Hermine pours rain, churns waters, dampens fishing
In the wake of Hermine, post-storm fishing may be challenging.
My best guess is to start where you left off before Hermine and work your way from there.
It will be interesting if the schools of redfish that were appearing throughout our region have moved or if they’ve stayed close to where we found them before the storm.
I’m also waiting to see where the bait or “shiners” went. Will they be on the flats or did fresh waters — mixed with fertilizer and pesticide runoff — pouring out of the Manatee River push them out into the Gulf of Mexico?
Regardless, I think we anglers are going to have our work cut out for us.
During Hermine, “die-hard fishers found success by fishing very close to shore. In fact, during the flood tides, anglers were working on shore in some places you might recognize.
Casting directly onto Marina Drive from Hurricane Hanks north to about Domino’s produced a great snook bite. The water depth was about 2 feet deep, which is great for sight-casting. You just have to yield to the passing vehicles.
I also heard a school of redfish was swimming back and forth between the Ugly Grouper and Duffy’s Tavern. The kayak fishers capitalized on this bite as they were able to paddle along the road with the school of fish. Reports say the school was mostly over-slot fish and gold spoons were the lure of choice.
Lastly, the S-curve by the Manatee Public Beach was host to the kickoff for mullet season. A school of mullet, nearly an acre in size, managed to hold up traffic for almost a half-hour until they found their way back into the bay.
Now that Hermine is long gone, I guess we’ll have to go back to fishing in our old spots — Tampa Bay, Anna Maria Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. But, remember, the next time we have a monsoon-like rainstorm heading to Anna Maria Island, keep your eyes glued to the road while driving. You never know when you might find a new spot to fish.
Capt. Warren Girle is working inshore among the lush grass flats of Sarasota Bay. On low tides, Girle is catching redfish. During these tides, schooling redfish are moving from the flats to find slightly deeper water. Along the edges or drop offs, Girle is instructing clients to cast live shiners and fresh-cut chunks or ladyfish into the school. Within seconds, his clients are connected with a fish. Reds are coming to the boat over the maximum slot-size of 27 inches.
When the Gulf of Mexico is calm, Girle is venturing out to nearshore structure. Mangrove snapper and red grouper are being reeled up by using live shiners and pinfish as bait. Keeper-size snapper are most abundant.
Capt. Aaron Lowman is casting bait on the flats of Anna Maria Sound, resulting in a variety of species. Spotted seatrout are abundant on grass flats where clear, moving water and bait fish are present. According to Lowman, one out of 10 fish is over 20 inches. Mixed in with the trout are mangrove snapper, jack crevalle and bluefish.
Snook also are being found along mangrove edges and other staging areas, such as oyster bars and sandbars. Lowman is chumming with live shiners to get the snook “fired up” and in a feeding mood. Chumming also aids in locating feeding fish, as they break the surface going after bait. Casting free-lined live shiners is resulting in fish up to 30 inches.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says Spanish mackerel are making their presence known, especially among unsuspecting anglers using light leaders. The mack’s razor-sharp teeth can cut through 50-pound test leaders just as fast as they cut through a 2-pound test leader.
Fishers who think they have outwitted the mackerel by adding a wire leader to their rig will soon find they have idle time on their hands. They won’t get a bite. The macks can easily see the wire and turn away in the final second before taking the bait. Lucky pier fishers are catching macks up to 20 inches. Silver spoons, Gotcha plugs and small inexpensive jigs are the preferred lures.
With snook season open as of Sept.1, the Rod & Reel Pier is a popular spot for anglers to try their luck. They’re using live baits, from shiners to ladyfish, to entice a keeper-size linesider to their hook. Large select shrimp and pinfish also are good baits, as well as artificial plugs, such as the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow.
Capt. Rick Gross of Fishy Business Charters is working his trade in southern Tampa Bay for mangrove snapper. Whether fishing deeper water with structure or shallower grass flats and channel edges, Gross is finding limits of snapper for his clients. While fishing structure, Gross likes to use a knocker rig consisting of a small egg sinker, which slides directly on top of a 1/0 circle hook. While fishing the flats, a small live-bait hook completes the rig. Live shiners are the bait of choice.
For snook season, Gross is dialed in on the hunt for linesiders. As an avid snook fisherman since the 1980s, Gross is hot on their trail and ready to pounce. While hunting on the flats, Gross likes to free-line live shiners for bait. By throwing out a few volunteers — aka chummers — Gross is able to instruct his clients to cast at feeding fish. Fish 20-26 inches are the norm although expect to see some keeper-size fish in the slot while aboard the “Fishy Business.”
Capt. Jason Stock is on the hunt inshore for schools of redfish on the shallow grass flats throughout the surrounding waters of Anna Maria Island. Most schools contain fish over the max limit of 27 inches and baits, such as live shiners and pinfish, are producing a bite. Artificials — gold spoons and soft plastics — also produce a bite for Stock.
When the Gulf of Mexico is fishable, Stock is running offshore, where grouper, snapper and permit are all possibilities. Keeper-size mangoes are being reeled up in abundance on live shiners as bait. Both red and gag grouper are being taken on live bait. As for the permit, Stock says you can’t beat a live pass crab on the hook.
Capt. David White of Great White Charters is fishing the flats for spotted seatrout. White’s go-to bait is a live shiner fished under a popping cork. While targeting trout, White is also catching Spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Also on the flats, White is targeting redfish. His favorite is finding the big schools on the flats. During these times, the reds are apt to take just about any offering, according to White. In addition, it gives his clients an opportunity to hook up with as many reds as they can handle.
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