Hernando Beach fishing on fire

The inshore fishing out of Hernando Beach has been fantastic. Trout, Spanish mackerel, pompano, cobia and more are giving my clients non stop rod bending action. Spanish mackerel have began their Spring invasion, and can be caught from Aripeka to North of Bayport in 6 - 10 ft of water. Near shore rock piles or grass flats will have these hard fighting toothy critters ready to test your tackle. Consider deploying a chum bag to get the bite going and bring them to the boat. Free lined white bat, small pin fish, or shrimp are good baits to use on a 3/0 2x long shank hook. Use the longer shank hooks to prevent cut offs. White jerk baits and small silver spoons work very fast are my preferred lures for mackerel. Keep an eye out for cobia near the boat following the scent of the chum, and have a bait on stand by ready to pitch to one. Pompano are starting to show up again with the recent warming trend. Target the many near shore rock piles on a strong moving tide. I have had a lot of success with the Mini Miro-dines because the treble hooks ensure more hook ups. The Miro-dines also resemble a small white bait which is what the pompano feed on. Spring is in the air and the fishing right now is proof! Get out on the water and enjoy this great weather and awesome fishing. Good luck out there and tight line! Capt Keith Tomlinson Bulldog Fishin Charters www.bulldogfishin.com (352)238-3581