http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/Captain-s-Corner-Red-Tide-doesn-t-mean-the-end-of-good-fishing_172057817
The loss of marine life along our gulf beaches and who knows how far offshore has been devastating. We can only hope for a speedy recovery from the deadly toxic algae bloom and keep our fingers crossed that Mother Nature will help clean up its mess soon. In the meantime, there’s no need to quit fishin’. At least until now, Tampa Bay offers a viable alternative. Bait has been plentiful and is beginning to grow up. You’ll still want to use the quarter-inch mesh cast net but some of what we’ve been gathering on the Snell Isle flats have been considerably larger. Schools of jacks, ladyfish and juvenile mackerel are blasting bait schools on the surface from the Skyway to the Gandy Bridge — another promising sign. We’ve continued to wrestle with grouper, grunts and mangos mostly up and down the rock-laden edges of the ships channel inside Tampa Bay. Other positive reports have come from those fishing the many artificial reefs that dot the bay and from flats fishermen from the clam bar to Weedon Island. We’ve recently been pleasantly surprised by grouper digging a couple hard bottom areas that we tarpon fished earlier this summer well inside the bay. Pinfish have been most productive but some of the larger ones have come on frozen shad I’ve thawed while cleaning out the freezer. Perhaps I’ll do it more often.
Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
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