Fall Mackerel run Tampa Bay
Capt. Steven Markovich
September 20, 2011
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
The fall Mackerel invasion on local beaches has started. Cooler water temperatures bring huge amounts of bait which attracts pelagic predators.
Sunday bait was once again simple to gather. The bait is still smallish so be safe and toss a ¼" net as to not gill your baits. Remember you will use bait for both fishing and chumming so load up. Incidentally the area where we got bait was loaded with mackerel, ladyfish and jacks. I think we could have caught fish there all day!
The beach action was fast to say the least. Unlike Saturday chumming was barely needed to keep the macks nearby. Mackerel to 24" hammered bait after bait. Long shank hooks and 40-50 pound leader material is a must to avoid razor sharp teeth.
My pinky finger made contact with a mackerels mouth for a split second and I was bleeding for hours.
Next up we targeted trout on the grass flats and found steady action. Small white baits under a cork with 3' of leader worked well. Once again we had sharks, jacks, ladyfish and bluefish join the party. A fun day to say the least.
Captain Steven Markovich
Tampa Bay Fishing Forecast:
The upcoming weekends high tide will have big redfish schools roaming local oyster bars and grass flats. Look for Bonita anytime as they arrived 9/25 last fall.
Target Species:
Mackerel sharks trout ladyfish jacks
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