By Matt Fueyo
Hurricane season is over and we can all be thankful that our coast saw little to no damage. Unfortunately, the red tide has made its way back into the news and onto our beaches. Some areas have been affected, but the water off Sarasota has yet to see its destruction.
Large schools of bait fish are everywhere, literally everywhere. Look for small white terns and pelicans crashing on these schools and then look for fish boiling underneath. Not every school of bait in our area has game fish around them. Somedays you’ll find Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, bluefish and Jack Crevalle. Then the next day in the same location there will be a school of trout and redfish feeding. It always amazes us in the charter boat world, the differences that occur in the water from day to day. You never know what to expect, so always be ready for everything. Using circle hooks is one way we find success in our charters. By using circle hooks the fish are hooked in the corner of the mouth 99% of the time. So even while dealing with “toothy critters” we find our hook-up ratio to be very successful. This obviously is a little different when you venture offshore.
Our inshore nearshore reefs are holding Spanish mackerel and kingfish. These oily meat missiles slice and dice up bait fish on the reefs and somedays you can even smell the fish. Our captains have been able to locate some beautiful barracuda, kingfish and cobia as well. Gag grouper, red groupers and mangrove snappers have made for a good bottom bite too!
The best part about fishing this time of year offshore is being able to bring a ton of small bait from the inshore beaches and passes out to the big fish. We start to chum and watch the madness ensue. Our guests like to fight fish on light tackle and are always amazed that the same rod they caught a snook on, they can then catch a grouper or a kingfish on. It’s all about your presentation and your knot tying abilities. We like to use medium light to medium heavy spinning rods with reels from the 5000 range to 8000 (size of reel, not cost) with an appropriate braided line that will allow us to cast, as well as have the strength to pull up the big ones! Hook size will vary too, depending on your target species. Please remember while bottom fishing offshore, it’s mandatory to use circle hooks and to have a “venting tool” to help groupers and snappers swim back down to their homes. If left unvented their mortality rate skyrockets and they will become shark food! Please respect the ocean and the laws set forth to keep these fish a part of our lives.