 |
Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
June 13, 2002
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Lower Tampa Bay Fishing Report
Tampa Bay Fishing Report Week of June 10
Summer fishing conditions are in effect -- action has slowed somewhat, but there’s still plenty of bait on the flats. The variety of species available to fish for is never greater than it is right now.
Boca Grande may get all the glory as the world’s busiest tarpon hole, but there are also plenty of silver kings in Tampa Bay. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is the bay’s biggest hotspot, but the Gandy Bridge, Palm River, and many of the flats on either side of Tampa Bay hold tarpon this time of year.
I caught a 30 pounder last week while fishing for ladyfish to use as tarpon bait. It hit a jig rigged on one of my eight and a half foot trout rods. After a dozen jumps I landed the small tarpon on eight pound test. I also caught a couple of pompano on the same flat. They hit 3/8 ounce RipTide jig heads in red with motor oil colored tails, same as the tarpon. The nice thing about this jig head is its stout hook with short shank and very sharp point. If you can land tarpon with it, it will catch anything.
I use this same jig head to fish for redfish this time of year. The big schools have dispersed, but I have a couple of spots where I find them in the mangrove roots on high tide. This is hard fishing punctuated by lots of breakoffs, but it’s sure rewarding when a client manages to pry one out of the roots.
There are still plenty of Spanish mackerel in the bay, but they aren’t as willing as they were two months ago. I am still catching a few on bright metal lures, but sometimes I have to spice them up with a pilchard or threadfin herring.
Reports of cobia have been sparse, but I think that has more to do with so much else going on this time of year. Capt. Chet Jennings caught 30 pounder yesterday while chumming a mark for bait. I have also seen more big sharks in the bay this year than ever before, including a very large bull shark on the flats south of Apollo Beach.
Enjoy the bait while it lasts. The pilchard spawn usually runs it course about this time every year, and bait of useable size will usually become scarce inshore until September.
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
