Captain's Report - December 5, 2003
by Capt. Dave Mistretta
Water temps will play a major role with the inshore fishing during this chilled month. If the cold fronts keep rolling in, you can say goodbye to the fall kingfish run. Anything below 68 degree water will send the remaining migration to the keys for the winter. On the other hand, if the cold air stops pouring down for a few weeks, we can still experience some decent kingfish action close to shore. Two years ago in December, we had mild weather for the first two weeks of this month. Some of the best kingfishing of the year occurred only a few miles from shore, until cold air and strong winds took over, just before Christmas.
The further offshore you travel water temps will remain slightly warmer, holding some late season kings. Normally you will find them slow-trolling live baits around wrecks deeper than 60 feet of water. This is attributed to a combination of ; schools of baitfish living on the wreck, water temps holding at the tolerable 68 degree mark. Spanish sardines and cigar minnows can be taken from these wrecks with the employment of gold hook rigs. The chartreuse colored bait rigs work best. Surface temps are colder immediately after a cold front, so you won't see much action from surface lines. Until the whole water column gets affected, the use of downriggers will produce the most bites. The riggers will force the baits to swim where the kings are. Down deep where it's warmer.
Grouper fishing will also be affected by the sudden drops in water temps, but nothing like the kingfishing. Last month brought good numbers of fish to our area. Anglers from all depths were bragging about the great bite that occurred. Expect things to remain active, as long as the water temp stays above 63 degrees. Live bait will not be such an issue as winter takes hold. Frozen sardines and squid begin to play a major role. Another great, wintertime bait is a Key West grunt fillet. Endless amounts of these small fish live near the same rocks as grouper. A small piece of squid will catch their attention almost immediately. Try this great tip next time you're out grouper digging. Fillet the grunt leaving the skin and rib cage in tact. Place a large hook (7/0) near the tail end of the fillet and send it to the bottom. This will attract all these small reef fish over and they'll begin to ravage the fillet. The grunts tough skin will hold the hook in place during this feeding frenzy until needed. Eventually the bigger grouper can't stand missing out on all the action and will swim over, stealing the fillet. That's when the big hook comes into play. Hold on, because it could very well be a grouper weighing over fifteen pounds.
Giving each stop a bit more time will also produce a few more groupers. Cooler temps slow down their metabolism, thus shrinking appetites. If baits are presented in front of their nose long enough, eventually one of will give in and eat. During the winter, I have fished rock piles for over twenty minutes before getting the attention of a big one.
Trigger fish start to show up this month around the same rocky structure that you'll grouper dig. The trigger is one of the most under rated reef fish that Florida has to offer. Their flesh is mild tasting and literally melts in your mouth at the dinner table. Anglers often get discouraged when cleaning a trigger, because of its tough outer hide. It is similar to shark skin. A knife can be ruined if the fillets are not taken off the fish properly. Stick the point of the knife along side the dorsal fin, then cut straight thru from the inside. This method of removing the fillets is the only way to cut thru their skin, since the under side is much softer. Small pieces of squid or octopus are the triggers favorite. Attach a small 1/0 hook to the bait since their mouth is small. They normally stay close to the schools of grunts, but can actually be chummed up to the surface in the shallower depths. Tossing a few small pieces of squid over the side will lure them to you. Trigger fish average about three pounds but possess great strength. They will swim in a circle, on their side, making it quite task to bring up.
Say goodbye to the sharks and cobia until spring. Most of these game fish have either traveled far offshore, or due south looking for warmer water. There are a few particular species that will start to arrive along the beaches. Tripletail can be found floating near floating debris. Crab trap buoys are great attracters to these curious fish and should never be overlooked. Tripletail resembles a fresh water crappie in appearance, except for two oversized anal fins that match the tail fin. A tripletail is always eager to grab a free-lined shrimp or small minnow. They average about 5 pounds and their table fare is quite delicious. Silver trout will school up along our local beaches. They aren't the biggest fish, averaging about 1 to 2 pounds, but are great for your ego. Multiple hook-ups are common once located.
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