Captain’s Corner: Tyson Wallerstein

After a lengthy drought of useable sized pilchards, it looks like we may be coming out of the late summer micro-bait season in the northern part of the county. Pelicans can be seen working the swash channel aggressively as it has been loaded with small to medium sized pilchards when the conditions are right. Filling your bait wells with a few hundred of these little guys can give you quite a few options. Targeting near shore structures and jetties we’ve been able to catch flounder, mangrove snapper and Spanish mackerel with good consistency.  

 Using a quarter inch mesh sized cast net to minimize gilling, target the super shallows right off the beach. These baits can often be seen dimpling the surface before the sun is up, however there are droves of micro fry in these same areas and throwing on them can really be a mess. It’s almost better to wait until there’s enough light to see into the water, so you can target the larger baits.  

 Anchoring over near-shore reefs will put you in position to chum up a variety of fish. Handfuls of free baits and a fresh chum block off the side of the boat will attract schools of medium sized mackerel and mangrove snapper. An Aberdeen style hook is light enough to allow the bait to work naturally and has a long enough shank to guard against cut-offs. Work the bottom with a drop-shot rig and a stouter hook, as you search the edges of the reef for flounder.  

Capt. Tyson Wallerstein
Flats Monster Inshore Fishing
(727) 692-5868
capt.tyson@hotmail.com
www.Flatsmonster.com