The Tampa Bay Times

A few schools of redfish have showed up on the flats around Fort Desoto.  I take my time searching for these schools using my trolling motor in areas that fish hang out.  Once I find them, I throw a couple of live bait chummers to see what kind of mood they are in.  If a fish explodes on one of the baits, then I start chumming more aggressively.  I will keep chumming to keep the redfish in a feeding frenzy.  This action is fast and furious, with redfish exploding everywhere on the baits that are thrown. Snook fishing this past week has provided some of the best action I have seen all year.  Normally, snook are tough and hard to get to bite.  They have come out of their summer holes and are willing to eat anything in sight. I believe the drop in water temperature has helped the redfish and snook action. Filling the live well with scaled sardines is a must.  I like to have as many baits as possible.  I make a few casts, if I do not get a strike, I put a new bait on, keeping a fresh bait on the hook at all times.  I like to use a size 1/0 hook.  This allows the bait to swim naturally.  A hook that is too big will cause the bait to sink to the bottom. Snook have sandpaper like teeth; so thirty-pound camouflage leader is a must to prevent fish from wearing through the leader. 

Captain Rob Gorta

727-647-7606

www.fishingstpetersburg.com

CapMel Staff
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