Cold Front Turns On The Bite - Clearwater Fishing Charter Report
Capt. John Rivers
January 29, 2017
Clearwater - Saltwater Fishing Report
The Inshore bite for trout has been outstanding the past two weeks; back on Monday I hit one of my favorite areas and crushed the trout. It was an outgoing tide and it was a lot of fun and a lot of fish. 50+ fish that afternoon, and most were 14-16 inches with a few over 19" and three over 22. We only kept a few 16-18" for dinner and let the rest go. Baits used were MirrOlure's 17MR and Matrix Shad in C Shad Color, on a 1/4oz jig head, a little dab of Procure was added to entice them to hold onto the bait a little longer and create a scent trail. We fished depths of 2-4 ft, mostly a grassy sandy pothole mix.
I've also caught some nice redfish in some similar areas in depths from 1.5 –3ft.
Tailing reds can be a blast to sight cast to, especially watching them turn and crush your offering; it'll makes any angler's heart beat faster for sure.
We just had a small front come in with some rain, which we really needed. The wind was pretty strong, and that will more than likely have the bottom stirred up making the water murky.
I'm thinking on Wednesday through the rest of the week, the inshore bit for trout and reds should be pretty good. The Snook bite should be good as well, and with the cold front, the fish will have moved deep near John's Pass and some of the bridges, and also near some of the power plants.
Let's talk Sheepshead for a minute: they're all over the place. Live shrimp, fiddler crabs and sand fleas are the baits of choice, also find some natural rocky bottom, use as light as weight as possible and get ready to have some fun. These tasty convicts can be a lot of fun to catch on light tackle.
February is a great month to fish the Clearwater Tampa Bay area, so give me a shout, and we'll get you on the water.
Thanks for stopping by,
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Clearwater Inshore Fishing Report
By Capt. John Rivers
Reel'Em In Inshore Charters
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