Tampa Bay Fishing for Spanish Mackerel 4/4/2010
If you have been keeping up with my reports you would know that my wife had asked me to take her fishing. We decided that Easter Sunday would be perfect as we had no other plans. It had been a while,since November to be exact that Karen and I had spent a day together fishing for fun. Now do not get me wrong,I love guiding and for me I can not think of anything I would rather do,except spend time on the water with my wife.
If you have never caught Spanish Mackerel now is the time to give it a try. These toothy critters are a blast to catch on light spinning gear. You can expect a lot of cut offs as these mini torpedoes have razor sharp teethe.
The first order of business is to get the right bait. Sardines are perfect baits and can be found right now at some of the local bridges. If you can not get sardines you can slow troll some silver spoons.
I like to use anywhere from 40 to 60 pound test mono leader and a long shank J -hook in the 1/0 size. Anchoring around the bridges and structure is a great place to start. I will chum a little with some of the baits and then free line some to get the bite.
We had our share of cut offs and losses but we did manage to put several to the boat. We also caught a few snapper but most were right around the 14″ range.
Spanish Mackerel
Toothy Critter
Mangrove Snapper
I know these are not the largest fish you have ever seen or maybe even caught but they put up a drag ripping fight on light tackle and make great table fare. There is a limit of 15 mackerel per person per day and they have to be at least 12 inches to the fork.
If you have children this is something sure to please them as these fish will keep the rods bent.
Thanks for checking in on the reports. I will be on the water this week and will keep you updated as to what kind of action Tampa Bay has to offer.
Capt. Steve Betz