Captain’s Corner for March 29 Dave Zalewski 397-8815

Offshore water temperatures rose to the magic 72 to 74 degrees, and right on schedule our waters teemed with Spanish sardines, blue runners, threadfins and hardtails. Along with these desirable baitfish, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and bonita can be seen wrecking havoc on their prey. Most markers from the “Whistler”, which is the single buoy marking the beginning of the shipping channel into markers 11 and 12 are holding concentrations of both bait and predators. Trolling #1,2, or 3 planers with small spoons to target Spanish mackerel and bonita will produce almost non stop action . Switching to large spoons will slow the activity, but produce kingfish and larger Spanish mackerel. Trolling speed should be close to 6 knots. Because of the clear water conditions 30 feet of monofilament leader between the planer and lure is necessary.
Switching to live bait after catching some fish on hardware will produce more sport. The bait can be caught on site with the use of sabiki rigs dropped with a 3 or 4 ounce sinker near any marker. The use of the heavier sinker will help keep the multiple baits from tangling the rig.
Spanish mackerel can now be found close to the beach and will provide a memorable experience and introduction to trolling for youngsters. The next several weeks are an opportune time to take a kid fishing.