Bay grouper and nearshore kingfish bite cranks up
The upcoming offshore marine forecast looks promising. With winds forecast to blow out of the north around 5 to 10 knots, seas will smooth and nearshore waters will clear. Bait schools that had been scattered by rough seas will school back up and once the waters along the beaches settle, the kingfish and mackerel bite should really crank up. Watch for diving birds and action on the surface.
This time of year, you will find mackerel, kingfish, bonito and cobia working the schools of bait fish. Trolling hardware or slow trolling live bait can be very productive for locating school of fish. Match the size of the baits to the fish you are targeting.
Grouper and snapper that had been holding tight to bigger ledges and wrecks will start to move back to smaller pieces of structure that see less pressure. Key in on 1- to 3-foot breaks in 40 to 70 feet of water. If after 15 to 30 minutes you are only pulling up shorts, move on to the next spot because more often than not, that’s all you find on that spot.
Cooler bay water temps and loads of bait should equal a hot bay grouper bite. Trolling diving plugs, jigs or even spoons along the edge of the Ship Channel can very productive this time of year.
A short run to the Sunshine Skyway and a couple of hours of trolling can produce some quality gags. The key is fishing at the beginning and end of either the incoming or outgoing tide.
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