Captain’s Corner: Brent Gaskill

The Tampa Bay Times

Capt. Brent Gaskill
 
 
 

        When offshore waters are cold and dirty, as they are now, you often hear bottom fisherman talk about using frozen baits that release scent and allowing them to soak longer.  This technique let’s fish use their nose instead of their eyesight to locate the offering.  This same principle applies to inshore fishing as well. Cold water slows a fish’s metabolism and they won’t expend unnecessary energy chasing down bait. If the water is dirty from recent high winds, they can’t see swiftly moving baits either, leaving them no choice but to use their nose.  For this reason I pinch the last tail section off my live shrimp to allow it’s scent to escape.  A light knocker-rig is used to hold the shrimp on the bottom where I can let it sit and wait for the fish to come find it.  This method has been very effective for redfish, sheepshead, trout, flounder, and snapper.  If using artificial lures in these conditions I’ll choose a dark colored jig with built in scent and crawl it very slowly across the bottom.