Tarpon Springs fishing guide, Capt. Rich Knox of Absolute Florida Flats Fishing has been leading clients to a inshore flats fishing bonanza, big breeding female snook are biting well when not busy spawning on the beaches and area pass’s ! New Port Richey, Tarpon Springs and Clearwater Fl. barrier islands and pass’s are holding very good numbers of these hard fighting gamesters. Live bait has been the ticket depending on where your fishing the best bait’s have been pilchard’s, (whitebait), Pinfish, threadfin herring, and pig-fish with a 1/0 to 3/0 live bait hook depending on size of offering, fluorocarbon leaders from 25 lb. to 40 lb. and 3-5 feet in length, on a good light graphite G-Loomis 7′ to 8′ rod rater for 1o-17 lb. test, matched with a long casting reel with a good drag system (Diawa 1300 SS Tournament) being my favorite. Both incoming and outgoing tides are producing bites, the best day’s are the day’s with the stronger tidal flow. Red-fish are around in numbers on the beach’s in mangrove island scenarios, smaller pinfish, or pilchard’s work well when you live bait chum an area after spotting one or two fish stop chum a bit, watch for boil’s and blow-up’s on the free-bees and cast your bait to the action if out of distance, quietly move in to position, chum the live bait again and cast into the area you saw the action ! There still are some jumbo spotted Sea Trout in our area but the water temperatures are going to move them off the hill soon, the beach’s are the best place to start looking for these fish, early morning and evening being the best time.
