http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/Captain-s-Corner-Full-moon-leads-to-promising-events_170420016
Tiny new hatchling baitfish are on many shallow grass flats. They seem to always show up in mass quantities following the full moon in July. Mangrove snapper have also bunched up on many rocky outcroppings or man-made structures throughout the bay since July’s full moon. The combination of these two events can turn into fast action and most of my recent charters have been planned accordingly. It all begins with catching the bait, which requires a special cast net. Some of these baitfish are so small they’ll gill themselves in a common one-eighth-inch mesh net. A “glass minnow net” or a 3/16th-inch mesh is necessary this time of year to gather the smallest baitfish. Anchoring over, or just up tide, of the structure has brought the mangrove snapper right to the boat in our chum line. It has also brought an abundance of Spanish mackerel to the boat that also love the tiny baits. Catching the persistent and speedy mackerel has been easy. Sneaking bait past them to the snapper has been the challenge.
Brent Gaskill runs Summer Vacation Charters out of the St. Petersburg area and can be reached at captbrent@summervacationcharters.com and (727) 510-1009.
- Jay Mastry - March 26, 2024
- Captains Corner, Gorta - March 23, 2024
- Dave Zalewski - March 12, 2024
