More Wind and Another Cold Front
Capt. Fred Everson
April 22, 2008
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Howling winds ruled the Bay early in the week. They roiled the water and lowered the temperature in the Gulf to 66 degrees. That's nearly a ten degree drop from what it was a week ago, and that shut the snook bite down hard.
There was very little boat traffic on the Little Manatee River through Thursday morning, but the winds have moderated, and the tides are better.The moon will be full Sunday night and that means plenty of current. Snook fishermen will like the strong mid afternoon falling tides best. I spent some time on the flats south of Sand Key in my canoe and I saw quite a few snook just south of the mouth of the river. These fish were fresh out of the river and dark colored. I did not see a single slot sized fish, nor did I get a hit on either of the artificials I cast at them. Nor did I see the first sardine. Usually this time of year you can find scaled sardines on every flat between Joe Island and the Alafia River. Fluctuation in water temperature is the likely culprit. As yet I have seen no sign of threadfin herring, but I have heard they are on the Gulf side of the Skyway.
Friday I took my skiff north to Apollo Beach to look for cobia on the flats off Symphony Isles. Conditions were perfect, and I saw plenty of eagle rays but not one had a cobia with it. Capt. Nick Winger was fishing the same flat, and told me he caught one cobia, but that was the only one he saw. He said he had better luck on the mangrove shoreline at high tide where he caught several snook and redfish on live bait.
Snook fishermen have only ten days left before linesiders become a catch and release proposition on May 01.
Terry Akroyd and I had a banner day on trout off Pinellas Point on Sunday. We caught two limits on Mirrolure's 52MS and RipTide curtailers.
You can visit the captain's website at Tampabayfishingguide.com for charter info, or phone him at 813 830 8890.
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