http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/captains-corner-baitfish-may-be-luring-unusually-large-mangos-into-bay/2325663
My best success recently has come from working a little farther up the bay. The bait has been more plentiful, and where there are baitfish, there will be predator fish following them. On Sunday, my charter landed what may be one of the largest mangrove snapper I’ve seen in a long time from well inside Tampa Bay. The fish was 17 inches long and weighed more than 3 pounds. Keep in mind that in state waters, a mangrove snapper needs to be only 10 inches and typically weighs about as much as a hamburger patty. Larger snapper are generally more common 20-plus miles offshore in much deeper water. We used belly-hooked scaled sardines fished on knocker rigs over a rock pile in 30 feet of water. Anchor position is critical for this type of fishing to ensure that baits are being dropped directly to the structure. Mangrove snapper tend to hang around the highest relief and anywhere there are undercuts or caves they can hide in.
Brent Gaskill runs Summer Vacation Charters out of the St. Petersburg area and can be reached at captbrent@summervacationcharters.com and (727) 510-1009.
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
- Captains Corner, Gorta - March 23, 2024
- Dave Zalewski - March 12, 2024
