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Right Style Jigs Catch Spanish Mackerel

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Ray Markham.

Top to bottom, jigs produce consistently. Frequently I'm asked if I had just one lure to choose, what would it be? That's a difficult question with an easy answer for me - a jig.

That's the easy answer, but the more difficult answer and the one that's the disclaimer might be the jig that's working best at the time, and the one I have confidence in, because in today's market with more variety of shapes, sizes and brands than ever, the answer really is a tough one. The jig I start with may not be the one I stay with, depending on where I'm fishing, and for what fish.

Recently I was fishing around the Skyway and saw a school of breaking fish that were feeding on the surface and attracting seagulls. I did the 'run and gun' thing of jumping up on plane to quickly get within casting distance of the feeding fish.

I had an Arkansas glow color shad tail tied on a quarter-ounce jig head and threw it into the frenzied fish. I hooked-up instantly with a nice Spanish mackerel. But within seconds of landing the fish, the school sounded.

I was in 18 feet of water, and nothing showed on the surface. My recorder was showing a school of fish near the bottom. The shad tail took so long to sink that the school moved before the jig reached the bottom.

I changed to a slender grub tail which sank more quickly and was rewarded with another fish. When the fish disappeared, I followed the birds, and most times the fish were directly under the birds. This continued for 40 minutes on the outgoing tide.

Ray Markham co-hosts 'Florida Sportsman Magazine Radio Live,' from 8-9 a.m. Saturdays on WWBA, 1040 AM, and can be reached for charter at (941) 723-2655.

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