CAPT. BILL MILLER
“OUTDOORS PROFESSIONAL”
Marketing/Sales Specialist • Grand Master Angler • TV Host/Writer

 

BILL’S FISHING REPORTS
Current Advice for Catching More Fish

by Capt. Bill Miller
6/29//06


Spanish mackerel are still thick at the Skyway and Fort DeSoto piers. Silver spoons are working well until midmorning; after that live bait has been the ticket for fast action. There are lots of small king mackerel mixed in with the Spanish mackerel. The FWC has been issuing warnings and tickets to unsuspecting anglers. The minimum length for Spanish is 12 inches to the fork. The minimum length for kings is 24 inches to the fork.
Longtime Tampa Bay captain Richard Seward says this is the best fishing he has seen in years. Bait is everywhere and easy to catch. Mackerel are all over the upper bay and biting. Snook and reds are feeding in Double Branch and Rocky creeks, and trout are showing on the grass flats off Pinellas Point.
Last week I went on a tarpon safari. I jumped tarpon along the beach at Anna Maria on small crabs, caught tarpon in Boca Grande Pass on crabs and squirrel fish, and jumped tarpon in the Atlantic Ocean off Stuart on gold fleck DOA shrimp. Terry Gibson fishing with captain Squeaky Kelly fought an estimated 200-pound tarpon for more than three hours before releasing it. The tarpon pulled them so far out into the Atlantic that a sailfish jumped beside the boat as they were releasing the tarpon.
The north end of Anclote Key, past the sand bar, has been producing great trout, mackerel and bluefish catches. Fish the deep grass with bait or soft plastic jigs. Snook are taking white baits along the beaches of Anclote Key and Three Rooker Bar.
Visit Miller at www.billmiller.com.

Reprinted with permission of the Tampa Tribune

 

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