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Tampa Bay - South Shore

Capt. Fred Everson
January 28, 2004
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report

Southshore Tampa Bay Fishing Report

What we don’t need is one more cold front like this one. There are redfish on the flats between Apollo Beach and Joe Island, and many are at and above the top of the 27-inch max. Getting at them has been the problem. Cold weather and winds have kept most anglers at home, but on the rare days of fair weather the fishing has been quite good.

I got out for a couple of hours last Saturday with my friend Carol Luthi from Ohio, and we had numerous shots at redfish during a short trip. The water on the flats was clear, cold and shallow, but a perfect cast with a two inch RipTide crab finally produced a maximum length redfish that could have gone just over or just below the 27 inch limit, and we released it to fight another day.

Capt. Chet Jennings reported hot fishing for reds with live bait south of the mouth of the Little Manatee River on the same day. He said he also found some whitebait, which is unusual for this time of year. Hopefully it will still be around after this latest spat of cold weather.

We also saw quite a few trout on the cleaning table at Shell Point Bait and Tackle this past weekend. Saturday the weather was very nice for January, and there were lots of fish caught. We also had some grouper brought in from the shipping lanes, and some mangrove snapper.

Capt. Billy Nobles said there were still plenty of bonnethead sharks in the hot water outflow at the Apollo Beach power plant. He said they were hitting live shrimp.

Anglers in the Little Manatee River just east of the bait shop have been pounding silver trout. Live shrimp are the ticket.

I will be hosting a free cast net, bait catching seminar at Shell Point Bait and Tackle on Sunday, February 08. I will cover cast net selection, net throwing techniques, net care and storage; bait handling, chumming, etc. The seminar begins at 2:00 pm and will last for about an hour.

We are also going to run another fishing tournament on Sunday, February 22 at the bait shop. The George Washington Birthday Jack Attack will run from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and we will fish for Jack Crevalle with an assortment of lures provided by the bait shop, followed by a Jambalaya feed afterwards. Heaviest jack wins in the winner take all tourney, with a first place prize of a custom built bait casting rod and a Quantum Ironcast reel. Entry fee is $25 and entrants will be provided with an assortment of lures of equal retail value. Captain’s meeting is at 10:00 am, pre-registration is requested, but you may register up to 9:00 am on the day of the tournament. Call (813) 641 3662 for further information.

More Fishing Reports:

 

Sight fishing for a variety of species on Tampa Bay's Soutshore. Two anglers fish primarily with aritficials (occasionally we throw live shrimp and cut bait -- no sardines).

Contact Info:

Everson's Charter Service
3428 B West Shell Point Road
Ruskin, FL 33570
Phone: 813-830-8890
Alt. Phone: 813-830-8890
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