Captain’s Corner: Dave Zalewski

The Tampa Bay Times

Dave Zalewski 460-9893

When people ask “ When is the best time to fish in our area?” The answer is always May and October. The reason being is that in these months we can target every species that swims in our waters. The pelagic, fish that we normally troll for are at the height of their northward migration from the Keys and Cuba where they have spent the winter along with the baitfish that they feed on. Spanish mackerel and bonita arrive first and shortly after that kingfish, tarpon, barracuda, and sharks. Although not as plentiful, blackfin tuna and sailfish also make their presence known. The tuna seem to be more plentiful this year, perhaps because of the regulation that went into effect on January 1 that allows 2 fish per person or 10 per vessel whichever is greater. They seem to congregate near high profile structure such as artificial reefs and wrecks that are found in water deeper than 60 feet. On many days they are active near the surface at sunrise and as the day progresses tend to feed deeper in the water column. Trolling live baits such as Spanish sardines and small blue runners as slow as possible near the surface is effective early in the day. Later on using trolling sinkers or downriggers to get the live baits much deeper is necessary. Large lipped plugs that dive to the 30 foot depths will also produce fish. Pink, blue and gold are the preferred colors.
Bottom fishing has picked up in the 60 to 70 foot depths for white grunts, porgies, triggerfish (which are now closed and are catch and release) Lane snapper, and grouper. Gag grouper are closed until June 1. Red grouper are open. Squid and frozen Spanish sardines work well, but it always pays off to have some live bait such as Spanish sardines or pinfish to send down once the bite has been established. Deploying two flatlines while bottom fishing one with a frozen sardine and one with a live sardine or hardtail caught on site will often produce a bonus pelagic fish at this time of year