Fish Tales
Full moon brings out big mangrove snappers
By CAPT. TYSON WALLERSTEIN
Article published on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008  |
Big mangrove snapper steal the headlines this week. Our inshore and near shore waters are flooded with these offshore sized specimens during the full moon periods all summer long.
So far this full moon has been great, with plenty of fish being caught around bridges, pass jetties and near shore artificial reefs. The best part about snapper (besides their tasty fillets) is their willingness to eat just about any natural bait that enters their area.
These fish love to eat shrimp, small greenbacks and pinfish, and fresh cut threadfins. You also can easily chum these fish to the surface by using a combination of chum blocks and lots of small pieces of cut bait. Once the fish are in your chum slick you can downsize your tackle and free-line pieces of cut bait back to the fish. This method is pretty easy to get the hang of, making it perfect for the kids.
Bull redfish are showing up in traditional places for this time of year; Jetties, piers and certain grass flats are holding schools of these 15- to 20-pound fish.
Flats anglers should keep their eye out for these fish near the Skyway. These fish are easy to spot but can be difficult to get to eat artificials. Corked live pinfish are your best bet for hooking one of these giants.
Jetties are natural hangouts for Bull redfish; they congregate in the passes this time of year before they move offshore to spawn. Cut bait, i.e. mullet and lady fish, fished on the bottom are great baits as well as a live pinfish or a chunk of blue crab. Anglers fishing the Redington Long Pier were able to manage some good catches of redfish as well.
Plenty of pompano can still be caught around area passes as well as some of the inland bridges. Fish the edges of the flats surrounding the channel leading into the pass. As far as bridges go, the Miesner and Tierra Verde Bridge are excellent spots as well as the Bayway.
In our northern county the Dunedin Causeway also produces good catches. Rig your Crazy jig with a teaser fly when fishing the bridges.
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.
|
Article published on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
