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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
April 9, 2007
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
April started out much like March – lots of wind, cool morning temperatures, and yet another cold front. This should be the last one, and that’s not the only good news for anglers. The kingfish are in, and they are biting. Capt. Bill Jordan, Capt. Mark Thomas, Jay Cody Diehl and myself found a few keepers 13 miles off St. Petersburg on the wreck of the Betty Rose, and we had plenty of company. There were probably 50 boats on the wreck; some anchored, some trolling. The bite was only fair, and the fish were schoolie sized – no smokers. After netting bait at the Skyway, we made the short run out in a four foot chop and put a couple of keepers in the box on live sardines.
The inshore action was considerably slower according to Capt. Danny Guarino. He fished the Little Manatee River, Little Cockroach Bay, and Cockroach Bay for redfish, snook, and trout, and said the action was slow. He did put a 32-inch snook in the boat. Capt. Mark Thomas said he’s been finding some big trout in Cockroach Bay close to the boat ramp. He’s been fishing live sardines under floats.
I had to get my boat out of the water on Wednesday to make way for some modifications to the lift and took it out at Simmons Park. I idled across the flats just south of Apollo Beach looking for cobia, but did not see any. There were plenty of jack crevalles though, but they were spread all over the flats in small schools. I caught one on a fly rod that weighed five pounds, but that was it -- the fish never stayed on top long enough for me to get a cast at them.
I’m still hearing scattered reports of Spanish mackerel between the Skyway and the Cockroach Bay range markers, but the big schools have yet to appear.
For more information, call Capt. Fred Everson at 813 830 8890, or visit his website at tampabayfishingguide.com.
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