The plan was simple for Saturday morning, arrive on the flats off Pinellas Point first, then find the school of big black drum at sunup. Then get in the action before the intense boat pressure arrives. Boy was Captain Steven wrong! Boats were lined up all over the flat looking for the school, it only two minutes to locate the school. Within 30 minutes there were 19 boats chasing the school.
We took 2 large Black drum 45 pounds plus! Gulp new penny 4" shrimp on a ¼ oz Mission jig head on 25 pound fluorocarbon leader. Not wanting to fight the crowd any longer we headed out looking for trout and redfish.
Saturday finally felt like springtime. It was great to see Pelicans diving on baitfish and mullet jumping. With an incoming tide and in a couple of hours I headed for a local no motor zone in search of redfish. Using the same Gulp bait it did not take long for the action to start. A chunky 23" redfish inhaled the Gulp bait and it was game on in less than 3' of water. The red made numerous runs trying to shake the jig head but to no avail. While not a great bite I managed 4 reds in 90 minutes focusing on oyster bar up against the mangrove shorelines.
As the tide got lower it was time leave the flat and not gets stuck. Seeking trout it did not take long to arrive on a lush grass flat 3-5' deep. Using the DOA Deadly Combo popping cork it didn't take long to entice a frisky 16" trout. I just received a text message from a friend fishing Tampa Bay eastern shore and scored a 25" trout, what a catch! I found the action steady but could not find any larger trout.
Water temperatures have moderated and were a comfortable 68 degrees Saturday. Pinfish can be netted on local flats and make for redfish candy.
Captain Steven Markovich
www.onthemarkcharters.com