Spanish Mackerel Back off Gulf Beaches

SUNCOAST SALTWATER SCENE

Capt. Jonnie has been catching a lot of Spanish mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico again. “All of a sudden they started showing up again,” Walker said. “It hadn’t been very good.”

Big threadfins have moved in from the south, and with it has come reports not only of Spanish mackerel, but of kingfish. Now that’s a Florida fishing report we like to hear.

Walker said tarpon fishing has been tough the past couple days as the tarpon return from their offshore, full moon spawn. “There’s a lot of fish,” Walker said, “but we can’t get them to bite that well.”

He said trout fishing also has been slow following the full moon. “I think a lot of them spawned because a lot of the spawning fish are full of roe,” Walker said. “Before the full moon we were getting lot of 20-inch trout.”

SOMETHING TO TRY

To target the Spanish mackerel, head off the beaches and net some of the 3-to-4-inch scaled sardines. Try a 30-pound test leader and a 4/0 202 Eagle Claw hook that prevents the bait from getting cut as much. Walker uses 5-to-6 foot leaders so that he does not have to re-tie every time he gets cut off. The big, 26-to-28-inch Spanish he’s been getting simply dice through leaders.

CAPTAIN'S TIP

Don’t set the hook on Spanish mackerel -- simply reel. “They hit so hard and fast anyway,” Walker said. “If you jerk, you end up jerking it out of their mouth.” And Walker does not like to use braided line with Spanish mackerel – monofilament will give anglers the shock absorption they need to ensure the hooks embeds in a mack’s mouths.

Boy Catches 24-inch Trout on Florida's Sarasota Bay

Capt. Jonnie Walker battled strong northwest winds during another episode on http://www.mysuncoast.com/ of "Fishin' With Bob & Capt. Jonnie."

Jonnie's theory that women and children catch the most fish held true once again, and one boy caught a seatrout of 24 inches in length -- almost as big as himself.

Fishing charters in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Jonnie are great for family fun because of the variety of fish that can be caught -- depending on the season, snook, redfish, trout, cobia, bluefish and ladyfish make for a good fight for everyone from dad to daughter.

Summertimes are getting muggy, and fortunately Capt. Jonnie has a T-top anglers can stay cool under.

Wanna Tussel With Tarpon? Bring your Moxie

You could say it is the Super Bowl of fishing.

And that is why Florida tarpon fishing, although a one-in-a-lifetime experience, is not to be taken lightly.

Especially in the sweaty, muggy summers.

Those looking for a fishing charter in Sarasota should consider, first of all, if they are in good enough shape to tussel with a 100-pound-plus tarpon for more than an hour. Do you have the moxie? Do you love to sweat?

And do you live for competition?

If so, you just might be a tarpon angler.

“It's not for kids,” Capt. Jonnie Walker said.

But while the adults tame tarpon offshore, there are plenty of trout inshore for the kids to tangle with. Trout are extremely abundant on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay, Walker said.

“It's fantastic,” Walker said. “You need the tide to be moving. Preferably incoming. But it doesn't seem to matter. As long as it's moving they've been biting.”

And a few toothy, excellent-fighting Spanish mackerel and bluefish are mixed in.

Come and get your fill with the most experienced fishing captain in Sarasota, Florida.