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.
With water temperatures hitting 90 degrees most afternoons, it's the toughest time of the year for freshwater anglers. While some may argue that winter cold fronts are worse, there is at least a speckled perch bite possible. Even as tough as it is, for those willing to work a bit harder, supper can be caught.
Bass bites have slowed to a trickle in most spots, although some of the phosphate pits are producing a few keepers. Joel Capps and Ronald Davis of Balm have been working an unnamed Fin and Feather pit the past two weeks and have managed their limits each time out. The pit they have been fishing is loaded with hydrilla, which is contributing to their success.
While a nuisance for the most part, hydrilla produces good oxygen content and shade that bass love in the hot months. Early-morning action on a buzzbait is a good tactic, then as the sun comes up plastic worms and lizards are the bait of choice. Flipping a jig or worm into the openings just like you were flipping cattails is one way to find fish in hydrilla.
Another excellent way to coax a bite is to use an unweighted worm such as a Senko and pitch in right along the edge or even on top of the hydrilla, then slowly drag it until it drops off.
On the saltwater front, captain Greg McCullough is finding good trout and mackerel catches in the Gandy area. Snook are spotty on the flats, as most are staging the spawning areas near passes. McCullough has been noticing redfish starting to school in tighter bunches and expects them to start getting larger the next few months.
For more information,
contact Mark Cook at
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