Lightning and Thunder
Capt. Fred Everson
July 5, 2009
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
It has been tough to get the boat off the dock for about a week now. Last week it was very windy and this week we have had thunderstorms nearly 24/7.
The few anglers I spoke with who did get out said the fishing was pretty good. I watched a guy catch a nice snook at the mouth of the Little Manatee River. He pitched a live sardine under a dock and the fish whacked it soon as it hit the water.
Redfish are finally showing up on the flats south of Sand Key. The best bite has been around high tide on the mangrove shadowline. But high tides have been coinciding with some pretty fierce thunderstorms. You only have to get caught once to know that it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature.
The typical summer targets are here in force. Tarpon action at the Skyway has been steady. Most of the guides like a slack tide and live threadfin herring for tarpon.
We drew a tripletail out from under a buoy last week with a plastic shrimp on a jig head. It hit it twice but never hooked up. We didn't see any cobia that day and were finally chased off the water by an approaching storm.
There are Spanish mackerel all over the bay. I saw one fish leap six feet into the air and reenter the water without making a splash. I have yet to see them have bait balled up.
I'm getting reports of a great snapper bite from all corners of the bay. I often think mangrove snapper as saltwater panfish, but this year they have been running between 17 and 22 inches. Live shrimp, or small chunks of threadfin herring pitched under channel markers can be productive.
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