Captain’s Corner: Jay Mastry

The Tampa Bay Times

Tarpon continue to do what tarpon do.  Whether chunking baits at the Skyway, cork fishing along the gulf beaches or soaking bottom baits in the Bay – they can sure be picky about when they eat.  There’s days you may see a hundred fish and can’t buy a bite.  There are others you may see five and jump them all.  The days surrounding Wednesday’s full moon (the 13^th) may help lilt the odds in our favor.  Particularly during the dumping afternoon outgoing tides, tarpon will instinctively gang up at the Skyway Bridge, both north and south pass at Egmont Key and several of the other main passes in our area for one reason.  To eat.  Bait being swept out of the bays and backwaters become easy prey for the opportunistic silverkings.  Our baits properly presented likely won’t live long.  If looking for a little change of pace, mangrove snapper fishing in Tampa Bay can’t get much better.  Fattening up for their upcoming spawn, early morning high tides this last week have been most productive.  I’ve always liked overcast skies when mango fishing but the low light of early mornings have been just as good.  We’ve caught the majority of our fish on whitebait but some of our biggest have been on pinfish we have cast netted along with the minnows.  Our bycatch has included mackerel, cobia and grouper.  Our 20 lb. mango tackle with 30 lb. fluorocarbon and a one ought hook has been no match for the large grouper hanging with the mangos along the rocky edges of the ships channel.

Captain Jay Mastry