Captain’s Corner: Dave Zalewski

The Tampa Bay Times

Dave Zalewski 460-9893

When strong winds are from the east baitfish and their attendant predators move in close to shore seeking protection from rough water that is offshore. The lee of the shoreline also offers protection for anglers that may wish to run offshore, but use some common sense and stay close to land. Last week Spanish mackerel, bluefish, sharks and bonita could all be found in great numbers within a mile or two from shore. Diving birds provide two different bits information to anglers. The first is where the fish are because diving birds are crashing into the water either to catch the baitfish or feed on scraps left by the marauding predators. The second gives us information as to what size of artificial bait to deploy whether it is a spoon or plug. When pelicans dive from a height, that indicates that the baitfish they are targeting are large and a larger spoon should be used. When the pelicans are simply rolling over from a short height, that indicates that the prey are small and small spoons should be employed.
We have been experiencing some major tides lately and a large amount of dirty bay water is flushed into the gulf. This water is full of life and provides easy picking for predators. The key to using this fact is to find where the dirty water ends and look for diving birds on the edge. Trolling a serpentine pattern over this edge usually produces very well.
Kingfish should be here on the early season spots such as the shipping channel, mid water artificial reefs and wrecks, but the high winds have prevented us from targeting them. Weather forecasts are favorable for offshore trips this week and we expect them to be here in force.