http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/captains-corner-deep-grass-flats-around-pinellas-point-provide-some-of/2333615
Deep grass flats around Pinellas Point are providing some of the best action. The water temperatures there are much lower than in the shallows, where temperatures can be in the 90s. Redfish become lazy and will not eat with temperatures that high, so I head to deeper water for nonstop action. Expect to catch Spanish mackerel, jacks, trout, snapper, ladyfish, bluefish and sharks. And you catch a ton of fish. I learned this method of fishing from the late Captain Doug Hemmer: I use the bottom machine to find where I want to anchor and fish. Sand will be a flat line; grass will be jagged and a different color. Once I am anchored, I start throwing out live chummers. This triggers any species in the area to start feeding. Continuous chumming is required to keep the action steady. I use a long shank hook with 40-pound leader to prevent cutoffs from sharks and mackerel. The hatch has continued to cause problems, so a lot of really small baits are on the bridges and flats. I like to use a quarter-inch mesh glass minnow cast net this time of year. The mesh is small enough so the baits will not get caught in the net. Throwing chum over any grass flat will attract plenty of whitebait to fill the well.
Rob Gorta charters out of St. Petersburg. Call him at (727) 647-7606 or visit captainrobgorta.com.
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