When live baiting, Paiva offers this suggestion: “A lot of times ‘Ricky Rodholder’ is the best fisherman on the boat. People tend to be too fast on the draw and don’t give the mackerel time to eat. The best tactic is to let a mackerel pull until the rod just starts to bend, then raise the rodtip to high noon and start reeling.”
While freelining live baits for mackerel, we also tussled with plenty of jumbo ladyfish. Low in food value and high in deck-pooping propensity, ladyfish aren’t all that popular unless you need fresh shark bait. Then, the slender stinker’s odoriferous attributes serve well their shark-attracting mission.
Although the brown bombers avoided us during this trip, Paiva said he frequently finds cobia poking around various markers in the bay’s southern end. Often seen circling topside with their fins breaking the surface, cobia are known for their largely indiscriminate appetites. This bodes well for anglers, as pinfish, whitebait, blue crabs and even jumbo shrimp appeal to the voracious cobes. And they are quick to snap up a jig, swimming plug, soft-plastic jerkbait and meaty streamer as well. When these fish are feeding, all you need to do is drop the offering in their window and it’s game on.
For yet another marker denizen, move in closer to engage a tasty little tyrant—the mangrove snapper. Hugging the legs of fixed markers and hiding amid the rocky anchorings of floating buoys, snapper strike hard and fast, so a quick reaction is mandatory. Many anglers favor braided lines for optimal sensitivity and zero stretch, beneficial both in snaring the sneaky snapper, and keeping it from the structure. Top bait for marker mangroves is a fresh whitebait or threadfin herring, about two inches in length. For optimal snapper presentation, fish vertically next to the structure, and on the strike, work your fish away from its fortress as quickly as possible.
Share the Wealth
Marker fishermen should strive for peaceful coexistence on what is a limited playing field. First concern is boat and ship traffic. When fishing the red and green “cans” along the edges of major ship channels, be sure and stay outside the lanes and yield to vessels under way. Most anglers are fine with sharing marker action, but don’t crowd. If neighboring boats hook long-running fish, proper spacing will prevent breakoffs and conflicts. Communicate politely when your fish runs toward another boat and you’ll find most anglers are willing to pull anchors and clear lines to help a fellow fisherman.
And in the interest of time management, resist the urge for frequent repositioning. Scanning the bay and imagining greater catches elsewhere is a good way to burn daylight in a most unproductive way. Considering that most fish will be moving around the markers, you might zig when you should have zagged and miss the connection. Best bet is to sit tight, chum and let ’em come to you.
Finally, never leave fish to find fish. And once you find a productive spot, pull out a local chart and mark your marker for future returns. -D.B.
While fishing for snapper, occasionally let a bait drift a few yards downtide of the marker. This often yields white and speckled trout. Also, pinch the tail flippers off of a shrimp and thread it tail-first onto a 1⁄4-ounce jighead. Toss the jig upcurrent and let it drift down to and past the marker. Hop the rig every few seconds and anything with an appetite is likely to partake.
For snapper and mackerel duties, use 7-foot medium-action spinning outfits with 10- to 20-pound line and 20- to 30-pound fluorocarbon leaders. You’ll draw more strikes with the fluorocarbon, but expect mackerel cutoffs. If the macks are thick and you’re losing too many rigs, tie on 12 inches of No. 3 wire or go to longshank 2/0 or 3/0 hooks.
To handle sharks of hefty dimensions, Paiva uses 30-pound mono or 50-pound braided line.
Tactical Tips
That some markers are more productive than others is a lesson learned through experience. Trial and error will reveal the sweet spots, but monitor which structures get the most attention. Some are bait spots, some are fishing spots, and others excel for both.
Each marker in each different area will have its own unique characteristics, but a handful of common elements merit consideration.
Current: “Tide timing” is key, as the sea’s system of food delivery depends on water movement. Generally speaking, any moving water brings baitfish and crustaceans to waiting predators. Take note of the heavens, as full and new moons (spring tides) bring the strongest flows of the month.
Bottom View: What’s below a marker (or around its legs) can greatly affect fishing success. In simplest terms, substantial bottom structure such as rocks and rubble will attract more food sources and provide habitat for gamefish such as snapper, grouper and sheepshead. Also, dropoffs between shallow and deep water provide predators with dining areas in close proximity to the safety and convenience of greater depths.
Age: The longer an object has been in its present location, the more developed its mini ecosystem will be. More benthic accumulation entices increasingly larger forage species and predators take note. Also, damaged structures (including hurricane-torn docks) can be especially productive, as broken pieces littering the bottom expand the structure. Naturally, this also implies unseen navigational and anchoring concerns, so proceed with caution.
