Fish are Close

You don't have to go far this time of year. You can find almost everything this time of the year in less than 100 feet of water. Here are some of the fish you can expect to catch in depths of 30-100 ft. of water: gray snapper, red grouper, gag grouper, porgies and mangrove snapper. All of these fish are bottom feeders so cut bait like squid and sardines on the bottom would work best. You try live bait for grouper - especially in rocky structures - that's where you will find most of these fish. {%image_id=35296%} Kingfish, spanish mackerel, cobia, shark, bonita and barracuda can be found trolling or anchoring on a wreck and chumming. I like trolling with live baits personally, but either method will produce results. Preferred baits for these kind of fish would be cigar minnows, threadfin herring, blue runners or green backs. Trolling speed should be slow. Just put the motor in gear and slowly moving the bait through the water. If you troll too fast, you will kill the baits. If you must troll at higher speeds, try using a planner and a spoon. Make sure the spoon is at least 10ft from the planner for best results. Capt. Pete Borrego www.offshorehustler.com 1-800-350-5001