The right combination of water temperature, easterly winds in the morning and westerly wind in the afternoon has brought migrating bait fish to our local coast lines and with them have come lots of king mackerel producing the best kingfish run in many years. Anglers trolling live baits and spoons are easily catching limits. Hot spots include artificial reefs, hard bottom areas and the Egmont ship channel.
The Skyway Fishing Pier reports a great bite of mangrove snapper. Fresh cut threadfin herring, scaled sardine or shrimp fished on the bottom has been producing limits of big snapper.
Big kingfish over 40 pounds have been caught on the Redington Pier by anglers using greenbacks, blue runners and legal size Spanish mackerel.
Pompano are giving fishermen all they can handle at John’s Pass. Fish around the jetty and just down the beach with sand fleas, live shrimp and pink and white pompano jigs.
Hubbard’s Marina overnight deep water trips are getting limits of big mangrove snapper and red grouper. Plenty of gag grouper are being caught but they are out of season.
Capt. William Toney says the 10 mile rocks of Homosassa and Crystal River are loaded with sheepshead, snapper, grouper, grunts and mackerel. Live shrimp is the best bait. The incoming tide near Ozello and St. Martin Keys is a good time for trout using the DOA Deadly Combination.
Capt. Billy Miller has been mixing it up on his trips catching limits of speckled trout with a few reds and snook mixed in then heading offshore and loading up on kings.