My Favorite Time of Year is Here!

4/26/2013

Hi friends! Welcome to my monthly report. I'm so glad we made it through the cold fronts of March. Ugghh! That was not a whole lot of fun. The fun is now though, as the water temps are in the mid 70's heading towards 80 and the fishing has begun to explode! All of the usual suspects are in play. Redfish, Trout, Snook, Tarpon, Kingfish, Mackerel, Bonito, Sharks, Flounder, Grouper... You get the picture? See why this is my favorite time of year? Here is what's going on out here...
The Kings and Mackerel finally felt the rising water temperature plus longer days and decided to inhabit the area 2 to 8 miles offshore. We have had tons of action within a short 3 mile run out of Dunedin. 5 inches of light wire and a small 2/0 hook is my choice for rigging for these toothy critters. However, I almost always start with a long shank hook, and plain mono or fluorocarbon leader, 30 - 60lb, depending on how bad the cut offs are. You will lose a few hooks for sure, but the pay off is more frequent bites. Recently, I took a group fishing for these drag screamers. One angler had the most hook ups any time we could get her cast the farthest from the boat, using the light wind to help the get the distance we needed. It would take only a few seconds to get a Spanish Mackerel on as they became shy of the boat on a clear calm day. Kristin Ward had A few blisters after reeling in the fast paced Mackerel all morning. Sorry Kristin. Following the Kings and Mackerel are the Bonito and Sharks! Bonito are chasing the same baits as the Mackerel, and the Sharks are chasing all of them! It can be lots of action out there. Some days it's better than others. Some other recent trips we would see only a few bites. Chumming the waters with a chum block, purchased at your local bait shop, and cutting some live baits into pieces creates a line of scent that can greatly increase your chances. That method almost always brings the Sharks in to range. Many of my clients have been humbled by the explosiveness of the Spinner and Black Tip Sharks that we've hooked out there. You can see some recent photos in my Photo Gallery under 'Miscellaneous'. Enjoy!
Redfishing has been up and down. The tides play a major role as well as the pressure on the schools that have shown up. It seems the fish are starting to go rogue and divide up lately. We will catch one here and there, but not really several in any one location. The better tide phases seem to group them more. I will use the cut bait method to fish under the mangroves on the highest of tides. Otherwise, on a falling tide that brings them out onto the flats with the mullet, I will often use whole pinfish or sardines as well as a mix of cut baits thrown in. They love to smell for a bait and pick it up off of the bottom as they are a scavenging type of predator.
Trout are starting to show up closer to the passes and even in the beach swashes. They seemed to have left their winter home around the spoil islands in St. Joseph Sound. Although there may be a few left there, the majority are making their way west to the beaches where they tend to spawn all the way through summer. Around the passes in the strong current, I like to add a split shot about two feet up from the hook to allow the baits a chance to get down to the fish. I nose hook sardines so they line up in the tide with less resistance. The beginning of the Trout presence on the beach usually has the bigger female Trout, however throughout the weeks we see fewer larger Trout and many of the males in search of the females to spawn with. You can expect to get a couple over 24 inches on the beach now, but smaller through the summer.
Snook are just starting to make a statement around here. There are a few places that are holding numbers of fish, mostly in the transitional areas of the backcountry. River and creek mouths, points and oyster bars. I have seen a couple on the beaches already too, proving that they are on their way! The passes leading to the beach have had sparse numbers, but it is going to get better every day. A great way to hook a Snook once they get to the beach consistently, is to walk along the swashes while pitching a small white jerkworm, parallel to the swash channel. Many of my clients are surprised how close the Snook swim to the shoreline. Although we are usually throwing live sardines, threadfins or pinfish at them, I have hooked plenty of fish using artificials from shore over the years.
Tarpon are beginning to roll along the beaches from Egmont Key to Honeymoon Island. I haven't personally targeted these big fish yet, but some of my colleagues have been on the lookout. There are also fly fisherman taking shots at them swimming across the sand shoals at the north ends of Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands. I haven't witnessed any hook ups yet but I'm sure there has been some. I usually start my Tarpon trips in the beginning of May, chartering between Boca Grande Pass and Dunedin, including south Tampa Bay. These fish offer a reward of a lifetime once hooked and landed so you definitely need to give yourself a chance to fight one this season!
Gag Grouper are closed until July 1st. I have ran a few trips for them, catch and release only. Although Red Grouper are open, we usually don't see many 20 inch keepers within my charter range. Any Grouper can bring lots of action too, for those just wanting to pull on some fish!
As you can see, we are staying busy out here! I know this report is a little long, I just wanted to cover all the bases. Don't hesitate to get your day booked with me. The calendar is getting pretty full so call now, 727-365-7560 or e-mail from my website. I look forward to helping you have a memorable day out on the water. Let's go fishing!

Capt. Brian