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Kingfish
Posts: 1201
 
Location: Tampa Bay | Nearshore grouper action kicks into gear
By MEL BERMAN
Posted December 10, 2009 by The Tampa Tribune
I always look forward to the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is what I call prime time for close-in grouper fishing — a period when anglers can catch good numbers of keeper gags within sight of land.
With that in mind, I have one bit of advice for grouper diggers. Start your fishing close to shore, working reefs and structures in about 25 feet of water. Then, if nothing happens, just ease out a little further until you locate them. Take a good supply of frozen sardines, some squid and a couple dozen live pinfish or grunts. Start with the cut bait, and when the bite slows drop a live pinfish down to keep the action going.
In addition to grouper, there are still several schools of Spanish mackerel roaming our nearshore waters. And even after the recent cold fronts, you might still be able to catch the occasional kingfish. Trolling spoons on small planers should hook them.
I am also getting reports of excellent grouper fishing right inside Tampa Bay. Many who have been trolling diving plugs or spoons along the edges of the shipping channel have been caching several keeper-size gags.
Elsewhere, the sheepshead bite is on the upswing. Several have been big ones.
Inside Tampa Bay, closed-season trout action has exploded, with more of the big fish showing up.
Great numbers of flounder are available all over the Bay area, many much longer than 20 inches. Redfish have broken up in to smaller schools. Many are found in canals and under docks. Snook are already stacked up in backwater areas. One angler working residential canals reported hooking five catch-and-release linesiders, each one longer than 30 inches.
Hear “The Captain Mel Show” Saturdays from 6-9 a.m. on 970 AM. Also, visit “Fishing Florida OnLine Magazine” at capmel.com.
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Nearshore Grouper Action - Mel Berman | TBO
