Thanksgiving leftovers come to an end, time to search for a fish dinner
As the leftover turkey and other tasty treats from Thanksgiving dwindle to an end, anglers around Anna Maria Island are finding themselves back on the water in search of some action, as well as a few fillets to bring home for dinner.
For those strictly concerned with dinner, gag grouper are the highlight for another week. Fishing structure in Tampa Bay and in the Gulf of Mexico is working well for these tackle-busters. Live pinfish as bait are the most productive, although live shiners and live grunts are working, too.
Fishing structure in the Gulf is host to a variety of other species during November and early December. Spanish mackerel are frequently being caught as they gradually work their way down the coast heading south for warmer waters in preparation of winter. When targeting the macks with live shiners as bait, you can encounter other migratory fish — jack crevalle, ladyfish and cobia. On many occasions, the cobia are being spotted boatside as they curiously meander to the surface to see what all the commotion being caused by the mackerel is all about. In fact, you may even witness them trying to steal your mackerel as you reel one to the boat.
Moving to the inland waters, flats fishing is productive for spotted seatrout. Casting jigs — such as soft plastics on a jig head —is working well to trigger these fish to strike. Live shiners as bait will also work. If you find free-lining the shiners isn’t as productive as you would expect try adding a split-shot to the jig. With the cooler water temperatures settling in, trout have a tendency to become less motivated to come to the surface to eat a bait so the addition of a splitshot to the rig will aid in getting the shiner toward the bottom where the trout are laying. Speaking of cooler water temperatures, you may find the snook bite to taper off slightly. To target the linesiders, you may want to start fishing canals — where deeper and warmer water exists — to find a consistent bite. Slower baits — a select-size shrimp — may also be in your best interest as the snook will being to become less motivated to chase something down as the water temps drop.
Lastly, try to pick your days when attempting to fish. The warmer days in between the cold fronts are your best bet. Fishing during and right after a front will result in slower days on the water as the fish become shocked by sudden drops in water temps.
On my Just Reel charters, I’m finding plenty of action in the Gulf of Mexico when fishing over reefs, wrecks and rock piles. Anchoring over structure and chumming with live shiners is triggering Spanish mackerel to the surface as they chase baits in search of a meal. Bluefish, jack crevalle and ladyfish are in the mix adding a nice variety to the bite. For my lucky clients, I’m seeing cobia rise from the depths to see what all the commotion on the surface is about. Many are just short of the 36 inch mark although we have had some keepers in the boat, too.
Moving to the flats, I’m using artificials such as DOA Cal jigs, to target spotted seatrout on the deeper grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Drifting and jigging is working well to locate concentrations of fish. Once found, I’m dropping the anchor to thoroughly fish the area, which is resulting in numerous trout catches. As a bonus, I’m also encountering an occasional pompano while targeting trout with the jigs. You can also expect some ladyfish and jack crevalle mixed in.
