Saltwater: King mackerel show up for area anglers this week - The Ledger

Kingfish have been reported from Longboat Key north to Clearwater.

Michael Wilson  |  Ledger correspondent

Fish of the Week

King Mackerel: Better numbers of king mackerel have shown up this week. Kingfish have been reported from Longboat Key north to Clearwater.

Strike Zone, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7.

1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, despite windy weather, fishing has been good this week. A number of Spanish mackerel, spotted trout, black sea bass, sheepshead and whiting have been caught. A couple of sporadic pompano were also in the mix. Plenty of ladyfish have also been caught, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2: At Madeira Beach, when weather permits, the nearshore hogfish bite is still good starting at a depth of 40 feet. Black sea bass have picked up around ledges, rock piles and hard bottom from 30 to 50 foot. Good numbers of lane snapper, some mangroves and a few keeper red grouper are also biting. King mackerel have been reported around the 40 to 50-mark foot off Anna Maria and around the Clearwater hard bottom. Good numbers of kingfish have also been caught offshore past 100 foot, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard's Marina (727-393-1947).

3: At John's Pass, the weather has slowed the fishing around the pass, but there's still some snook being caught early in the morning. Some tarpon are also under the lights at night and at first light. Spotted trout action is good inside the back bays. Redfish are biting on the bottom around the docks. Good numbers of Spanish mackerel are biting off the jetty and along the beach. Whiting, pompano and some flounder are also biting around the jetty, reports Hubbard.

4: At Fort De Soto Park, windy weather has churned up the water and slowed fishing, but a few snook are still biting around the marina and the bridge. The spotted trout bite is good on the flats and a 25 incher was caught on a live shrimp around Tarpon Key this week. The flats around the campground are also very good for trout. The redfish bite is also good around both Tarpon and Jackass Key. Snook are biting on the flats inside the park around the Soldier's Hole and the kayak rental area. The inside, east side of Shell Key is also producing a good snook bite. A few kingfish and Spanish mackerel are biting off Egmont Key and along the shipping channel. The Gulf Pier is producing whiting, along with sheepshead around the pilings and the rocks. Good numbers of Spanish mackerel were biting at the pier before the wind churned up the water. They should return after this next front passes, reports Capt. Claude Hinson at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, snook fishing is very good right now in Terra Ceia and Miguel bays. Just about every corner of the mangroves are holding fish. There's also some good size redfish in the mix as well. Good numbers of decent size, spotted trout are also being caught. Plenty of keeper size fish have been caught along with some big fish over twenty inches. Grass flats in 3 to 5 feet of water are producing the best trout action, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096).

6: At Anna Maria, good numbers of kingfish showed up this week off of Anna Maria Island at a depth of around 30 to 45 foot. Plenty of Spanish mackerel are also in the mix. Look for diving birds and surface feeding fish and bump troll a live scaled sardine or a large threadfin herring for the best results for the kingfish. Once you find a school, you can set up and live chum for them, reports Gunter. Kingfish and Spanish mackerel are nearshore off the beaches. Decent size Spanish mackerel up to 3 pounds are also inside the sound along the Intracoastal Waterway, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160).

7: At St. Petersburg, kingfish and Spanish mackerel have been reported off the beaches as far south as Longboat Key and north to Blind Pass. Anglers were catching them as close as a depth of 20 feet off the beach along Pass-a-Grille this week. The shipping channel and the nearshore reefs are also holding kingfish and mackerel. More tarpon are showing up off Pass-a-Grill, around the Skyway and up in the bay around the Gandy. Some pompano are biting around the Misner and Bunces Pass bridges. More redfish and snook are showing up along the south shore. Pinellas Point has had a good spotted trout bite on the deep grass flats this week. There's still sheepshead around structure and more mangrove snapper are showing, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry's Tackle (727-896-8889).

8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, a lot of Spanish mackerel showed up around the bridges and there's big mackerel to the south around the Sunshine Skyway. Tripletail are showing up around the markers in the bay. Decent numbers of sheepshead and mangrove snapper are biting around the bridges and most structure. The flats on both the west side around Weedon Island and east around Picnic Island are producing redfish and snook. The redfish are biting around grass and sand. Snook are active on the higher tides in the mangroves. The docks at night are also producing snook. Spotted trout are moving out to the deeper edges of the flats with the warmer water. Some tarpon are showing up at night around the bridges, but better numbers are showing up to the south around the Skyway, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

Elsewhere

• At Homosassa, docks, blow downs and rocky points in the rivers are holding snook. On the outside, small channels and troughs around the points and islands are holding snook on the incoming tides. D.O.A. CAL glow color jerkbaits, MirrOlure MirrOdines and live mud minnows are getting the bite, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).

• At Fort Pierce, offshore the winds have been "howling," but earlier in the week, there was a decent amount of snapper caught at 80 foot, some triggerfish and a couple of cobia. At the inlet, there's whiting, croakers and scattered pompano in the surf. Keeper size snook are biting from the jetty and inside the inlet on live shrimp and croakers during the day. At night, they are taking jigs. The bridges are producing mangrove snapper and some sheepshead. Sand perch are biting at the Melody Lane Pier, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

Compiled By Michael Wilson / Ledger Correspondent

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