Fishing Report August 1st
With the eastern winds in the morning, the beaches of north Pinellas County have been very calm and allowed anglers to enjoy some great fishing just off the beach. There have been good numbers of tarpon making the migration north and these silver kings have been running just outside the sand bar in the dropoff. Placing a smaller silver mullet under a cork has been the most effective method to hooking up to a 100+ pounder. The swash channels that run parallel to the beach have been holding some good numbers of speckled trout and snook on incoming tides. The best bait offering has been the smaller sardines that found everywhere across the flats inside the passes. Use smaller hooks – such as #1 or 1/0 – and present these baits tight to the shoreline. Freelining will net the most fish and disguise the presentation in the clear water. Farther off the beach in the 12 to 15 foot depths the small rock piles are holding flounder, good sized grunts, Spanish mackerel and grouper to keep the rods bent in the heat of the summer fishing season. While fishing these nearby structures, cobia and larger spinner sharks usually swim into the mix while laying a chum bag over the side.
Flounder rigging- The most effective rig for flounder fishing around wrecks is to use a sliding weight above the line to leader with around two ounces of lead. The smaller pinfish and greenbacks are working best when tail-hooked and fishing over the sandy edges off the structure.