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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
May 17, 2004
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Southshore Tampa Bay Fishing Report
The wind seems to blow every day and there is no end in sight. This sure complicates fishing, especially in boat position and casting. Everything has been tough so far this spring, including bait.
On the few occasions when the wind let up, I was able to find plenty of snook and redfish on the flats, but even then, the bite was slow. Pilchards have been scarce on the Southshore flats this year, but even when I’ve had plenty of bait, the fish have been reluctant to eat it. I have actually done better with artificials. Particularly effective on snook have been RipTide’s 6-inch jerk baits in Pearl, and Mirrolure 7MR’s in a variety of colors. The Rip Tide 2-inch crab has also induced redfish to bite on low tide when nothing else seems to work.
I have also had some luck with the fly rod recently, wading the low tides around sunset. The best fly has been an all white streamer that imitates the plastic jerk bait that has been so effective for me. I also hooked a small cobia with a black eel imitation last week, but it came right off. I spotted a pair of ling in shallow water – one big and one small, and as usual the smaller fish beat the big one to the fly.
We had a great wade fishing tide last night and saw plenty of snook, redfish and trout on the flats south of the mouth of the Little Manatee River. Vic Stephens of Ruskin hooked and lost a big snook and several trout. Ed Childers and Capt. Billy Jordan both caught nice trout on soft plastic, and a couple of short snook. Nobody caught a redfish, but we all saw some tails. We plan to try it again tonight.
Bait has finally showed up again on some of the local flats, but none of the captains are saying it’s easy. Enjoy what’s here while it lasts, because it is usually gone with the first full moon in June.
Tampa Bay tarpon fishing is good according to Capt. Nick Winger and Capt. Chet Jennings. Both guides are fishing the Southshore flats out of Shell Point Bait and Tackle. The tarpon reports from Boca Grande thus far have been very quiet.
We are hosting a catch and release fly fishing tournament at Shell Point in Ruskin on Sunday May 23. The target is the heaviest redfish between 18 1/2 and 26 1/2 inches, and three places will be awarded prizes. Entry fee is only $25 and no pre-registration is required. Captain’s meeting will begin at 9:00 am and weigh in will close at 5:00 pm.
Call the shop for more information at 823 641 3662, or visit my website at tampabayfishingguide.com.
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