By MEL BERMAN

At the top of our “what’s happening list” this weekend is the huge influx of mackerel. Captain Brian Caudill said just about every pass is loaded with hungry macks. “You can’t miss them. They are tearing up the water’s surface, feeding heavily on the big bait schools.”

Captain Caudill recommends using live greenbacks on long-shank hooks. Spoons and jigs also work, but require a short piece of wire leader.
Redfishing on the afternoon outgoing tide is really strong. And this time of year, the larger breeders move in to spawn. Though it’s just catch-and-release, it’s a lot of fun.

Fishing the open water of Tampa Bay this Thursday with captain Larry Malinowski, we encountered massive schools of bonito feeding hungrily on the abundant baitfish.

Flats fishing is still a bit slow, with mostly small trout available in the 4- to 5-foot flats. Bait and birds are everywhere, which should also attract many other fun-to-catch species like ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. With the recent series of cool fronts and the expected cold fronts, drifting the flats should liven up within the next week or two.

There are great numbers of juvenile gag grouper in area grasses. And even though they are hardy fish, you should carefully release them so they can grow up and become those big offshore bruisers we all enjoy catching.

Hear “The Captain Mel Show” Saturdays from 6-9 a.m. on WFLA, 970 AM. Also, visit “Fishing Florida OnLine Magazine” at capmel.com.