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• December 2011

With Christmas behind us, it’s time to fish

Posted Dec 26, 2011 by Tribune Sports

Updated Dec 26, 2011 at 05:13 PM

BY RANDY ROCHELLE

Hopefully, you all are having a great holiday season, even if it was a warm one. I was hoping for some cooler weather, but the fact we didn’t get any worked out just as well. The lack of fronts has meant milder temps and a lot less wind, which means more time on the water.

The grouper bite continues to be good. For those looking to put a few in the cooler, the red grouper bite has been very good from 80 feet on out. The hottest depth for keepers has been in 100 to 130feet on areas of hard bottom from near the Pipe on southward. We found some real nice fish in 130 to 145 feet of water, just about due west of Anna Maria Island.

For those who like a little catch and release action, the gag bite has been hot in 50 to 90 feet on smaller 1- to 3-foot ledges. The best bite has been off of Tarpon Springs and a area of breaks and live bottom about 18-miles due west of John’s Pass referred to as the “Little Middle Ground.” Here you will also find a few red and scamp grouper as well as some snapper.

The kingfish bite for this time of year continues to be better that normal. We have found them on the Pipe, around the end of the Egmont Channel and on areas of live bottom in 50 to 75 feet south of the ship channel. The biggest problem now is getting live bait. There has been a little still holding on buoys 1, 2, 3 and 4 and around the Whistler Buoy. Also some of the wrecks in 30 to 90 feet have been holding a mix of white bait and small runners.     
                   
Capt. Randy Rochelle runs the “Gotta Go” out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 365-3218.