Capt. Philip Watson
As we wind down our Red Snapper Season, I cannot help to think of all the great fish we caught these past few months. Most trips this summer resulted in limits of both Red Snapper and Red Grouper. Fishing was just as hot as the weather.
As we transition from Summer to Fall, we need to start thinking about our pelagic fish coming back through. Flat lines are important and I always have two dedicated rods on any trip for flat lines. The setups are quite easy to manage and are meant to fish the top part of the water column. Both reels have braid tied to 40lb fluorocarbon leader. One will have a 4-6” wire leader twisted to a long shank J hook, the other with out wire. For bait I like to use pilchards, threadfins, pinfish, and Spanish sardines depending on what is in the area. On these rods, expect to catch kingfish, Bonita, cobia, tuna, and possibly even a sailfish!
Last month I had my annual trip with The Shelton Crew and we put the smack down on some fish! This year they made the choice to book a full day, so I could get them deeper for the Grouper/Snapper combo. We left the dock loaded with pinfish and pilchards along with a cooler full of frozen bait. First stop was in 140’ and was loaded with red grouper. We caught 5 back to back fish with the largest being 30”. At our next stop, which was in 150’, we brought up 4 red snapper measuring up to 28” and 2 nice red groupers. We ended up trying out one more stop and there we found our last grouper. Boy oh boy was he a big one – measuring 37”. We caught the stud on a chicken rig with 30lb test leader.
We offer both half and full days with the ability to accommodate up to 6 passengers. We would love the opportunity to get you and your family out on the water.
Just Kickin Back Charters
Captain Philip Watson
941-226-1100
Anna Maria Island, Florida
