Redfish schooling, and kings could be next

Fisherman's World, 727-942-8944: The season is starting to turn and the fishing is starting to turn on.

Anglers are reporting redfish are starting to school in greater numbers up and down the coastal shallows. Look for action around the bars and on big, quiet flats. DOA Best of the Best soft plastic baits are getting the job done. The mackerel have been on the deep flats and offshore, schooling in good numbers the past 10 days. It may be a signal that the kingfish are not far behind. Offshore anglers are running to 100 feet for the best action on large grouper, but they can stop at 40 to 50 feet for mangrove snapper, which are active now and running large.

Florida Fisherman, 727-868-6405: Anglers are finding more cobia of late, from inshore to offshore. Pasco No. 1 artificial reef has given up a few big fish, as have the flats off Aripeka.

Grouper diggers off Hernando are seeing more keeper-sized fish moving into shallower water, with some caught in as little as 18 feet.

Floating grass pads in 25 to 30 feet of water have been holding baitfish schools, which in turn are attracting a few kings and some small dolphin. Trout have been in 4 to 8 feet of water from Hernando to the Anclote River, with a good ratio of keeper-sized fish to shorts. Reds are schooling, with Sand Bay a likely spot to encounter fish now.

Filman's Bayou has been producing some nice snook catches.

Salonika's Bait and Tackle, 727-849-6377: The Salt Springs shallows, just north of the Cotee River, are holding a few reds in the 25- to 30-inch class.

Two anglers reported working oyster bars there, taking fish on finger mullet and releasing several after keeping one fish each. A young angler fishing from a kayak in Double Hammock Creek landed a keeper snook fishing a red and white Zara Spook plug.

A few other fish were hooked but lost. Anglers fishing six miles off the Cotee River took some mackerel to 25 inches. Live shrimp and sardines did the job.

Schooling mackerel offshore are a good indication it may not be long before schools of migrating kings begin moving by on their journey south.

Dubai Long Pier, 727-391-9398: Cobia have been showing up in greater numbers, with the big fish of the last week being a 34-pound specimen that fell for a live pinfish under a float.

The fish was landed after a long fight on light tackle, always a challenge for pier anglers. Mackerel are around in small numbers, with the bigger fish coming in around 20 inches.

Live shrimp and sardines have been the best natural baits, with Gotcha Plugs and Clarks Silver Spoons good choices among artificials. The flounder bite remains strong, with several nice fish a day being landed.

Fish 18 to 20 inches have been common, with most taken on shrimp or sardines fished on jig heads and bounced on the sandy bottom.

Pier 60, 727-462-6466: The grunts have moved in around the pier. Fish have been taking live shrimp and cut bait, day or night.

Small in size, the fish are good on the table, and some anglers have been leaving with the makings of a good fish fry. Fish after dark, if trout or snook are the targets. Both species have been gathering in the lights of the pier, feeding on shrimp and baitfish. Some mackerel are being taken during the daylight hours.