Monster Drum Tampa Bay

Capt. Steven Markovich
March 14, 2010
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report

Sunday was amazing to say the least! After having to cancel Saturdays run due to 20+ mph winds I was anxious to get on the water Sunday. With no clients booked Sunday I took advantage of the down time and pleasant weather to locate a school of huge Black Drum.

While waiting for high tide I started the day chasing trout and found the water murky from Saturdays blow. One of the great aspects of Tampa Bay is there's always clean water to be found. I focused on areas protected from west winds. With the water temperature up to 61 (still below normal) I expected a hot trout bite but found the action ok at best. I was fishing shallow water looking for large trout over 20" but only found 15-18" fish. The larger schools are still in deeper water 6' plus.
With the tide now high I started the search for the school of monster black drum that are cruising the flats in lower Tampa Bay. The school is easy to spot, look for the large orange tails sticking out of the water as they feed in 2-3' water. It's a remarkable sight; I get excited every time I locate the bruisers. Drums are not as spooky as snook or redfish but use caution when approaching.

3" new penny Gulp bait on a ¼ oz jig head is all it takes to get in the action. It doesn't take long when you are casting into several hundred fish! The hit is actually very light when you consider how big and strong these drum are. It's more like a big tap, tap, tap vs. a big strike. Set the hook and hang on, this is combat fishing to say the least. The average fish was 35-40 pounds with some real monsters mixed in. After landing 6 of these beauties I called it a day.
Captain Steven Markovich
www.onthemarkcharters.com

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