By: Capt. Bart Marx
Thankfully, the weather and water temps are beginning to cool down and the fishing is starting to warm up. This is a good month to get offshore on the good weather days and target tripletail as they like to hang around crab trap buoys. There are rows and rows of trap buoys offshore, and to target them I like to use a medium rod with a 4000 size reel with 20 pound braid and a mono or floro leader as long as the rod is. Travel out into the Gulf of America along the buoy lines, but do not get to close driving by the buoys, so you don’t spook a fish that may be there. Stay on plane so you can cover a lot of buoys in a short time. As you pass by a buoy, look to see if there are fish there just under the buoy. It looks like a plastic grocery bag on the line or a wad of seaweed. Drive past and slow down and return with rod in hand, and a single hook with a live shrimp is very productive or an artificial that looks real. Approach close enough to cast and reel the bait to the buoy and let it sink and watch the fish follow your bait. Do not set the hook until you feel the fish attack the bait. If you are setting the hook when you see them make a pass at it most of the time you pull the hook out of their mouth. Be patient and cast to the buoy again they usually will return to the line. Check the FWC regulations on Federal waters if you are out past 9 miles. Also, this month spanish and king mackerel are starting to migrate south for the winter. Search for big schools of bait with fish crashing them. Troll around the edges with spoons matching the size baits you see showering as they are being attacked. For spanish, you can use 50lb. mono leader if you get into the king mackerel you may need to put some wire about 12′ long in front of your lure. You may use a planer to get the bait down deeper put wire in front and behind, a big king will hit the shiny planer. Most of this is running and gunning for the tripletail and mackerel. Stopping on some ledges there should be some mangrove and lane snapper and the occasional grouper. Use shrimp for any hogfish that may be in the 40’to 60′ depths. Redfish inshore should be scattered all around the mangrove and flats where the can find food. Snook should be settled back into their perspective areas around docks and bridges. Sheepshead also hang around structures. f you would like to come along with Capt. Bart Marx and ketch some of these species give me a call 941-979-6517 or e-mail me captbart@alphaomegacharters.com