The Tampa Bay Times
Spearfishermen and women are coming out of the woodwork to get into the refreshing water in their escape from the heat of the days of May. Dive shops are a buzz with divers getting their tanks filled and their scuba gear ready to go diving. The wild winds of last weekend are gone, but they left some murky water behind. Offshore waters have started to clear but it’s still hit and miss. We had divers out to 140’ of water on Wednesday and they had zero visibility. They swam right into the sandy bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. However, some of our divers were out in 80’ of water and witnessed about 15’ to 20’ of underwater visibility – enough to safely spear fish. Wetsuits are still the common dress of the day as the water is still below 80 degrees. Hogfish are on most of the live bottom structure and if diving over 80’ feet, legal size red grouper can be seen and speared. The big story is still cobia and mackeral. A great challenge for spearfishermen is to spear the quick and slender spanish mackeral. For those who eat mackeral, this is a fun time with dinner rewards. Some of the offshore cobia have also made it into the bay, but so have the sharks from the south. Be careful when spearing the murky waters of the bay as these hungry bull sharks are sniffing around for blood in the water. A wounded fish will suit them just fine.
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
- Captains Corner, Gorta - March 23, 2024
- Dave Zalewski - March 12, 2024
