Captains Corner: Jay Mastry

The Tampa Bay Times

I v e never caught a porpoise …. and never want to.  For the first sixty years of my life I never even hooked one but over the last several years we’ve unfortunately hooked dozens.  Some while trolling big baits for kingfish, others while tarpon fishing, most however while grouper and snapper fishing in Tampa Bay.  They’ve run us out of some of my favorite spots while helping themselves to more of our hooked fish than they allow us to catch.  Thankfully most are apparently smart enough to make off with our fish without actually getting hooked.  I’ve not yet figured out how they can take a ladyfish off a double stinger rig without getting a mouthful of hooks.  You’re not going to catch one, at least we’re not.  Not with the tackle we use.  The unlucky ones that do get hooked are likely going to strip you if you allow it, or you’ll tighten down on your spool and break them off.  You don’t want them to have to drag a couple hundred yards of line around.  By locking down your drag, the line will break at the knot on your leader, the weakest link between you and them.  Why they have become so aggressive and seemingly domesticated is puzzling.  During Red Tide outbreaks with little or no food to eat, I can understand.  With bait abundant and resources abound, I can only think we are partly responsible.  Before we knew better, we would toss them a fish or two we weren’t going to keep, thinking we were helping them out.  I now know we weren’t.  Hope it’s not too late to reverse the trend.

Captain Jay Mastry