Red grouper among anglers’ hot catches

Posted May 5, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated May 5, 2012 at 04:56 PM

By BILL MILLER

Variety can describe the current fishing scene.

Offshore, red grouper continue to be hungry in depths of 80 feet and out. Look for bait stacks over flat rock bottom for hot action.

Captain Kevin Walton found loads of 2- to 6-pound dolphin in 60 feet west of St. Pete. Walton said every time he stopped to bottom fish, the dolphin showed up to join the fun.

Blackfin tuna are still around wrecks and springs.

Captain Billy Miller found a herd of freshly arrived tarpon and had a couple of mega-bite tarpon days. Egmont Key and the Sunshine Skyway are the hot spots.

Captain Ray Markham reported that snook fishing in Terra Ceia and Miguel bays is very good. Redfish and speckled trout can be found on the outside flats. Soft plastic jigs are all you need, Markham said.

The big blue crab run is on at the Skyway fishing piers. You can fill your bucket this week on the hard, outgoing tides. The pros use an extension-handle crab net to reach the water from the pier.

Speckled trout fishing in the Fort De Soto area is very good. Artificials or bait worked well this past week over the grass flats near Cow and Calf Key and Jackass Key.

Kingfish and Spanish mackerel have showed up again in the usual spots. Some are in the ship channel, nearshore reefs and along St. Pete Beach.

For more information, visit http://www.billmiller.com. To book a charter with captain Bill or his son captain Billy, call (813) 363-9927.