From Grouper to Tarpon
Capt. Troy Mainzer
June 3, 2013
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
This weekend consisted of some great fishing. We started out friday putting the boat in the water in Madeira Beach to prepare for an offshore fishing and diving trip on Saturday. At 5:30am we headed out of Johns Pass in search of grouper, American Red Snapper, Amberjack, and hogfish. Throughout the day we got all of these fish except for Red Snapper. We fished in 120 feet around the pipeline but just couldnt get onto them. A few other guys reported the same thing. Hopefully after this weather passes through the bite will pick up, as that is usually the case with fishing the pipeline. We caught some nice red grouper as well as gags which we had to release until July 1st when the season opens. My cousin also speared a trophy size hogfish.
On Sunday I took out some guys for a half day trip of Tarpon fishing. The bite started out pretty slow until the very end of the incoming tide when fourteen year old Brendan hooked up with a very nice sized tarpon. He had never caught a fish larger than a bluegill so he was in for a workout. After chasing the 120 pound fish through pilings for a few minutes we got it in open water where he whipped it to the boat in about twenty minutes. While holding the fish by the mouth he shook his head and I lost hold of him so we couldnt get a picture of Brendan with the fish but got some good pictures of it next to the boat. No more than ten minutes later Brendan hooks up with his second tarpon of the day, a 90 pounder. This fish put on an aerial display, making some amazing jumps. After fighting the fish for 20 minutes and having the leader near the boat multiple times, it found the pilings and broke off. I'm pretty sure Brendan said someone else was gonna have to reel in the next tarpon because he was so tired after two back to back. All in all it was a great morning of fishing for these guys. Tarpon will be around for the rest of June and most of July, possibly even longer. This years season had a pretty slow and late start.
Thats this weeks report, fishing will continue to be good the next few months. To book a charter or if you just have any questions, feel free to call 813-293-4750 or email me at [email protected]. Also, check out my website www.totallyriggedcharters.com
Tight Lines,
Troy Mainzer
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