A Little Yellowtail Snapper Tip Before I fish Today

April and May is a great time to fish for just about everything in the Florida Keys. Right now the Sailfish are pouring through and the big Dolphin are offshore. Tarpon are at the bridges, but there is just something addictive about yellowtail snapper fishing. 'Tailing requires chum that costs money and has to be stored frozen.

To save money and time it is best to buy chum in bulk. So see if the place you are staying has freezer space available. If you have enough freezer space you can save about 12 bucks a trip on chum. The average price for good quality chum is 7 dollars per 7 pound block bought individually. At Ore Seafood, you can get a case of 8 blocks of sardine chum for 32 bucks. If you have a place to freeze the chum a good day of tailing only costs 16 dollars for chum instead of 28 bucks. If you don't have a freezer you are better off buying chum by the block.

Another tip is a good bait cooler. Brining your bait keeps them fresher longer than just putting them on ice. Add a cup or two of salt to the ice in your bait cooler to keep the silver sides or ballyhoo to keep them happy.

If you really want to get dinner quick and cheap think shallow. 'Tailing in 30 to 40 feet produces good size 'tails (14 to 18 inches) with less chum and time than the deeper water. Going for the flags in water over 60 feet takes about twice as much chum for half the number of fish. Granted, the fish can be flags over 20 inches, but you will lose a lot to the bottom and predators.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas