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Captain's Corner: Saturday on the water

 
Published Jan. 16, 2016

Today is the day to fish this weekend. The winds should be down but will pick back up Sunday. Then another cold front looks due next week. You might want to venture offshore today. Friday's strong winds and high tides will dirty the water and make inshore pretty tough. Cooler water will let you target offshore species you might not usually go after in a smaller boat. This time of year brings grouper closer to shore. Keeper red grouper are being caught in 30 to 40 feet of water. Big gag grouper in the 15-pound range are being caught as well. They're nice to catch but we have to let them go. The mangrove snapper bite has been really good with hogfish and Key West grunts mixed in. Most trips are producing big gator trout up to 28 inches. They are eating big hand-sized greenbacks free-lined on a small No. 1 hook. Redfish have been mixed in but are very finicky.

Mike Gore charters out of Tampa Bay. Call him at (813) 390-6600 or visit tampacharters.com.