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Captain's Corner: Target grass piles in deepwater flats

 
Published Aug. 10, 2015

Deepwater flats are holding a variety of fish. Trout, pompano, mackerel, sharks, ladyfish and bluefish can be found over the grass piles in the lower parts of Tampa bay. Target grass piles in 4-6 feet of water. The best action is when the tide has a strong movement. Netting whitebait has been difficult. Most of the baits are small and will snag in a quarter-inch mesh net. Look for schools that have larger surface action. Schools that look like rain are too small to net. Locate the grass using a depth recorder or look for areas where the water is darker than the surrounding water. Anchor on the up-current side of the grass and deploy a block of frozen chum. Get the action started by tossing a few handfuls of live whitebait into the chum slick. Cast a nose-hooked whitebait rigged with a long shank hook and 20-pound test leader where you see fish striking the surface. Keep chumming the area with live baits every five minutes to keep the action going. When your chum block thaws, cut the side of the bag open and shake it so the chum falls out of the bag. If you run out of frozen chum, use pieces of cut whitebait. The trick to fishing these areas is to keep the fish interested in feeding. Most of the good spots are surrounded by sand. The fish will move over the grass if there is something to feed on. If you stop live chumming and your chum block is gone, the action will slow. To find the right size whitebait, you'll need to chum the deeper parts of the bay.

Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 347-1389.