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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
January 8, 2004
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Southshore Tampa Bay Fishing Report
Winter returned with a bite and 25 knots of wind yesterday, and that will shut things down for a few days. Coupled with the full moon on Tuesday, I expect the action on the Southshore of Tampa Bay to be less than quiet.
Last weekend with spring-like conditions the fishing was better than can be expected for the first week in January. Anglers who went way up river in the Little Manatee reported catching numerous redfish, but all were between 15 and 17 inches. There was even some catch and release action on snook.
Larry Malinoski went offshore on one of the good weather days and caught a pile of grunts with Ed Beery and Gary Kennedy, fishing out of Shell Point Marina in Ruskin.
I poled the Southshore flats in search of redfish on Sunday, but a good breeze out of the east and too much cloud cover made it hard to see. Water clarity was not as good as it had been either, and to catch redfish in shallow water is easier if you can spot them first.
I’ve had good luck recently fishing RipTide 2 inch crabs over the sand on low tide. Long, accurate casts on light line with fluorocarbon leader are essential to catching these spooky fish in clear shallow water. A slow retrieve is most productive with any artificial in cold water.
Even the shark bite at the power plant in Apollo Beach has been off. Last time I was there I could seen plenty of blacktips and bonnetheads, but only hooked one fish, and that came on a piece of squid.
Looks like this weather is going to hold for a while, so the best bet for the coming weekend will probably be to target sheepshead or trout. Both of these fish seem to have a higher tolerance for cold weather than most of the other local species, and both are pretty good on the table. Sand trout are another tasty mid winter option.
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