Sharing some bait and knowledge equals giant redfish for young angler

I was at the pier on Anna Maria Island yesterday and the weather and fishing was stellar. When the tide was moving the bite was almost instant using plump sandperch netted in the shallows. The snook and redfish were eager to eat a well placed bait uptide of the pier. I was cooling off in the water when I noticed a young angler throwing a artificial lure with no success. I told him I had some extra bait and he was welcome to use some. This was music to his ears, I showed him how to rig up his rod and how I like to hook the sandperch and he did the rest. He caught a nice redfish and a few snook and he was stoked! It is amazing how just a small thing like sharing some bait can turn a young angler's day to one he may never forget.

One of the baits I was using all of a sudden gets eaten and the fish starts a huge run and almost spools me. I end up jumping off the pier about half way down and run in the water after him. I get some line back then start a long battle with about a 100 pound stingray. Someone cut his tail off when he was a younger ray so my son got to touch him a bit. We released him after a brief visit.

Here is some of my snook and redfish I caught.

My son Zachary got his first redfish!