With the last of the cold fronts rolling in this week to the St Petersburg area, it also means the water temps are on the rise to the mid-to-low 70s — and that has the bite fired up inshore and nearshore.
Snook: The spring Snook fishing is on fire with these warmer air temps. We have been finding them around and up the major river mouths, the mouths of creeks, and residential docks. A lot of smaller Snook along with some over-slot fish mixed in. The best bait is still a scaled sardine or whitebait, with a white 4-inch jerk bait on a 1/8oz jig head coming in second.
Kingfish: The spring Kingfish run is getting cranked up along the St Petersburg area beaches. I like St Pete and Clearwater because they have a large hard bottom — and the long shipping channel is key too. What they all have in common is they hold large amounts of bait fish. The top approach is live baiting with sardines in a chum line, or trolling hardware like big spoons or plugs at different depths and speeds.
Mackerel: Spring always brings big schools of Mackerel in the bay and off the beaches. I use a 2x long-shanked hook in a 3/0 with a short piece of 60 or 80-pound fluorocarbon leader. These fish are some of the most fun you can have on light tackle.
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