The Mackerel Have Arrived

King and Spanish macks are swarming local waters as the water temp has hit the magical 74 degrees.

These speedsters will attack live bait and lures with reckless abandon.
The Spanish Mackeral are everywhere from the channels surrounding grass flats, the area bridges and piers, and along the beaches. These fish are an easy target. They will hit live shrimp and live greenbacks either free-lined or under a bobber. They will also attack jigs and spoons either cast or slow trolled. Clark spoons and Gotcha plugs are favorites as are Docs goofy jigs. The smaller the better 00-1 size spoons and 1/8-1/4 jigs will work best. The Macks are feeding on the millions of fry that have invaded the bay so its important to match the hatch. 

The kingfish are anywhere from the skyway out to the hard bottom a few miles off the beaches. The big smoker Kings can't resist a slow trolled live Blue runner or ladyfish. You can also go out to the hard bottom in life chum with greenbacks and get a solid bite going.

Larger spoons trolled on a planer will also take their share of schooly fish and the big smokers too.

For Spanish mackerel a 3000 size spinning reel with a 7'6 rod rated 6 to 12 lb tackle is fine. A piece of 40 lb fluorocarbon leader will work a lot better than wire. If using live bait go with a long shank 1/0-2/0 hook to help curb the cut offs.
A larger 6000 size spinning reel loaded with 20 to 30 lb braid on a 7' 15-25 lb class rod will work great for the Kings. When fishing for Kings a 3ft piece of 7 strand wire usually will help keep the big fish from breaking off. Wire is best whether trolling live bait or lures with the Kings they just have a habit of cutting through the mono. When using live bait make sure to use a stinger rig. Attach a free-swinging treble hook to the main hook
with a piece of wire. The great thing about fishing for mackerel off the beaches and on the hard bottom is you can catch both Kings and Spanish on the same trips. Never keep more than your going to eat as mackerel does not freeze well.
Both Kings and Spanish mackerel make great smoked fish dip and there are many
recipes available online. 
Let's talk about the heart of Pocket Change Fishing Charters and how it all started. One afternoon we got a call from a disabled veteran that wanted to fish. well, he begins to tell us that there were a few trips that he booked with a few guides they cancel on him when they found out that he was in a wheelchair. So being i had a skiff i told him that i would figure out a way to get him on this boat. So the day comes were I need to get on the boat no big deal we get him on and we take off as soon as the air hit him in the face there was nothing but smiles from ear to ear right there I knew what I needed to do in life that's to take every wheelchair person out on the boat. I decided to talk with my family to buy a bigger boat with the proper ramps and ADA restraints and brackets. 
What makes our charter service unique is that we cater to disabled veterans and wheelchair-bound clients!  
Our boat is able to accommodate wheelchairs and is ADA compliant. 

IF YOU’RE A DISABLED VETERAN YOUR TRIP IS FREE!!! 

This is our way we give back to our veterans.

Pocket change inshore fishing charters

Capt. Anthony Corcella

727-432-6446

www.pocketchangefishingcharters.com

Check us out on Facebook Pocket Change Inshore Fishing Charter