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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
August 18, 2002
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
August 19 Tampa Bay Southshore Fishing Report
Fishing has been more unpredictable than usual this August. The highlight of the month thus far has been schooling redfish. Capt. Chet Jennings of Apollo Beach reported hot fishing on Friday. He said that there was some bait to be had under the Skyway Bridge, but that he had to work for it. It has been yet another poor year for pilchards, which are the favored bait of most fishing guides.
Pilchards are hardy on the hook and in the live well, but they seem to be concentrating at the mouth of the bay now. I used to be able to find them nearly all year ‘round near Apollo Beach, but this year they seem to have kept well to the south.
Full moon occurs on the 22nd, so there will be plenty of tidal movement on Tampa Bay this week. I like to wade fish the low tides around sunset with RipTide Jerk baits and weedless gold spoons. The water temperature on the bay is in the high 80’s and that means lots of grass and algae, which rules out fishing with exposed hooks.
The jerk baits are particularly effective in shallow water. I like to fish them in Pearl Glow with the new style Exude worm hook. The baits hold up a lot better on this hook and they dart without rolling and twisting the line. Snook and trout really whack the jerk baits in shallow water, but if I come onto tailing redfish, I will switch to the gold spoon -- it seems to get their attention better. I like to rig the spoon with a four-inch plastic auger tail. It keeps the lure high in the water column and helps it shed weeds. I also fix a barrel swivel to the front end of the spoon, and then connect line and leader with another barrel swivel. The swivels prevent line twist, which is an inherent problem with any spoon.
There are still plenty of tarpon around the bay. Look for them rolling on the flats early in the morning. I am also hearing a few more cobia reports lately.
Snook season will reopen on September 01, and it promises to be a good one. The may closure should make for more keeper sized fish, but the fishing pressure is pretty relentless, and most of those fish between 26 and 34 inches will end up in the frying pan. The good news is that the availability of trophy fish seems to be on the rise as a direct result of the 34-inch cap on the slot limit. Personally I don’t keep any snook over 30 inches on my boat. Fish that size are mostly females, and it’s more important to keep them breeding than it is to bread filets.
Capt. Chet Jennings and I will conduct a five hour fishing school at Bahia Beach Marina on August 24 at 2:00 pm. Pre registration is requested. Please call me at (813) 641 7697.
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