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Holiday Fishing
Capt. Matt Ercoli
December 27, 2008
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Hello Fellow fisherman and Merry Christmas. As I sat and wrote this report we were only two days away from Christmas. All I can think is it doesn't feel much like Christmas in these parts except for the fact that some of my family and best friends will be coming from out of town to spend the holidays. Why do I say it doesn't feel like Christmas? Well it's over 70 degrees outside and the day before yesterday I took some of my friends out wake boarding without a wet suit. Well it is Florida and it's not uncommon for us to have this kind of weather this time of year.
Now as for the fishing. Warm water has made for a good snook bite. I actually looked for water temps at about 70 degrees in the afternoon and had some great days on the flats snook fishing. Last week we had some 30 plus snook days, mostly small ones 22 to 25 inches, but some nice size redfish mixed in with them. Most of the reds are in the 22 to 27 inch class and all keepers, with a few short and a few over size in the 30 plus inch class. Red fishing has actually been better for me on the cold fronts in the cooler water on shrimp, so with last week's warm temperatures we chased reds in the morning with shrimp and then switch to snook on live greenbacks in the afternoon. We have also been catching some nice trout mixed in with the snook with some over 20 inches. The trout are out of season right now but should be good fishing and one more fish for the cooler come January 1st. The flounder have also been a nice bonus each and every day. I have not been targeting them but still catching them while fishing for other fish and many of them are nicer than we usually catch. A lot of the flounder have been in the 15 to 20 inch class and a tasty bonus. There is good grouper fishing in the bay, lots of action, sometimes as many as 30 plus per day with many smaller ones but plenty of keepers making them a worthwhile target.
The coming weeks should be good for us. There are a lot of redfish in the bay right now so on the cooler days, especially the coldest ones, we should be killing them. If the weather stays warmer I expect more snook on my charters.
I still have a couple of days left over the holidays so if anyone is interested in getting out on short notice just give me a call. Remember now is the time to think about planning your spring and tarpon trips, especially tarpon, May thru July. I am already starting to fill in my calendar and it becomes hard for you to find the day you would like after the first of the year. I would like to thank everyone for a good fishing season and look forward to the coming year.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Target Species:
Red Fish, Snook & Trout
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