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Here's How Anglers Can Outsmart A Dumb Fish

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By FRANK SARGEANT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

I've gotten a half-dozen e-mails this week from frustrated anglers who are chasing the thousands of mackerel boiling the bay, but who can't seem to catch more than one or two.

Mackerel are supposed to be easy to catch. Pull up to a school feeding on top, rip a jig through them and reel in your catch. But when they're chasing fast-moving bait schools, it often doesn't happen that way.

The problem is the fish move so fast that getting more than a single cast into a school is rarely possible. And it's common for the fish to dive the instant a boat pulls within casting range. They come up a minute later 100 yards away, and off you go again, trying to catch up.

There are a couple of possible solutions. One is simply to go where you know mackerel will show up sooner or later and wait for them. The dolphin-type channel markers, anchored by posts into the bottom, are all baitfish magnets, and as such they attract mackerel. Go to a dolphin, anchor a long cast uptide, then put over a bag of ground fish chum and wait a few minutes. In no time at all, you'll see baitfish flashing behind the boat, and the longer flashes of mackerel under them.

You can do the same thing around the spoil banks along the main ship channel and at the Port Manatee channel. These mounds of sand rise to within eight feet of the surface from surrounding depths of more than 20 feet, and macks like to hang around them to 'squeeze' the playing field when they attack bait. Again, anchor uptide of the bank, put over your chum and wait for things to happen.

Another problem can be that macks are feeding on inch-long glass minnows and don't want anything else. They sometimes ignore even live sardines in this case. What they won't ignore is a Carl Hansen glass minnow fly, a tiny silver/white creation on a No. 6 hook. Put a quarter-ounce sinker a foot ahead of it on 30- to 40-pound test mono leader, cast it to a school and reel as fast as you can turn the crank. It's instant fish.

You also can try trolling a 2-inch chrome spoon. Be sure to use two swivels, one on the lure, one between line and leader to avoid line twist. Pull it in the general area where macks are breaking, as fast as possible without causing the spoon to broach. If you're serious about catching mackerel, put the spoon behind a No. 1 planer to get it down a few feet. This is less fun than casting to them, but it nearly always works to get enough macks for the grill.

AMBERJACK RULES: The Gulf Council will consider changes in amberjack rules next week, including an increase in the allocation to the commercial sector.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted in September to oppose the change, with support from the Coastal Conservation Association, the Fishing Rights Alliance and many other recreational fishing groups.

Ted Forsgren, executive director of the CCA, says the council is moving to reward excess harvest by commercial fishers by giving them an even greater share of the amberjack total catch.

'Rules put in place in 1990 significantly cut the recreational harvest, but had minimal effect on the commercial take,' Forsgren said. 'Now, the council wants to take more of this resource from the public and give it to the commercial industry. They want to punish recreational anglers for supporting conservation measures.'

Forsgren is calling on anglers concerned with the ruling to send a note to the Gulf Council calling for no change in amberjack regulations. The address is 2203 N. Lois Ave., Suite1100, Tampa FL, 33607.

The review is Oct. 24.

ETC.: Bass anglers might enjoy the 2008 FFWCC Bass Calendar, which includes 12 underwater images of largemouths donated by famed photographer Glenn Lau. Proceeds from the sale will support the Bass Conservation Center. The cost is $12.95. Call 1-800-988-4889 or visit www.wildlifefoundationof

florida.com. ... The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will hold a public workshop on spiny lobster season length, sport season, license fees, etc., Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the Wildlife Research Institute, 100 Eighth Ave. SE, St. Petersburg; (850) 487-0554. ... Tackle guru James Manley joins captain Mel Berman for a fishing clinic tonight at 7 at Ferman Chevrolet, 9751 Adamo Drive in Brandon; free food and tackle; (813) 623-2411. ... Captain Sergio Atanes and five other Bay area captains host a fishing clinic Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Tampa Fishing Outfitters, 3916 W. Osborne Ave. in Tampa; free food and door prizes for all guests, and children are welcome; (813) 973-7132.

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