Captain’s Corner: Jay Mastry

The Tampa Bay Times

Mid March is traditionally when the front runners begin showing up for our spring run of kingfish.  All indicators suggest this trend will continue.  Water temperature in the low seventies is just the way they like it.  Increasing numbers of mackerel and some bonito that precede the run are ganging up on the near shore hard bottom areas along Treasure Island and St. Pete Beach.  Bait… the main ingredient, and what will hold them when they get here is bunching up right on time.  When waters clean along our gulf beaches, high diving pelicans reveal their whereabouts.  Though it may not have yet settled on your favorite flats, bait can be gathered at both fishing piers on Ft. Desoto, the Skyway fishing piers and what I call Pass-a-grille “sea buoy” (actually a fixed tripod), among other deeper water bridges and range markers.  There’s already been a couple kings landed on each side of the Skyway piers and others have been reported caught by bottom fisherman deploying flat lines.  A return to a normal pattern of easterly winds will allow the near shore waters of the gulf to cleanse and draw big schools of bait to the beach.  Kingfish will instinctively be drawn in right behind them.  When the water is dirty inshore, along with the many wrecks and reefs offshore, the buoys lining the Egmont Ships Channel is often a good bet when hunting early season kings.  Focus on those holding the most bait.  I like cutting into the channel around markers 5 and 6 and then depending on water clarity work either in or out.

Captain Jay Mastry