**Captain Jeff Gater’s Corner ** May 29th 09
OFFSHORE Fishing report (29 may 2009)
Kingfish are still being be caught out there. The reports are from bottom fisherman fishing for Grouper. There still should be some nice smokers on top following the Mackerel who are gorging themselves on the bait pods on the artificial reefs and wrecks 7-to 12-miles offshore. Expect Spanish mackerel to pop up around bait pods in the Gulf and along the beaches when easterly winds dominate the weather.
Gag Grouper are being caught from 50-foot and deeper. Red Grouper continue to be plentiful in depths of 30-feet west of Clearwater.
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May 01 2009
Mackerel Weekend:
With the current weather your best bet for kingfish and or Mackerel is to slow troll ballyhoo or spoons, there will be plenty of anglers out their laying down a heavy chum slick so take advantage of this by trolling around their slick. Making sure not to disturb your hosts fishing. The Mackerel will be easy just look for the birds and toss out some spoons on your spinning tackle. Kings are best caught by slow trolling. once you hit the 40 foot mark look for the charters and keep in sink with them and always be fully rigged. Plain squid will not do for this type of fishing.
Inshore: Tout ,Trout and more Trout plenty to have all you need is live shrimp and an incoming tide. Most Anglers are drifting the flats of St Joseph’s Sound to Anclote Island. Use a number one hook with one split shot or as needed depending on the tides. Mackerel have penatrated the flats as well so be ready with some silver spoon action. Redfish can be found on the flats on a out going tide feeding in the pot holes.
Keep current Lucky Anglers reports and boats for sale. Contact us if you are selling or looking for a used boat and we will direct your adventure.
J Gater (Lucky Angler) Keeping you up to date fishing Clearwater, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Hudson inshore and offshore.
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West Central Florida
Grouper season has been open for 19 days now and the water temp has receded by 4 degrees. Mid April and still the nights are in the 60’s. The Kingfish are still to the south and with another week of high 70 degree temps will keep them there. Bait pods have been reported and seen by myself and my reports but very secluded. Grouper have been on the ledges at the 60 foot mark and I herd of only one Cobia being caught off of Clearwater. Hopefully this week will temp dome Macks to move just a little North to us.
Speckeled Trout have been hitting good with in ST. Josephs Sound to Clearwater. Use large live shrimp free lined with one splitshot tossed up against the spoil islands about 4 to 5 feet from the shoreline on the rocky side. Don’t worry look for the north shore of the islands and you will see the rocky side.
Frenchy’s Cafe on Clearwater beach still has the best food for the return trip up the inter coastal. Been going their for the last 20 years with the first wife and the second and everyone loves the place. LOL
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3/26/09
It’s going to be a little rough off shore and inshore this weekend, 20 KTS winds so it’s a good weekend to stay safe. The trout on the flats still have been biting in St. Josephs sound and around Honeymoon island. Seems like a good weekend to try some river fishing. The Anclote and Cody rivers have been holding reds and Snook using live shrimp free lined. Off shore not recommended this weekend.
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10 Oct08 (fished Clearwater to Tarpon 30 to 52 foor of water)
Small bait pods out 1 mile to 12 miles off shore, no real signs of mackerel, trolled stretch 30’s from Dunedin reef to the vets then north, managed 3 keeper grouper and a kingfish all on Manns stretch 30’s. Nothing hit the rattle traps being trolled
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6Sept.08
Stay in close to the spoil islands for some Gater trout, use large shrimp free lined during earlie morning and dusk hours. during the day try the rnds of Three Rooker or Honeymoon islands for Snook. Use live pinfish or grunts for best action.
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June 13th 2008
With Gas prices killing us all on the water we have been doing some sandbar action latley which means drinking and watching the sites on 3-Rooker bar. Most of the average fisherman have been close inshore, which means Trout and Redfish. Hang in close to the spoil islands in the morning and at dusk throw live shrimp with a single splitshot towards the rocky side of the islands.
April 25th 2008
With the flats warming up go and head out early with live shrimp fish close to the rocky end of the spoil islands for redfish and Trout. Late morning as the bite dies off move on to the grass flats and drift until you get some decent bites, remember large trout travel with large trout if your just catching the small ones keep drifting. The second you get a lunker go a head and ease the anchor in. and find your sweet spot.
Gas prices are toooooo high for anyone to venture to far off shore so it will be crowded inshore.
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29 Nov
Troll Stretch 15, 25’s and 30’s thru out the depths of 15 tp 40 feet for Grouper if you have a plainer or a down rigger it’s time to troll some Ballyhoo as well. Kingfish and grouper are the name of the game until the wx gets colder. There have even been reports of Bonito cruising with in our area. Little Tuna have been caught in 30 foot of water so be ready they take off like a torpedo on Crack.
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September weekends mean a lot of people will have snook on their fishing agenda. After months of “closed season” on snook it becomes legal to keep them again on September 1st. New regulations were put in place for snook since the last time the season closed.
**A one-fish daily bag limit per person statewide for snook and a slot limit of 28-32 inches total length in Atlantic waters and a 28-33 inches total length limit in Florida’s Gulf, Everglades National Park and Monroe County waters
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** the snook harvest season will close on December 1st in the Gulf, Everglades and Monroe County and will reopen March 1st. In the Atlantic, the season will close on December 15th and reopen February 1st.If you do intend on trying to possess a snook, make sure you’re aware of the new regulations.For oversized and undersized snook, please handle these fish with care as their survival is important for the future of the species. With high water temperatures these fish do not fare well if they are kept out of the water for a long time. If at all possible, leave them in the water as you remove the hook and get the fish on its way as quickly as you can. Anyone interested in more suggested guidelines for catch and release can send me an email, I’d be happy to share my recommendations with you.Several years ago, after the brutal Red Tide of 2005, I decided not to keep snook anymore. But there are other options out there if I want to bring some fish home for dinner. There isn’t much better time than right now to catch mangrove snapper in the inshore waters. Fish the structure: Rockpiles, pilings, wrecks, bridges and oyster bars for these crafty fish. They have keen eyesight and a fluorocarbon leader is a great way to disguise the line. Small live baits or fresh dead baits will get eaten by the snapper. They’re excellent eating and fun to catch.Pompano is another item I put on my menu from time-to-time. Bouncing small jigs off the bottom around Tampa Bay bridges, piers and Gulf passes will get pounded by the pompano if they are there. Doc’s Goofy jigs with a small teaser added are a great way to target pompano.Redfish action has been excellent. As the Fall approaches that will get even better with larger fish moving into the area. |