| Getting salty in the Gulf of Mexico, or thereabouts This week we'll highlight some of our favorite fishing locations. All are family-friendly and would be a great way to surprise the angler young or old for a trip in 2010. Physicians tell us that too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, and I'd have to wholeheartedly agree because whenever I'm fishing saltwater my heart's pumping to beat the band. Love it. Absolutely love it. We live about six hours from the Mobile area in Alabama and if we were closer, I probably wouldn't be worth a lick. I enjoy fishing for bass, cats, bream and freshwater species. | | Backreeling saves big fish on light line Frankfort, Ky. - On a recent Sunday, we put the boat in right after dawn and fished Lake Cumberland hard for smallmouth bass. It was a long day of bite-free fishing. I threw a small jig for most of the day until I surrendered about 3:30 p.m. to a live shiner. I didn't get a hit for a good hour after switching presentations, until a tiny 8-inch dink smallmouth hit my shiner. I just bought my highest-quality spinning rod to date and wanted to break it in with a fish longer than a hot dog bun. | | Think deep thoughts to catch winter bass Fishing in deep water is still probably the most misunderstood type of fishing bass anglers have to deal with on a regular basis. Deep water can be productive almost any time of year that bass aren't on the beds, but winter is when it can be especially effective. One of the reasons many anglers struggle with fishing deep water is because we're all so accustomed to fishing around and casting to visible cover. This makes fishing around non-visual targets difficult for the average angler. "Deep," of course, can be in the eye of the beholder. But to me, anything deeper than 10 feet can be considered deep. | | Give bass a jerk in winter with floating jerkbaits Yamaha pro Clark Reehm of Arkansas uses floating jerkbaits all winter to entice strikes from bass lingering around dead vegetation in water 4-6 feet deep. Of all the lures a bass fishermen can try when he's fishing for cold water bass, floating jerkbaits don't get a lot of attention. That's fine, said Yamaha pro Clark Reehm, who uses them all winter. "Floating jerkbaits bring the best results when you use them around and over submerged vegetation, stumps, cypress trees, or brush in shallow water," he said, "so perhaps that's why many anglers don't use them. | | Sea Trout’s Frisky Silvery Cousin The silver trout is one species that shows up where and when it darn well pleases. About four years ago, these feisty fish appeared in great numbers at one of my preferred west coast fishing venues, St. Joseph Sound, along the north Pinellas coast. Then, for reasons only known to the silvers, they just vanished -- never to be seen again until this year. Now they have shown up in good numbers in the deeper flats of the Sound. | | Give bass a jerk in winter with floating jerkbaits Yamaha pro Clark Reehm of Arkansas uses floating jerkbaits all winter to entice strikes from bass lingering around dead vegetation in water 4-6 feet deep. Of all the lures a bass fishermen can try when he's fishing for cold water bass, floating jerkbaits don't get a lot of attention. That's fine, said Yamaha pro Clark Reehm, who uses them all winter. "Floating jerkbaits bring the best results when you use them around and over submerged vegetation, stumps, cypress trees, or brush in shallow water," he said, "so perhaps that's why many anglers don't use them. | | This could be year of the Pompano Maybe it's global warming. Maybe it's the alignment of the stars. Whatever the reason, the Tampa Bay area is getting an unusual run of pompano, and there's universal agreement that this usually scarce commodity is more than welcome in large numbers. Captain Rick Grassett at Sarasota Bay has been reporting catches of up to 20 fish per trip, and captain Scott Moore said his best day was a dozen, caught accidentally while fishing for other species. Whether you catch them by accident or on purpose, | | Getting stuck (and unstuck) If you fish near structure, you’re going to get lures, hooks, bait, and just about everything but your shirt in the mangroves, on rocks, on docks, and on anything hooks can get caught. And they can get caught on anything. The problem you encounter is the fact that if you’re not getting hung-up (as we lovingly call losing $8 lures), you’re simply not casting close enough to where the fish are. The edge of a mangrove is a perfect example; drop a live whitebait underneath the edge of the shadow, and you might have a snook grab the bait. Drop the same whitebait four feet away from that light edge, and that snook will watch it bounce every single time you cast it – without moving an inch. | | Do you get my drift? After four decades as a Floridian, it’s been my pleasure to fish all venues – offshore, back bay, bridges, wading from shore and even freshwater lakes. I have enjoyed working mangrove edges, casting my baits under docks and from the beaches. But now I have concluded that, given a choice, I would much rather spend my time floating across our lush grass flats to catch whatever cares to bite. It could very well be a sign of age, but I find that kicking back and tossing lures into a never ending tableau of grasses and sand holes is my idea of a relaxing and agreeable day of fishing. | | Late fall fishing is bountiful in Upper Tampa Bay At the very top of Tampa Bay, there’s a shining example of how a convenient and pristine setting, highlighted by clear waters and mangrove line forests, can provide a welcome retreat from the bustle of everyday life in the city. Upper Tampa Bay, as its known, is a gift to all who treasure fishing and the great outdoors. This generous slice of the big bay is home to a broad array of wildlife, including abundant schools of Florida’s most popular gamefish. |
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