Venice Inlet and the Gulf of Mexico
Capt. Dave Pinkham
January 27, 2007
Venice - Saltwater Fishing Report
Good Week for Fishing on the Gulf
Fishing action out on the gulf continues to be good. On the half-day trips we're still doing well with kingfish. It really is late in the season for the kings, but they sure help to make for an exciting 4-hour charter. Also on these same trips our clients have been catching Spanish mackerel, little tunny, bluefish, an occasional shark.
On the shorter fishing trips such as the 4 or 6-hour charters, one way we locate fish such at the kings quickly is by trolling large spoons. To get the spoons down below the surface one method that works well is to use planning boards. Generally we rig up with a 12-foot long, 50-pound test piece of monofilament behind the planning board and then tie on the spoon. It’s a simple proven technique that produces fish.
One thing you should know though, if you are planning to do some trolling with this set-up, make sure to bring along plenty of extra planning boards and spoons. Because kingfish have such large razor-sharp teeth, generally you will lose a lot of tackle when trolling.
On the all-day deep charters we've been mixing up the action with a variety of species. On the deeper ship wrecks the greater amberjacks are starting to show up. Although the action with this big hard fighting fish has been a little on the hit and miss side so far this season. This may be partially due to the lack of cold weather. Usually by this time in January we've already seen at least a few cold snaps which tend to push the schools of big jacks our way. We've been catching a few of them, but a little cold weather sure would go a long way right now.
The grouper and snapper action has been decent, although you really do have to work to find feeding fish. Hopefully once again, a couple of good cold fronts will help to shake things up and get the bottom species such as the grouper and snappers moving around. Generally a day or two after a front has passed, and the seas have subsided, the bottom bite can really turn on.
All things considered, fishing out on the Gulf of Mexico this past week was decent, and no matter how you put it, a heck of a lot more fun than going to work.
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