How We Catch Them

7 foot 6 inch custom inshore rod with a fast action tip, Shimano Stradic 3000 or 4000, 20 pound braid, 20 pound fluorocarbon leader and a circle hook sized to the bait.

1. Before the trip we throw a cast net for live whitebait (scaled sardines), the bait snook in Tampa Bay can’t resist.
2. We anchor or stake out up-tide of mangrove points, oyster bars and dock lines, toss a few handfuls of live chum to get the fish fired up, then free-line a whitebait back into the strike zone.
3. The fast tip lets you cast a light live bait tight to the mangroves without a sinker. When the line starts peeling, reel tight instead of jerking and let the circle hook do its job.

The same inshore setup: 7 foot 6 inch fast action rod, Stradic 3000 or 4000, 20 pound braid, 20 pound fluorocarbon and a circle hook.

1. Redfish eat by smell, so cut bait works: chunks of pinfish or ladyfish on the bottom near oyster bars and mangrove edges. Live shrimp and whitebait work too.
2. On high tides the reds push up under the mangroves. On low tides they gather in potholes and along the edges of the flats, and in the fall they travel in big schools across the flats around Apollo Beach and Cockroach Bay.
3. Let the rod load before you reel. A redfish on a circle hook almost always ends up hooked in the corner of the mouth.

Inshore spinning setup with 20 pound braid and a 15 or 20 pound fluorocarbon leader under a popping cork.

1. We drift the grass flats in 3 to 6 feet of water with a live shrimp or whitebait under a popping cork. A sharp pop of the rod makes the cork chug and sounds like fish feeding.
2. When the cork goes under, reel down and come tight. Trout have soft mouths, so no hard hookset.
3. Where there is one trout there are usually more, so once we find them we drift the same stretch again.

Inshore spinning rod, 20 pound braid, 20 pound fluorocarbon, a small strong circle hook and just enough weight to hold the bait against the pilings.

1. Sheepshead eat crabs and barnacles off hard structure, so we fish fiddler crabs and live shrimp tight to bridge pilings, docks and rock piles.
2. Drop straight down next to the structure and keep the line tight. The bite is a light tap or two, and the trick is to lift and reel as soon as the rod gets heavy.
3. Winter is prime time, with the spawn peaking in February around the Skyway, the Gandy and the Howard Frankland.

Inshore spinning setup with 20 pound braid, dropping to a 15 pound fluorocarbon leader and a small circle hook when the snapper get picky.

1. Mangrove snapper have great eyesight, so this is where Captain Jarrod goes lighter on the leader. Fifteen pound fluorocarbon gets noticeably more bites than 20.
2. We chum around bridges, rock piles and reefs, then free-line or lightly weight a small piece of bait or a live whitebait back into the slick.
3. Summer is peak season, and they bite well at night under the lights too.

Inshore spinning setup, 20 pound braid and 20 pound fluorocarbon leader, with Gotcha lures, spoons with treble hooks, or live bait on a long shank J hook.

1. Gotcha lures are Captain Jarrod’s favorite for Spanish mackerel. Cast long, reel fast and pop the rod tip so the lure darts like a fleeing baitfish.
2. Silver spoons with treble hooks are just as deadly when the mackerel are busting bait on the surface or following the birds.
3. With live bait we switch to a long shank J hook. The long shank keeps their razor teeth off the leader.

Heavier spinning rods with Shimano Stradic 6000 or 8000 reels, plus a few conventional trolling setups.

1. Kingfish (king mackerel) run the nearshore reefs and around Egmont Key during the spring and fall runs, following the bait.
2. The classic approach is slow trolling a live bait on a stinger rig: one hook through the nose and a trailing hook back toward the tail, on a short piece of wire because kingfish teeth slice through anything else.
3. When a king hits, it takes off on a long, blistering run. Let it go, keep the drag smooth and enjoy the fight.

Short conventional rods, 5 to 6 feet, for grouper digging and trolling, plus heavier spinning rods with Stradic 6000 and 8000 reels. Heavy fluorocarbon leader and circle hooks.

1. Grouper live in rocks, ledges and wrecks, and the first thing a hooked grouper does is dive back into its hole. A short, stiff conventional rod gives you the leverage to pull it up off the bottom in the first few seconds. That is grouper digging.
2. We fish live or cut bait on the bottom around nearshore structure. The same short conventional rods double as trolling rods on the way out.
3. Florida requires non-stainless steel circle hooks when you fish for Gulf reef fish with natural bait, which is how Captain Jarrod fishes anyway.

Heavy rods, wire leaders and circle hooks.

1. Wire leaders are a must for sharks. Their teeth go through fluorocarbon in a second.
2. We set up a chum slick along bars and channel edges and fish chunks of cut bait for blacktip, bull and bonnethead sharks.
3. Florida requires non-offset, non-stainless steel circle hooks when you fish for sharks with natural bait. Circle hooks lip-hook the shark, so it swims away healthy after the photo.

Inshore setups with 20 pound braid and fluorocarbon leader and circle hooks for snook, redfish and trout, or the heavy shark rods with wire for a night shark trip.

1. Lighted docks and bridges draw shrimp and baitfish after dark, and snook, trout, redfish and snapper line up in the shadow line to feed.
2. We ease into position, cast a live shrimp or whitebait up-current of the light and let it drift into the shadows.
3. Summer nights are cooler and calmer, and the bite is often better than midday.

Mask, snorkel, fins and a mesh bag. Captain Jarrod handles the dive flag and the boat.

1. Bay scallops live on the grass flats off Crystal River and Homosassa in about 4 to 8 feet of water.
2. Snorkel slowly over the grass and look for the rows of bright blue eyes along the edge of the shell. Pick them up by hand and drop them in the bag.
3. Florida requires a divers-down flag whenever people are snorkeling, and we fly one on every scallop trip.