Cold Front Fishing Tampa Bay
Capt. John Rivers
January 15, 2023
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
January Tampa Bay Fishing Report
What a weird weather pattern we've dealt with in November being 5 to 8 degrees warmer than normal and December was similar.
A lot of people asked what's this done to the fishing, and here is the answer.The trout bite has been outstanding the past month and and January should bery good, as the water temps are in the 60's right where the trout like it.
My go to baits for trout are soft plastics such as a Matrix Shad on a 1/8oz jig head or ¼ oz jig head depending upon how deep of water I'm fishing. I also have a 17MR MirrOlure tied on as well as a Heddon Spook top-water plug; these three lures are my staples when it comes to speckled trout fishing. I've been using them for years and they have never failed me yet.
Now let's talk redfish; big schools of reds have moved into Tampa Bay, they have come in the past two years in January and all I can say is that they are chewing and I'm happy as is my Bull Bay banshee, 7'2" fishing rod matched with my Shimano Stradic, .
They are chewing on a variety of baits, from cut white bait, to cut mullet and if you want to toss artificials, tie on a Heddon Spook or a gold Spoon and hang on!
Look for pushes in the water and lots of mullet, and you'll find the reds in depths of 2-5 ft of water is where they are hanging out.Moving on to Sheepshead, the bite has been outstanding on many of the bridge pilings, rock piles and docks in Tampa Bay. Live shrimp and fiddler crabs are the baits of choice.
Remember to have a light leader and a small #1 or #2 J Hook tied on. I like Gamakatsu, but you can use what you like or you can use a 1/8 or ¼ oz jig head depending upon what the current / tide is doing. Snook fishing has been slower, and it will be till spring, especially with the major cold fronts we hav in January, it puts the snook in winter mode and they are very lethargic and they are not feeding much.
Once the water warms back up, the snook should be back to their usual feeding patterns, but until then, I suggest letting them adjust to the weather change and go after some other species.
As you can see the fishing is usually very good January and it will last till the last week of February and we get closer to spring then everything changes and the snook bite fires off.
Tight lines
Capt. John
www.r2bfishing.com
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