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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
January 1, 2008
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Outside of one serious cold front a week before Christmas, our Florida weather has been angler friendly. Of course, the better the weather, the poorer the fishing – but not quite. Water and air temperature both remain unseasonably warm, meaning snook are still roaming the flats, and they were even catching some kingfish offshore the week before Christmas.
Locally, fishing the flats on low tide remains steady. Capt. Tom Rinehart joined me for a short outing on Christmas Eve, and we caught three redfish, one of which was top of the slot. The other two were short. Water clarity was good, but overall the visibility was impaired by cloud cover, fog, and a regular breeze out of the north. We caught all three fish drifting. Rienhart caught the biggest fish on a large live shrimp, while I caught a couple of shorts on a RipTide mullet in white, fished on a half ounce jig head.
We saw a few bonnethead sharks, and one actually swiped at a big shrimp and then circled the boat, but we could never get it interested in another bait. There are a few big bonnetheads roaming the flats now, but nothing like what will be here when the water temperature drops into the low 60s. I expect they get into the shallows for the warmth of the sun, but whatever the reason, they are most plentiful on the flats when the weather is cold. Live shrimp, frozen shrimp, and frozen squid are the baits of choice. They will look at artificials, but the only big fish I’ve ever caught on a jig was foul hooked.
Captain Chet Jennings told me he’s been travelling to the Skyway for bait. Despite the long run, he said the baits have been good sized and he’s been loading the livewells with three or four tosses of the net. He’s been fishing the Little Manatee River for catch and release snook, and said the bite has been good for this time of year.
I haven’t seen any more cobia since I hooked a couple two weeks ago, but I have been fishing the tides for redfish. They are susceptible on the extreme lows, where cobia are more apt to be found on the high tides.
Capt. Larry Malinoski of Ruskin reported slow fishing for grouper inside and outside of the Skyway, but he said he and wife Pam caught plenty of mangrove snapper and grunts while bottom fishing. He also said he came across three tripletail on a range marker but couldn’t get them to eat anything.
Poor tides are forecast for the first week of the New Year – slow, rising tides with little movement on the half moon phase. On the positive side, trout are back in season and from all the reports of local guides, we can expect hot fishing for big trout. Look for them in four or five feet of water over grass. Live shrimp under popping corks are probably the most effective artificial baits, while small jigs with brightly colored tails top the artificial selection.
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