Spring Action, Captain’s Corner

The Tampa Bay Times

The height of spring, there is a little bit of everything going on.     Offshore:  King mackerel.   Inshore, spanish mackerel, trout and all the regular species.    Pompano, not yet in their regular locations, but that should be getting close.   Trout:   Very good if you go to the exact right locations.    Not in the right locations:  Small trout.   All you can catch.   Trout are our most sustained species.    They are easy, they are fun.

Mackerel, both kinds, you have to go deeper.   King mackerel, open water.   Spanish mackerel are thick at the mouth of Tampa Bay.   The Skyway bridges have the structure that attracts the baitfish the mackerel eat.    Get after a king mackerel now, or they are gone again until October.  Spanish mackerel will be around and easy for virtually the rest of the year.
Ladyfish are also anywhere the baitfish is.    Not good for much, they do provide rod bending action.   They eat anything they see so there are no tricks to it.   They pull hard and they like to jump so these are good for the kids. 

The trout, if you are after a big one:   Patrol the shallow grass bottom areas and prospect until you are in to them.    If you have trout in your plan, it is a plan that should come to fruition.   Trout are not difficult.    You just have to find the right spot where they are bigger.     How to catch them isn’t hard.   Best option:    Topwater lures in areas that are about two and a half to three feet deep.   Use plastic jigs in deeper areas.    Move lures slow:   Connect on trout.