| Home |
|
Gone
fishing Capt. Larry Blue |
|
|
|
03/20/2006 |
|
Fishing Archives |
|
Spring has sprung and the seasonal
run of Spanish and King mackerel has |
|
|
|
begun. In the early morning
look for the seabirds pounding the surface of the water as
|
| |
|
they pluck baitfish from the
waves. Baitfish are pushed to the top by feeding mackerel
|
| |
|
below them. The fleeing bait
can often be seen splashing the water trying to escape |
| |
|
the onslaught. Occasionally you
will seeing the mackerel jumping clear of their watery |
| |
|
bounds chasing the hapless
sardines and herring. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
The quest for our share of king
mackerel will take us in search of the baitfish |
| |
|
that attract our quarry. The
bait school will look almost like a small rainshower on the
|
| |
|
surface of the water. Once we
find a school of baitfish we simply circle the school |
| |
|
trolling spoons that look like
the bait below. With each pass by the school we will be |
| |
|
picking off the mackerel .
Trolling for the mackerel is perhaps one of the easiest |
| |
|
methods of fishing. Spoons that
replicate the baitfish provide us with a near |
| |
|
inexhaustible resource.
Repeating the course around the school time and again is |
| |
|
almost foolproof. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
While trolling is almost a
guarantee of a good catch, the surest way to catch |
| |
|
the biggest king mackerel is
using the schooling baitfish as bait. This method will most
|
| |
|
often take the larger fish,
although it is not always the case. It is surprising just how
|
|
|
|
many kings fall for the trolled
spoons. The largest Kingfish ever brought onboard our |
|
|
|
boat using spoons weighed over
37 pounds. By using baitfish the largest is well over |
| |
|
55 pounds. The IGFA World
Record is over 90 pounds, that fish was caught here in |
| |
|
Florida. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Spanish mackerel can be found in the near shore waters just off
our beaches. |
| |
|
Early mornings is the best
time. But these fish will take baits and lures throughout the
|
| |
|
day. They can also be found on
the flats during the high tide in the middle of the day. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Mackerel fishing should remain good for the next two months or
so, until |
| |
|
about mid-June, when the water
temperature goes up. But if you want to catch lots |
| |
|
of kingfish now is the time to
go. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Grouper fishing often takes a back-seat while the king mackerel
run is on. |
| |
|
But don't let that stop you
from targeting some of the best tasting fish in our local |
| |
|
waters. There are still plenty
out there to fish for. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Backwater fishing for snook and redfish will pickup as the water
|
| |
|
temperatures become more to
their liking. Sheepshead fishing around the bridges |
| |
|
and docks should also pickup
especially around the next full moon. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Good luck and good fishing, Capt.
Larry |
| |
|
Copyright 2007 CLB |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Capt. Larry Blue is
USCG
licensed full time charter boat operator and guide, |
| |
|
departing from The Kingfish Dock,
at “Gators on the Pass”, in
Johns
Pass - |
| |
|
Treasure Island . He is a member
of; The Maritime Consortium, The Florida |
| |
|
League of Anglers and The
Florida
Outdoors Writers Assn. For charter |
| |
|
information call:
727-397-3773
or 727-871-1058
cell OR |
| |
|
Capt. Joe:
727-678-2959. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
