Fish Tales
Playing the weather game
By TYSON WALLERSTEIN
| Article published on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 |
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| Photo courtesy of TONY VEYSTAK |
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| Tony Veystak of Seminole shows off a 32-pound cobia he reeled in Sept. 29 on the south pier of the Sunshine Skyway. Veystak caught the 42-inch fish using 12-pound test line. |
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We’ve now seemingly entered a weather pattern of the worst kind. A cold front every four days doesn’t give us much opportunity for stable weather.
This pattern gives us approximately two good days fishing per week. Unfortunately there’s no telling just when those days might occur.
If you’re lucky enough to get a nice enough day to venture into the gulf, the near-shore grouper action continues to be good. Hard-bottom areas that have any kind of small ledges or rock piles in 20 to 50 feet of water are holding gag and red grouper.
Most all of the red grouper are too small to keep but the gags are ranging 8 to 12 pounds and trust me, even the small ones are plenty scrappy in these shallow depths.
Take plenty of frozen sardines to get the bite going and you will catch nice fish on them occasionally, but be sure to have lots of pinfish and grass grunts as the bigger fish seem to love these frisky baits.
Silver trout fishing usually doesn’t get real good around here for another month or so, but I’ve already heard of anglers having big days on the silvers. Drift fishing in 12 to 14 feet of water just off the beach is how you’re going to locate the school. Use tandem jigs like the Luv’s Lures or make your own. Hot colors would be root beer, pink and white.
Although the sea trout are closed for another three weeks, catch and release fishing for them has been very good lately.
Clean, clear water is a must when targeting the trout. If you can find grass flats in about three to six feet of water that is peppered with sand holes you are in trout country.
The Dunedin area receives a lot of attention this time of year mainly because finding areas like I just described is easy. These areas also exist throughout Boca Ciega Bay just off the main channel and the entire Terra Verde area is covered with deep grass.
Capt. Wallerstein can be reached at capt.tyson@hotmail.com. To get a fish photo in the paper, send the photo along with your name, when and where it was caught to editorial@tbnweekly.com or mail it to Tampa Bay Newspapers, 9911 Seminole Blvd., Seminole, FL 33772.
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Article published on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009
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