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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
January 7, 2008
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
The New Year started with a severe cold front that brought high winds and lowered water temperature 12 degrees overnight. On Wednesday morning I took a walk along the banks of the Little Manatee River and saw some jack crevalle floundering about on the surface. Farther upriver, Captain Danny Guarino said he saw dead jacks on the surface around the 41 bridge. Capt. Billy Jordan told me there were some dead snook in the mix.
The timing of the front was poor, as some cobia finally showed up on the flats. Capt. Tom Rinehart of Apollo Beach said he caught a short fish a few days ahead of the front and saw several others. You can bet those fish will probably head for the hot water of the TECO power plant.
Cold weather also seems to push bonnethead sharks onto the flats. I’m not why they congregate on sand flats in the winter months, but on a good day it is not uncommon to see hundreds of fish clustered together. I suspect they get in the clear, shallow water to take in the warmth of the sun.
Trout are back on the menu as of New Years Day, and early season reports have been encouraging. There is a good-sized pod of big fish just north of Big Pass in four feet of water. They are hitting live shrimp under noise making floats.
Snook should be out of danger as soon as the water temperature rises. The forecast was for mid day highs in the 70s, which should bring it to a safer level for all our tropical species; surface temp in the Gulf was still 55 degrees on Saturday morning. Redfish are not as temperature sensitive, and they should not be affected by a short period of cold weather.
You can visit the captain’s website at Tampabayfishingguide.com for charter info, or phone him at 813 830 8890.
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