Our first true cold front of the year proved a quality test for our anglers this week. Cloud cover on Monday was the worst of it and the fish still responded pretty well. The beach action was hot with big Spanish Mackerel and schoolie sized Kingfish. About 20 feet of water and hard bottom seemed to be key. A live well full of scaled Sardines will also come in handy. Were still sticking with longshank hooks, on 15lb test main line with 40 to 60lb fluorocarbon leader. You will have some cut offs from the Kings but the Spanish won’t normally hit wire so for increased action I would stay away from the wire unless you are only interested in Kings.
The Redfish and Trout bites were both pretty good all things considered. They are both very tolerant to cooler water temps, which really helps us out this time of year. The North winds blew much of our water out of the bay so fishing the edges of the flats and working the big Mullet schools was key to our success.
The offshore scene was pretty tough this week because of the wind, but our friends looking for Grouper inside the bay did pretty well. Trolling the shipping channel is always hard to beat. The rock edges in 28 to 32 feet of water almost always hold some good numbers of keeper sized fish. Trolling the Mirro-Lure 25+ series in blaze orange is a safe bet as is the black and silver and black and gold. Catching these fish will help ease the pain of not being able to run offshore because of the winds.
Catch Capt. Michael Anderson and Capt. Billy Nobles every Saturday morning on News CH8 at 6:30am and Sundays at 11:00am for the Reel Animals Fishing Show and Saturdays for Reel Animals Saturday on 970WFLA from 6:00am to 9:00am and Sunday mornings on AM620 for the TA Mahoney Co. Reel Animals Radio Show from 7am to 9am or to book a trip call 1-866-Gamefish.
