The Tampa Bay Times
Warm temperatures have allowed snook to continue inhabiting the beaches and passes. Although they are transitioning towards the back country, they are moving slower than usual. The larger female fish have retreated, yet there are several smaller male fish congregating around the passes, jetties and interior shores of the barrier islands from Clearwater to Tarpon Springs. It is unusual to see so many snook this late in the year, however we have only had one cold front which usually starts their migration. Bait is very plentiful on the flats and snook are responding to sardines which are netted in the morning. I am setting up to catch bait just before the sun rises, chumming over the grass flats in 2 to 4 feet of water. I’ve been using a 12-foot cast net with quarter inch mesh. They can be made with less weight for shallow water, however when catching bait near deep water near channel markers, I have other nets that are much heavier to sink quicker. I have been using mostly pinfish also caught in the net for redfish. As the tide rises the fish begin to push towards the mangrove shorelines. There has been a very strong population of mullet in St. Joseph Sound, making it easy to target the correct shoreline since reds use the schools of mullet for protection. Black tip and lemon sharks have been cruising the flats looking for an easy meal. Since the redfish, snook and mullet are all targets, they will blend with schools of mullet for protection. Occasionally we will hook the sharks when using cut bait while redfishing. If they’re hooked just right you can win the battle, but most often their teeth cut the fluorocarbon leader after just a few seconds.
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