http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/Captain-s-Corner-Positive-signs-that-better-kingfishing-is-near_172912987
The results of last weekend’s Wild West Kingfish Tournament suggests there is better kingfishing on the way. The top three were 40-pounders. A 45-pounder won it, and it took a 30-pounder to make the top 10. Most were reportedly caught a minimum of 20 miles offshore, and several lot farther. Nearshore waters along our gulf beaches have been slow to recover from Red Tide. It’s anyone’s guess exactly how long it will be before it cleanses enough to draw the kings within a few miles of our coastline. Hopefully gradually dropping water temperatures will help. Strong tides from the current full moon phase might be a plus, flushing out the tainted water and pouring in the new. There has been some widely scattered reports of at least a few kings around the Whistler and the outer markers of the ships channel. Barracuda and an occasional bonita likely will swipe some of your offerings, but at least they provide entertainment while waiting on a king bite. Baits being able to jiggle up on gold hook rigs at some of the midmarkers in the channel is another encouraging sign. Meanwhile, while waiting for better kingfish reports, we’ve continued to take advantage of exceptional mangrove snapper and grouper fishing in Tampa Bay. We caught a couple of dozen mangos and several grouper on a quick trip Saturday morning on a little rock pile in the middle of the bay. The grouper we’re catching are mostly juveniles because the big ones don’t cooperate too well on our 20-pound mango gear. We’ll beef up our tackle every once in a while just to get back at them.
Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
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