Winter Fishing is Herel
Capt. Fred Everson
January 14, 2009
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Water temperature continues to hold in the high 60s and low 70s, and that's much warmer than usual. In general, it makes for good fishing and that's been the case so far this year. On my latest trip with Mike Strickland and Marc Glass we went across the bay to look for trout. There wasn't much tide movement off Pinellas Point and we didn't get the first hit. With hardly a breath of wind we went back across the bay to look for redfish, only to find the water clouded by the previous week of windy weather. We did see a few bonnethead sharks, and Mike caught one on a jig head tipped with a large live shrimp.
We also saw quite a few large eagle rays, and with the water temperature being so warm, we began to look for cobia. We came across a group of four big rays and sure enough, two of them were trailing cobia, but the rays spooked in all directions. The one we followed had a fish with it, but it was underneath the ray and hard to see. I told Mike to put a cast on it, and when he did, he thought he hooked the ray. But when his line went one way and the ray the other, he knew he had the cobia. It ate a live shrimp rigged on a jig head, and was short – probably about 28 inches. The limit for cobia is 33 inches measured to the fork of the tail.
Capt. Larry Malinoski told me that the grouper have been chewing the bottom out of the boat inside the bay. A hot bite and 75 degree weather in January is about as good as it can get.
I'm also hearing reports from the Little Manatee River, and they are all good. The snook bite has been on fire, and several guides have reported great catch and release action. The other good thing about water temperature in the low 70s is that fish are as active as in May. Snook slow way down when the water gets into the mid 60s, and if it gets into the 50s, they become practically dormant. If it the temperature drops below 55 degrees in a short period of time, a die off occurs. That's why Tampa Bay is at the northernmost range of this tropical fish. Snook season will remain closed until March 01 with the current limit at one fish between 28 and 33 inches.
Trout season is back on as of the first of the year. Limit for trout is four fish between 15 and 20 inches, with one fish over 20 permitted. I find trout in deeper water than redfish during the winter months, usually over grassy bottom with sandy potholes. The flats between the Little Manatee River and Piney Point provide great trout fishing on strong tides, and trout are generally aggressive. They will take a variety of artificials, but my favorite trout lure is the 52MS Mirrolure. It's a slow sinking plug that I like to throw in water deeper than three feet. If it is shallower than that, I like the 7MR -- a floating plug that runs just beneath the surface. When trout fishing be sure to set your drag light. Trout are soft mouthed and it's easy to rip a hook out of the fish's lips if your drag is set for redfish and snook.
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