http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/Captain-s-Corner-The-reward-for-picking-up-trash-in-the-gulf_170381291

It has been our practice to be “trashmen” of the Gulf for many years. This policy of stopping to pick up discarded items such as balloons which have been released over land, drift into the gulf and present a serious threat to sea turtles which may mistake them for jellyfish, ingest them causing serious digestive problems and even death. Five-gallon buckets are often found with oil residue in them or floating empty. When run over, they can cause serious damage to lower units, propellers and shafts. Lines or ropes ranging in all sizes can gather weeds on them and are not evident until wrapped up in a propeller causing an end to a previously great day. Fishermen often discard bait boxes mistakenly thinking that they are biodegradable cardboard when in reality they are plasticized cardboard and do not degrade until the thin plastic is released into the water. Styrofoam lids blow off coolers and while posing no great threat to boats, they are a threat to the environment. On trips before the weather kept us in port for over a week we have been rewarded for taking the time to stop and pick up various items by two species. Dolphin (mahi-mahi) and tripletail both like to orient to floating debris and weedlines, Tripletail are often like cobia and will refuse almost any bait presented to them. The head of a squid with the tentacles wiggling on a 1/0 circle hook will usually provoke a strike. We have now found out that surefire baits are either a live shrimp hooked under the horn or a nose hooked white bait. Having a rod rigged and ready will pay off. It can be equally as frustrating when the mahis show up for often they will refuse to eat what is offered to them. Using a pair of scissors and chumming with small slivers of sardines and presenting small gold hooks with the same size pieces of sardines is usually effective. When this does not work, trolling around the debris is effective. Deploy three lines, a No. 11 planer with a 0 or 00 spoon. A small spoon on the surface without any weight. And a saltwater streamer fly trolled at 5.5 to 6 knots.

Dave Zalewski charters the Lucky Too out of Madeira Beach. Call (727) 397-8815.

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