Great Grouper bite way up in Tampabay!
Capt. TJ Stewart
March 18, 2008
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Is the wind ever going to stop blowing? That seems to be the million dollar question. Spring has definitely had a windy start. The wind is one thing, but dealing with the cold weather that is coming with it, is another. It definitely keeps me on my toes and makes me bring my A game everyday. The direction of the wind changing almost everyday grouped with the cooler weather, which makes the water temperature fluctuate, is enough to drive a fisherman crazy. Imagine how the fish feel!
Some days last week we caught some great redfish and others we still caught fish, but had to work much harder for them. We had a bit of a hard time because of the small front that came through the area. Before the front arrived, we had some great fishing. In fact, we couldn't keep the redfish off the hook. The fishing was so good at that time mostly because the wind direction and tides were good. When the front came through the area, the tide wouldn't come in so it became tougher to catch redfish. Most of the time, fishing is much easier when the wind is behind you versus in your face. We did end up with some great fish. Most all the redfish were in the slot, being 18 inches and bigger.
We also caught a number of snook last week. The big fish are starting to show up and feed. We had a hand full of fish that were over 30 inches, and endless amounts of fish just under the slot. The size of the snook you hook doesn't matter if you want to have some fun, you get a snook on your line that is over 24 inches and you are going to have some fun catching that fish. We were able to get on a good snook bite at one point in time everyday last week. If you can find a little cove out of the wind or just a little warmer water, get ready to catch some snook. I took a couple of guys fishing last week that had never caught a snook. Take a look at the picture. He caught this fish on the first bait in the water. That's right; he caught a 35 inch snook as his first snook. What an awesome fish and the biggest of the season so far. Before the day was over both guys caught a number of great snook, but only one 35 incher.
Let's talk about something a little different. Let's talk about the great grouper bite in the bay. I have never caught so many great fish in such a short amount of time. As you can see in the picture, we had some great fish. A few of these fish were pushing 15 lbs and were over 30 inches long. These are some great grouper to catch, no less catching them way up in the bay.
The tarpon are still here, but we've only had a few days of fishing for them. For the most part, my clients haven't wanted to go tarpon fishing or it was too windy for us to go. Take a look at the pictures! We did have a few great days of tarpon fishing. Please visit www.castawaychartersinc.com and book your trip today!
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