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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
January 21, 2008
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Lots of wind and cooler weather kept most anglers off the water this week, and the forecast for the next few days is little better. Winter weather in January – go figure.
I am seeing plenty of sheepshead around the mouth of the Little Manatee River gnawing barnacles off the pilings. Time to break out the scraper and catch of few of these tasty striped bandits. You can also find sheepshead in some of the deeper cuts -- Big Pass and Mag’s Hole come to mind. Extreme low tides are best, and small shrimp rigged on ¼ ounce jig heads with strong hooks will do the trick for sheepshead. This is also a good application for zero stretch braided line and extra sensitive graphite rods. You have to be quick with the hook set or you will go through a lot of shrimp. And one look at the dentures of this fish will explain why you want to bait up with a stout hook.
Trout fishing has been good for those willing to brave the wind and the cold. There have been some big trout on the flats in front of the Cockroach Bay boat ramp and in four feet of water off Big Pass. Live shrimp and a popping cork is still the best bet for big trout, although I’ve caught some nice fish on RipTide’s 5 inch mullet rigged on their 3/8 ounce screw lock jig head.
There are still plenty of redfish on the flats and what’s different this year is the wide range in size. Last year most of the fish I caught were near the top of the slot or over it. This year I’m seeing and catching smaller fish. That’s good to see and bodes well for the future.
You can visit the captain’s website at Tampabayfishingguide.com for charter info, or phone him at 813 830 8890.
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