Captain’s Corner for December 13 Dave Zalewski 460-9893

We have not put up our trolling gear for the winter yet because of the water temperature hovering around the 70 degree mark offshore and the abundance of bait and fish to troll for. Spanish mackerel can be found at the mouth of any pass entering the gulf and on patchy hard bottom areas around 3 miles offshore. Mackerel are present on most of the artificial reefs, but the quality fish are definitely closer to shore. Kingfish are still present near the markers for the entire length of the shipping channel. The buoys along with the large chain and massive sinker used to hold them in place are an area where baitfish seek protection , attracting the larger predators. Trolling between the markers has been disappointing for us lately and we prefer to run from one set of markers to the next to save time blind trolling. Barracuda are starting to thin out, but some remain on the mid water artificial reefs and offshore wrecks. Slow trolled live blue runners are the baits of choice. Some amberjack are mixed in with the other species on the reefs and wrecks and provide drag pulling action when hooked .
Gag and red grouper, triggerfish and amberjack are closed to harvest right now, but this does not mean that they cannot be targeted for catch, photo and release. Bottom fishing has been excellent with large fish carefully released to catch in the future. There is no lack of table fare fish to harvest in the 60 to 80 foot depths. White grunts, porgies; Lane, yellowtail, vermillion and mangrove are available for those willing to downsize tackle to a 2/0 hook, 2 to 3 ounce sinker and a long leader. Squid and small chunks of sardine are the bait of choice.