Captain’s Corner for June 13 Dave Zalewski 397-8815

Because of the short duration of her stay, Tropical Storm Andrea had little effect on offshore fishing. Once the 30 foot depths were reached water clarity improved greatly and it was not necessary to travel much further to enjoy the great fishing our area offers. Red grouper, gag grouper, white grunts , and triggerfish provided almost non-stop action for the adults and children that we had onboard. The majority of the charter boats in this area offer 4,6,8, and extended hour trips. With younger anglers , the 4 or 6 hour trips provide plenty of fishing time and they are not bored with a long boat ride.
The 40 to 45 foot depths produced plenty of fish as long as we took the time to position the boat in the most advantageous position.
Hint:
Gag grouper like to have some higher profile structure in the area, while the exploding population of red grouper are not as particular. In the past summertime red grouper fishing required depths of 80 feet and deeper. Experience showed that the larger fish tended to locate on the edges of the limestone where it transitioned to sand. The smaller fish would seek the interior areas of the swiss-cheese bottom. This rule of thumb has been holding true for the shallow water red grouper. Paying close attention to the fish finder to find these areas and taking the time to anchor correctly will increase chances of success