Father & Son Slamma Jamma Snook Fest Tampa Bay Pics
Capt. George Hastick
December 9, 2009
St. Petersburg - Saltwater Fishing Report
I got a call from Bill wanting to know if I could put his son Jason on some snook because he had never caught one before and they would be down from north Florida for Thanksgiving.The plans were made for the only day they could go, the day after Thanksgiving( start of the cold front ). Knowing the morning was going to be cold and that the tide was going to be moving later in the day I told them we would meet at the ramp bright and early at 10 am lol. So I hit the water at 7:30 just in case the bait was stubborn from the windy conditions(17 kts with gusts in am) and the cooler morning but the bait was easy (scaled Sardines ). With a loaded well I headed for the ramp and while pulling up to the dock I see a giant school of smaller jacks erupting the water about 60 feet from the ramp. As Bill and his son walk up to the boat I finish tying on a spoon and instruct Jason where to cast and after a few casts and hits he hooks up for a fun fight and then we leave to go find our quarry the snook. Now the wind has slowed a little so we just take it easy at 25 kts heading straight into the wind which kept us dry and a decent ride. We get to the area and the Northerly winds has kept the tide out and I have wait for some water to get to the area. With the changing weather I knew the fish would have moved from where I had been fishing to this darker bottom area. We fished for awhile with a few hits but nothing great yet( started to sweat a little because I told Bill I would get his son his first snook ) so after some time had passed it was time to try to get into the area again. It was still skinny but do able. So I told Bill the fish will be in this area and if I have to get out of the boat to push us back out to leave I would do it, to put him and his son on the fish. Bill was game and said lets go for it and he would get out when we leave if needed. Well the fish were good to me and were right where I expected and they were happy to come out and play. I had plenty of chummers to get the party started and they started slow and then went into overdrive with hit after hit.Well we get a great hit and with the cooler water these fish are spunky. Jason is fighting the first solid hookup and she shows her gills rattling, a beautiful snook. I am stoked and can't wait to land this fish for Jason. We get her to the boat and she is 26.5" for his first snook and Bill was so happy for his son and Jason looks like the cat that just ate the mouse. This was the start of a beautiful ending.Then Bill got the hot hand and landed multiple fish and Jason had some catching up to do and he did. He ends up getting his first Slam and the fist punches go around the boat. Then Bill jumps ahead with plenty o snook, but Jason comes back with a second slam. Then Jason hooks into a 30+ inch fish and the fight is on, with a little guidance he fights her great and keeps her out of the bushes. Then about 7 feet from the boat she gill plates him and my heart dropped and I could feel his pain. So I said come on there are more out there for you. We get him back in the saddle and the catching continues.Bill brings a few trout to the boat and some snook and they get a couple of doubles. Then Jason gets hooked to a nice one again. The fight is on and he is doing great from the hook set all the way to the boat and we land a sweet snook at 27.5" Not a keeper but not to shabby for a first time snooker with 2 slams to boot. We call it a day and we make it out of there without anyone getting out of the boat. They ended the day with 3 slams, 26 snook, 3 small reds and 5 trout.
We were fishing the Gandy area with 3-3.5" scaled sardines free lined on 1/0 circle hooks with 25-30 lb fluoro leader attached to 10 lb braid. Free lined was working better then the corked baits. The redfish were finicky and you really had to let them take the bait or they would spit it and the first sign of pressure.
Bill sent me a nice testimonial
Captain George,
I just wanted to drop a line of thanks for our great Thanksgiving fishing trip. Not only did my son catch his first snook, he caught his first and second "slam"! You really have him hooked on snook! It started out cold and breezy, but you really put us on the fish. Your knowledge of the bay, fish and tackle made for a fantastic experience. It was our first time fishing Tampa Bay and we can't wait to go on another trip with you again!
Thanks again,
Bill M. FL November 2009
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