Sunday night we ran a late afternoon, evening charter. Those of you follow Capt. Stevens updates know this is one of my favorite trips. With bait already in the live well from the nearby Skyway Bridge it was time to pick up our clients Shawn and John from Philadelphia.
We ran to the beach near Bounces Pass and did not see a snook. Looks like the beach season has come to an end. So we ran back inside to Pinellas Point where we did find some action. Mixed bag of snook, trout, bluefish and ladyfish were in the area. Fishing the deeper drop offs in 5-7' of water provided ok action at best. Shawn and John had some incredible stories to share and we missed several fish as were talking and laughing too much! Its great guys like Shawn and John that truly make memorable days on the water and a truly enjoyable trip for this Captain.
As the sun sets and lights begin to glisten we began our quest for big linesiders. First stop was boring at best. The 3rd stop we found numerous big bruisers, Shawn's rod bowed deeply and the reel screamed. Shawn was fast into his first tango with a big snook and as often is the case he was treated poorly as the snook cut Shawn off in the pilings. We also took a gag grouper on this stop. We were seeing some very nice fish but getting them to chew was another story. Within minutes we were on a dock loaded with snook, it was like watching our baits in an aquarium. Again we had some hits; one was very explosive with water flying everywhere. Shawn did a super job on the rod getting the snook out of danger only to have the razor sharp gill plate cut the 30 pound fluorocarbon leader.
Overall the catch was ok at best. The snook seemed to be just cruising and not feeding. Often when you catch a snook the others move off but not far, it's always smart to stop fishing for 5 minutes and see if they return. Snook season opens Sept. 1 here in Tampa Bay. Anglers remember to have your snook permit and abide by all regulations if you plan to harvest a snook.
Capt. Steven
