GARY DAVIS ON SPECKS AND REDS

Reeling In Tough-Fighting Spadefish

EDITOR'S NOTE: Captain Gary Davis of Tidewater Fishing Service in Foley, Alabama, has fished the Alabama Gulf Coast all of his life. From March 1 through December 1, he consistently brings in large catches of speckled trout and redfish. During the winter months, Davis catches numbers of sheepshead. A few weeks ago Davis and I started the morning by fishing Dixie Bar at the mouth of Mobile Bay out of Fort Morgan, Alabama. This week we'll learn where Captain Davis fishes and how he catches his fish.

Question: Where do you fish in the middle of the day?
Answer: During the hottest part of the day, I pull the boat under one of the oil or gas rigs and let my parties fish for spadefish and sheepshead. These fish fight hard, taste delicious and provide a lot of action and fun fishing for my parties.

Question: How do you rig to fish for spadefish?
Answer: I tie small hooks directly to the line and fish with small pieces of dead shrimp. I use 10- to 15-pound-test line.

Question: How do you get the spadefish to start biting?
Answer: I throw bits of shrimp into the water. The spadefish will swarm in large schools to eat the bait beside the boat. Then, just throw the bait out with a hook on it, and hang on to your rod.

Question: How do you set the hook on a spadefish?
Answer: You don't. Once the spadefish takes the bait, just reel your line in and hold on to the rod. The spadefish will set the hook itself.

Question: How do you fight a spadefish?
Answer: When hooked, a spadefish swim sideways and in a circle. These fish put up one of the toughest fights in the Gulf of Mexico. You can't hurry a spadefish or a sheepshead to the boat. You have to let these fish tire and come to the boat when they are ready.

Question: Do spadefish and sheepshead taste good?
Answer: The delicious spadefish have a real sweet meat similar to a freshwater bream. After you fillet the fish, cut the lateral line out of the fish, and enjoy its succulent flavor.

Question: What size spadefish do you catch during the summer months?
Answer: We've caught spadefish that weigh 6 to 8 pounds.

To contact Captain Gary Davis and learn more about fishing at Fort Morgan, call (251) 943-6298.

TOMORROW: THE WINTER CATCH