By Rob Gorta, Times Correspondent
Friday, April 22, 2011
What's hot: Redfish and speckled trout continue to be the top inshore species. I have been starting a little later in the morning so I can locate the school before I spook the fish. The angle of the sun in the morning is so low that locating the school is difficult. I take extreme caution in approaching the area. Low tides with clear water have redfish wary. Once they are spooked, they are unlikely to take any bait. If I do not see any fish, or I spook them, I move on to where I think the next school might be. When the tide level floods enough to fill the flats, I move into areas where I have found schools in the past.
Tips: Speckled trout have provided the most consistent action this spring. Shallow grass flats that have schools of mullet have held big numbers of gator trout. Locate fish using a quarter-ounce jig rigged with a soft plastic tail. Use super glue to keep the tail on the jig; this will give you a few more uses out of the tail. When trout are hooked, they come to the surface and shake their heads back and forth violently, trying to throw the jig. Once you locate some fish, anchor up and start throwing live bait.
Rob Gorta charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at captainrobgorta.com or (727) 647-7606.