Inshore and offshore fishing have both been extremely productive these past few weeks! Offshore has been producing some nice sized Gag groupers, amberjacks, permit, hogfish, king mackerel and tuna. Gags were being reported anywhere from 45-100 ft. of water. With the season ending, we had plenty of reports this past week! Hogfish are being found on the nearshore ledges with prominent sea fans. Live shrimp dropped down on a “hogball” is our favorite method!! There are still plenty of tripletail right off of the beaches along the crab buoy lines as well. Again, live shrimp is the best bet here. Tripletail will absolutely eat a pilchard…smaller is best or cut in half. Plenty of cobia are lurking off of the beaches and some smaller fish in the bay as well. Be prepared for these fish! A heavier rod with a 5 or 6,000 size reel gives you enough line capacity and drag for those tough and long runs. Sheepshead have been very thick inshore these past couple weeks. If you can find or trap fiddler crabs, these work the best but live or frozen shrimp will work also. We have been seeing some XL sized pompano inshore!! these are delicious.. and will eat sand fleas or shrimp. Those wont be around for long so get them while they’re here! Huge jacks in Sarasota Bay are being reported this week and are a super fun “tackle tester” for the whole family. Along with the jack crevalle, we are seeing plenty of snook, redfish and trout in the bay and all being caught on live as well as artificial bait! As always, stop in and see us! We are always here for you questions. Tight Lines in the new year!!!
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