Saltwater Fishing Tips of the Week | Heavy Chumming

Here is a saltwater fishing tips of the week – Heavy Chumming and Light line by Capt. Brad of Fully Involved Charters in Bradenton.  Bait is plentiful, so use it.

Right now there are literally tons of shiners all over the beach and grass flats. Using a 1/4″ net, I have been filling my livewell to it’s maximum capacity and then grabbing a little more for dead bait and putting that in a 5 gallon bucket. Whether I am near a mangrove shore or on a nearshore wreck or reef, I am chumming like crazy. On the high tides, I have been fishing my favorite redfish spots near mangroves and oyster bars. Chum heavily, and you can keep a school of reds behind the boat for a long time. Some of the reds we have been catching

will have as many as 20 shiners in the belly.

All of the nearshore artificial reefs and wrecks have a lot of fish on them right now. Again, the key is to chum a lot. I have been anchoring just up current, maybe 50 feet, from the structure I want to fish and chumming. We have been catching lots of big spanish mackerel up to 30 inches, snapper, gags, a few cobia, and sharks.

While you are chumming with the shiners, it is a good idea to have a variety of baits, and a variety of tackle and rigs. I have been using a lot of light tackle and light leader because the water has been so clear and it has been paying off. Sometimes you will get worked by a big grouper on light tackle, but you get more bites than using the heavy stuff. For the mackerel, I use 20# fluoro leader with a 1/0 long shank hook. Snapper and gags have been hitting good on a heavy spinning

setup with 20# Momoi main line, a 1 oz. sinker, small swivel, 20# fluoro leader, and a 2/0 Owner Muto light circle hook. I have also been using a heavy bottom rig with a big cut bait for sharks and a heavy spinner with a freelined pinfish for cobia or anything else that might be hungry.

So, remember, heavy chum and light lines.

Capt. Brad, Fully Involved Charters