I had some fun this weekend fishing in Pass-a-Grille. I was joined by my neighbor Miles, along with the usual cast of characters (Mike, Dick, Tim). There were big macks popping the bait (which is still really really small for some reason). Snook lurked under the pier. The snapper were biting, although not with much gusto. I was after grouper- the one pictured above was 21″,  just under the minimum.

Overall, it was pretty slow, though a few brief showers kept it from getting too warm. The bite was off, probably a combination of bad tides, and the full moon a couple days earlier.

The Offshore Hustler did ok, bringing in some grouper and a nice kingfish:

Saturday marked the 2nd Annual Mike Alstott Fishing Tournament, featuring inshore, offshore, ladies and youth divisions. Weather conditions were good, and at 6 a.m. Cap’t. Dick headed west with a boatload of hopeful fishermen.

Our first stop was in around 100′. We anchored over some great looking structure; see for yourself:

We caught a small amberjack, and a few reef fish, when the sharks and barracuda showed up- in force. We caught shark after shark, finally deciding to move. We drifted a spot, hooked and lost a decent amberjack, and headed to a ledge which generally holds grouper.

Our first 30 minutes at the ledge proved very productive. I caught a legal American Red Snapper, and soon the red grouper fired up:

The were nailing live pinfish and frozen sardines with a bit of squid. The biggest came in around 12 pounds:

I caught a decent kingfish, and a big lane snapper to add to the collection. The spot eventually slowed, and we headed for a wreck in about 70′. On the way, we saw diving birds and busting fish. In the depth we were at, blackfin tuna were a possibility, so we stopped and tossed a couple baits out. Bam! No tuna, just bonita. Oh, well.

The final spot was unproductive, so we headed back early, and were on the dock before 4. It was a great day, with a fine crew, and we caught some quality fish.

Fishing conditions were great over the 4th of July weekend! The Merry Pier at 8th Avenue in St. Pete Beach was crowded with fisherman, with plenty of types of fish being caught. I saw mangrove snapper, snook, gag grouper, flounder, Spanish mackerel, bonnethead sharks and more. The water was clear, and the morning tides were unusually high.  Bait is becoming more plentiful, and larger, too.

There were plenty of kids around having fun. Here’s a nice mackerel landed by an enthusiastic young fisherman:

Plenty of regulars were on the Merry Pier this weekend, including David from Denver, Mike for Michigan, Tim from Tampa, Cap’t. Joe, Cap’t. Dick, and more. JayT was down from Virgina, and tearing up the snapper:

The plan for next weekend is to fish the offshore portion of the 2nd Annual Mike Alstott Charity Fishing Tournament.

The Offshore Hustler came back with a nice mixed bag, including: