The Tampa Bay Times
The fall fishing is in full swing. The beaches are covered in baitfish. Threadfin herring and scaled sardines can be found up and down our Suncoast. Migratory species are preying on these bait schools. Spanish mackerel, kingfish, cobia, bonita, sharks and offshore redfish are the prominent species that are on the prowl. Inshore, redfish schools continue to invade the shallow water flats in search of crustaceans. Sea trout, one of the most popular and easiest of all to catch is starting to show up everywhere on the grass flats with the water temperature slowly dropping to around eighty degrees. Learning to how to throw a cast net can be one of the best things that anyone could ever learn in our area. We are fortunate to have one of the healthiest, and most variety of baitfish anywhere. Filling the live well with threadfins, scaled sardines, pinfish, grunts, mullet, ladyfish, and shrimp will provide action for any targeted species. The main goal is to have the proper bait for anything that arises. Slow trolling threadfin herring this time of the year off the beaches will entice catches of all the pelagic species. I start by locating schools of baitfish less than a mile from the beach and deploy baits on a light drag setting using light wire to prevent break offs from toothy fish. Large offshore redfish have been a surprise catch while trolling off the beach this fall. Captain Rob Gorta727-647-7606www.captainrobgorta.com
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
- Captains Corner, Gorta - March 23, 2024
- Dave Zalewski - March 12, 2024
