Captain’s Corner: Rob Gorta

The Tampa Bay Times

Massive schools of redfish have showed up on the flats around Fort Desoto.  I take my time searching for these schools using my trolling motor in areas known that fish hang out.  Once I find them, I throw a couple of live bait chummers to see what kind of mood they are in.  If a fish explodes on one of the baits, then I start chumming more aggressively.  I will keep chumming to keep the redfish in a feeding frenzy.  This action is fast and furious, with redfish exploding everywhere on the baits that are thrown. Snook fishing this past week has provided some of the best action I have ever seen all year.  Normally, snook are tough and hard to get to bite.  They have come out of their summer holes and are willing to eat anything in sight. I believe the drop in water temperature has helped the redfish and snook action. Filling the live well with scaled sardines is a must.  I like to have as many baits as possible.  I make a few casts, if I do not get a strike, I put a new bait on, keeping a fresh bait on the hook at all times.  I like to use a size 1/0 hook.  This allows the bait to swim naturally.  A hook that is too big will cause the bait to sink to the bottom. Snook have sandpaper like teeth; so thirty-pound camouflage leader is a must to prevent fish from wearing through the leader.    

Captain Rob Gorta

727-647-7606

www.captainrobgorta.com