GO FISHING is a look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Mike Anderson, right, with "Reel Animals" partner Billy Nobles.
Very windy conditions around the Bay area this past week made things very interesting, to say the least. Trying to fish open-water spots was very difficult for the most part.
If you happen to have a few spots in low-water backcountry or, even better, a river or residential canal, you probably did fairly well.
We did most of our damage this week in the residential canals around Apollo Beach. Good numbers of snook, redfish and trout have started to move into their fall patterns, seeking shelter near the deep-water canals for safety.
We had good luck using greenbacks free-lined near the outside edges of the docks, but we also managed to catch some of our bigger fish on artificials fished on 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jig heads.
These heavier jig heads allow us to work deeper in the water column. We found a lot of our fish this week on the lower tides hanging in the middle of the canals near the bottom. The heavier jig heads make getting the baits in front of these fish a lot easier.
We also found good numbers of mangrove snapper, jack crevalle and quite a few small to medium goliath grouper hanging around the canals.
Captain Chad Manning reports that fishing around Fort DeSoto also has been steady, with plenty of trout and redfish to be had. He had his best luck fishing the sand holes with live whitebait.
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