By Tyson Wallerstein, Times Correspondent
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
What's hot: Tarpon fishing is hot throughout the region. Plenty are migrating along beaches and staging in passes as they await the arrival of big outgoing tides and the crab flush that comes with them.
Working the beaches: Lots of fish were moving south along the beaches last week. After this stint of strong west winds, look for those fish to settle back into their normal migratory routes as more favorable beach conditions return. Setting up just inside the swim buoys will give you good shots at passing fish. Cast live threadfins, pumpkin seeds or pinfish under a float. If you want to be more aggressive and seek pods of fish, stay well off the swim buoys as a courtesy to other anglers.
Bridges and passes: Big outgoing tides this weekend will have tarpon looking for crabs being flushed out of the bay. The Sunshine Skyway bridge and the hole at Egmont Key should be hot spots. Free-line pass crabs as you drift through rolling and breaking fish.
What else? Cobia have been a target on every trip in past weeks. Jetties, reefs, channel markers, and bridge pilings and fenders are good places to look.
Tyson Wallerstein runs Inshore Fishing Charters in the Clearwater/St. Petersburg area and can be reached at (727) 692-5868 or via e-mail capt.tyson@hotmail.com.