Tampa Bay have been doing well with the snapper. Small threadfins on a size-1 hook and a little split-shot to help it get down will put you on the snapper.
Until next week – GET BENT!
Tyson Wallerstein can be reached at capt.tyson@hotmail.com. If you have a fish picture you would like to see published in the newspaper, send it with your name and where it was caught, to: “Fish Tales,” Tampa Bay Newspapers, 9911 Seminole Blvd., Seminole, FL 33772, or e-mail it to editorial@TBNweekly.com.
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Article published on Thursday, June 8, 2006
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