On the near shore rocks and reefs are a variety of fish that anglers target. This time of year is the start of what I would call “salt water” panfishing. One of my favorites is the black sea bass. Sea bass or black fish as I grew up calling them are very good eating and fun to catch. Structure in 5 to 12 feet of water is the place’s to fish for sea bass but what I have found is that rocks that are holding gag grouper are not the most productive. I believe that the grouper will eat the small sea bass but on occasion some big sea bass will either follow up a caught grouper or hit a plug intended for grouper. Low profile rocks, those that are not high off the bottom and what I would describe as a “rubble pile” are the best places to start to catch a keeper sea bass. The best tackle is the same that an angler would use to target trout. Any jig that a trout would eat so will the sea bass , just remember to let it fall towards the bottom with a vertical retrieve.
