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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
October 26, 2007
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fall fishing is as good as it gets this time of year. With water temps continuing to drop and clarity improving the bite is on for numerous species. Snook fishermen have another five weeks before the season ends on December 01, and this is a good time to hook big fish on the flats. These fish are in transition between the summer spawn and winter quarters, where they seek out the warmer waters of the mangrove backcountry, and the headwaters of freshwater rivers.
Snook are structure oriented fish and are not at home on the flats. They are here because this is where the most food is found in the fall months, and they will linger in the shallows until the bait leaves – usually around Thanksgiving. Snook are still primarily nocturnal feeders, so the best time to target big fish is around sunrise and sunset on a strong tide with lots of flow.
This is also prime time for redfish as big schools of fish come into the bay to feast on pinfish, crabs, and sardines. Most of these fish are here into October, then the big fish head offshore to spawn, but many remain on the flats all winter.
This is my favorite time to target redfish. As the water gets ever clearer, and the tides get extremely low with the approach of winter, the reds move away from the mangroves. I like to fish the extreme low tides and look for fish over bare sand. This calls for a shallow draft boat or a pair of waders. Once the water temperature drops below 75 degrees, I prefer the dry comfort afforded by a pair of lightweight chest waders.
When redfish school up like this, they can get pretty finicky, particularly in clear shallow water. I start throwing RipTide’s flats chubs at them on weighted hooks. The idea is to hop the lure across the bottom with lots of pauses. If the fish refuse to eat the chub, I switch to the two-inch plastic crab. If they won’t take the crab, a large live shrimp tail hooked on a jig head will usually do the trick.
Keli Emery emailed me with a report and said that bait was tough to find on the one day she fished. She caught two redfish but said overall things were slow that day.
Cobia should also be roaming the flats between now and December looking for an easy meal. These fish are aggressive and will hit a wide variety of live baits and artificials, but you have to make an accurate cast to catch them. I don’t think cobia see very well, and if your bait is more than three feet from the fish’s nose, they tend to ignore it. Nor can you cast too close. Drop a bait on the fish’s head and it will likely spook. Once shut down, they stay that way.
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