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Saltwater Fishing Report for Sarasota, Florida.
Capt. Bob Smith
August 21, 2001
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Offshore Mackerel
Offshore fishing for Spanish mackerel is still the best action. The artificial reefs (M) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 have consistently been alive with mackerel, little tunny, barracuda and sharks. In fact, half of the mackerel and tunny that are hooked are eaten by the cuda and sharks on the way in. This can get wild and caution should be used when boating a fish so that a cuda will not follow it into the boat. Live pilchards have been about the best bait but trolling small spoons has also put plenty of fish in the box.
Normally I would fish for Spanish mackerel without a steel leader and just use a 4/0, 202, gold, long shank hook with 30-40 pound test mono leader. With all the toothy critters around and a few large kings still being caught, I would change to a six inch, #3 steel leader with a 3/0-4/0 heavier style hook. Capt. Brian Martel (Midnite Son) caught two kings on (I-2) but the in close action was short lived.
If you hit a day when the mackerel seem to be in a slump, take all your leader off and use a lighter hook. You may lose a few more fish this way but it is better than no action at all.
Bottom fishing has produced some snapper and grouper but you need to feed a lot of smaller fish to get a good one. Live bait (shrimp, pinfish or whitebait) is what you need to do much good. Fish the bottom with very little weight, less than an ounce and 40# to 60# test mono leader. I use 12 to 20 pound test line and lock the drag down as tight as I can. You do not have the option of letting a fish run when fishing deep structure.
Enjoy and Protect
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