|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Fish Tales
Strong winds keep kingfish anglers close to shore
By CAPT. TYSON WALLERSTEIN
Article published on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006 |
Ducking out of the wind has been an angler’s biggest challenge lately. Knowing especially well that the fish will bite – if you can just get a chance to fish for them – has got to be one of the most frustrating things.
Kingfish are out there and chewing. Bait is plentiful and those who have had the opportunity to troll some “livies” around that 30-foot mark west of John’s Pass have done well. Cobia can also be found. Artificial reefs like the south county, Betty Rose and the mitigation reefs found just off the beach are good places to look.
One species that doesn’t seem concerned about the weather is the redfish. The Intracoastal Waterway from John’s Pass north through the Narrows and St. Joseph’s Sound is stacked up with reds. Soaking pinfish in the deeper holes and working topwater plugs around the mullet schools is textbook for having a good day on the redfish.
Places to look would definitely be any rock piles or oyster bars on the incoming tides and nearby deep docks for the last bit of the outgoer. One place to check out if you’re boat-less and want to get into the reds would be the Redington Long Pier. Reds of all sizes are being pulled over the rails out at the pier right now. Once again, it doesn’t seem to matter how bad it’s blowing, the reds still bite. Pinfish would be the bait of choice with shrimp being a good alternative.
It looks like the winds will have an easterly component to them this week, so with any luck the beach should start to clean up. Once the bait stacks back up out on the beach, the Spanish mackerel will follow.
Shadowing the mackerel will be the kingfish. Plenty of big kings were caught right up along the beach last week. Big baits paid off for anglers trolling live mackerel and blue runners. The key is to stay with the schools of mackerel.
Further offshore the grouper bite is good in 80- to 110-feet of water. Many good-sized gags are starting to move into these shallower depths with the cooler water.
And if you’re interested in some real shallow water grouper action, the ship’s channel and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge are heating up big time right now.
Grouper of all sizes can be caught off the rock piles along the channel’s edge either by trolling or anchoring and dropping down live pinfish.
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.
|
Article published on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Tampa Bay Newspapers
9911 Seminole Blvd.
Seminole, FL 33772
(727) 397-5563
Open Monday-Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
|
|
