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Gone
fishing Capt. Larry Blue |
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03/16/2008 |
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Fishing Archives |
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Big
changes are going on offshore, the water is warming and the
seasonal |
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migration of king mackerel is coming
on strong. A surprise for many this season was |
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the early show of king mackerel. Most
years we have to wait until the middle or end |
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of March to catch a few. This year
the fish were here on the first. King mackerel will
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be here for the next couple months
with the height of the run to occur during April. |
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Spring kings are generally smaller
than when they return during the fall run. However
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what they might lack in size they
more that make up for in quantity. Don’t be |
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surprised to catch as many as one
hundred fish in a day. |
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The kings can be found from just off the beaches to out as far
as you’d care |
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to go into the Gulf. Most of the
kingfish travel in schools methodically chasing down
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baitfish. They will surround a school
of bait working it into circles, or balls. |
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Remember the old cowboy western
movies where the Indians kept the wagon train |
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in a circle and attacked while
running around them? Well, the king mackerel must |
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have seen those old movies too
because they do pretty much the same thing. As the
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larger kings keep the smaller bait
balled up, several kings from the attacking school
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will crash through the baitfish
school taking a share of the hapless baitfish to fill their
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bellies. The attack will take place
until the kings get their fill and move on. |
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King mackerel make for some great
table fare. I have to admit that the first |
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time someone suggested that to me I
was a little skeptical. But I have since changed |
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my mind and know first hand that king
mackerel make for a savory meal. Sure |
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you’ve heard of smoked king mackerel,
but fried, blackened, broiled and even |
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boiled, the list of excellent recipes
are endless. Give it a try and you will find you are
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in for a very pleasant surprise. |
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Spanish mackerel are the King’s
smaller cousins. Spanish mackerel are |
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usually found closer to shore than
kings and many can be found even on the deeper |
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grassflats in the bay. This is a fun
fish to try on light-tackle. Simply looking for a bird
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crashing the surface is about all you
need to do to locate Spanish mackerel. The |
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mackerel will come to the sound of
the bird as it falls into the water chasing a bait,
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the Spanish seem to know that means
dinner is about to be served. The bird locates |
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the bait, the Spanish move in to
investigate and feed for themselves and you should
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be there with your lure or baited
hook. |
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The pressure is on for grouper since
the season open. The Federal closure |
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ended on March 15th, and many anglers
rushed out as soon as the weather and law |
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would allow. We found that the best
bait was cut squid combined with a whole |
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sardine. Of course you might have to
weed through the smaller ones to get to a |
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keeper; it is well worth the effort.
Grouper is considered to be the best of the best |
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when it comes to fish that tastes
good. |
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There are reports of snook being found along the beach passes.
Captain |
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Kevin Walton told of netting bait at
the shoreline and pulling in a 33” snook in his |
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bait net. Of course the snook was
released unharmed, but the fact is there are snook
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on the beach. |
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Backwater redfish and trout are going
great. The fish are moving up onto the |
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flats and feeding as long as the
water is sufficient depth for them to feel comfortable.
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The last part of high tide is best. |
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This is the month for Sheepshead.
Watch for the full moon and New moon |
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for the best catches. Fishing
around the area bridges and some of the docks that
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dot the Intercoastal waterways should
also produce good catches. |
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Good luck and good fishing, Capt.
Larry |
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Copyright 2008
Logo/editorial, Capt. Larry Blue |
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Capt. Larry Blue is a full
time charter boat operator and guide, launching from Gators
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on the Pass, in Treasure
Island . He is a member of; The Maritime Consortium, The |
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Florida League of Anglers
and The Florida Outdoors Writers Assn. For charter
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information call
727-397-3773 or cell; 727-871-1058 or |
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www.CaptainLarryBlueCharters.com
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