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Bluegill Bite Remains Strong

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 14, 2008

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

Even with water temperatures reaching into the 90s, bluegill are still an easy catch in most area waterways.

Limits are still coming out of the Kissimmee chain and the area phosphate pits have also been producing good numbers. Medard, Teneroc and the Mosaic Management area are great places to fish for those who can't get to private pits.

When I used to fish the Fin and Feather pits, Tom Brewer of Springhead taught me a trick for trying to locate post spawn bluegill. Brewer would slow troll the drop-offs near the spawning grounds where the water dropped from around 2 feet to 6-8 feet.

Using a small bass crankbait, we would motor around these edges until we started picking up bites. We would then anchor up with our wigglers and catch our supper pretty quickly. Along with bluegill, we also caught our share of bass that would be feeding on the bluegill.

On the saltwater front, things have slowed for redfish but good snapper, mackerel and snook can be caught with just a little work. Captain Greg McCullough has been putting clients on these fish when not being chased by the afternoon rain.

McCullough fished the South Shore area last week and found a dozen snook working from pothole to pothole with greenbacks. Redfish were a little tougher but he did manage three nice reds on cut threadfins on the high water just as it started moving out.

He has also been catching mangrove snapper around the artificial reefs and the range markers throughout the South Shore area. Mackerel are taking the smaller greenbacks as McCullough has been fishing the diving birds near the Sunshine Skyway.

For more information,

contact Mark Cook at

tribfishing@aol.com.

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