October 26, 2008
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
King and Spanish mackerel are still going strong along the beaches! Live sardines, pilchards and shrimp on free-line are working best.
Diamond jigs and deep running plugs are working best with trolling and casting. Don’t forget your Sabiki bait rigs for the larger bait-fish. We have had barracuda, little tunny and black-tip sharks mixed in with the mackerel along the beaches and out to about the thirty foot depth.
The standard live bait rig for the above is a 4/0 to 6/0 hook, six inches of #5 or #7 coffee wire, black swivel, three to four feet of forty to sixty pound mono leader attached to double line with a blood knot. I like to double my line with a Bimini or spider hitch. I use this on twelve to twenty pound test line. Some anglers like to add a stinger hook for less missed fish.
If the fish get picky or I just want to pick up the action, I use a 4/0 Aberdeen 202 light long shank gold hook with thirty to forty pound mono leader without the wire leader. I use this rig on twelve pound line. Yes! They eat a few more hooks but I put more fish in the boat and have more fun.
The bay fishing has been good on the deeper Middle ground grass flats. A mixed bag of, seatrout, mackerel, bluefish, flounder, snapper, jacks, and ladyfish is being caught, just to name a few. Live bait, shrimp and fish is working well. Artificial lures like the DOA shrimp will help you pick out the better fish and not feed the pinfish.
I know that the small pinfish and grunts can be agitating, but this is the sign of healthy grassflats and is what will draw the better fish to the area.
Enjoy & Protect
