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Fish Tales
Inshore lookin’ good
By CAPT. TYSON WALLERSTEIN
Article published on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008 |
Spanish mackerel remain thick in the area and targeting them can be easy. Whether you’re fishing from a boat or a pier, silver spoons rigged with a trolling sinker allow you to cover a ton of water in a short amount of time.
If you’re fishing from a boat try chumming with live bait to fire the macks up and be sure to put out a chum block to entice any other predators in the area i.e. cobia, which have been showing up consistently lately. Best spots would include the Skyway fishing piers, the channel markers inside Tampa Bay and the artificial reefs 5 to 12 miles offshore.
Redfish are definitely around and fishing for them can be excellent at times. Finding them has proven to be most difficult. If you’re searching for those bruiser sized reds, target the early morning high tide this weekend. The fish have been hanging around mullet schools from Tarpon Key to Clearwater; we are just beginning our fall redfish season so expect numbers of fish to increase after each full moon.
More consistent however has been dock fishing either day or night. By day the reds can be found enjoying the shade provided by the dock where the water is a couple of degrees cooler than the surrounding area. At night these fish can be easy targets; just about any lure resembling a small baitfish or shrimp will get eaten.
Offshore anglers received a huge blow this week with the closure of American red snapper; red snapper have proven to be the easiest of all bottom fish to target this year. Their abundance has been noticed by all anglers and hopefully it won’t be too long before these strict regulations can be reassessed. As for the grouper, the gags remain tricky targets in water less than 150 feet deep. So long runs are necessary for those wanting to bring home a bunch of fish. Red grouper are much more prominent in the shallower depths, but with a one fish limit per person the cost might outweigh the means.
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, Aug. 7, 2008
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Tampa Bay Newspapers
9911 Seminole Blvd.
Seminole, FL 33772
(727) 397-5563
Open Monday-Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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