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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
August 26, 2002
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
August 26 Southshore Tampa Bay Fishing Report
The Southshore flats of Tampa Bay are alive with redfish and snook in late August. On a trip with Capt. Nick Winger last Wednesday, we caught about a dozen reds, all of which were over the 27-inch maximum. The fish were schooled up and hit everything we threw at them on a late morning rising tide.
We were on the water before daybreak, but had a hard time finding pilchards. Every stop in the bay yielded nothing but threadfins, so we finally took it to the Skyway. That was no cakewalk either. Winger threw the net at least a dozen times before we finally scored on pilchards. They were hanging in the shadow line under the South Skyway Fishing Pier.
With the live well finally full, we headed for the flats where we had no trouble finding redfish. Initially we encountered small groups of fish and hooked up quickly. Nick was pitching live pilchards and I was throwing a gold and chartreuse 7MR Mirrolure. My first fish straightened all the treble hooks on the lure, so I switched to a red and white Top Dog Jr. The fish hit that plug equally hard, and after catching several fish on the top water, I switched to my eight-weight fly rod.
Nick and I both hooked up in a heartbeat with big fish that got well into the backing. We saw hundreds of redfish pass within casting distance of the boat. When redfish are schooled up like this in three feet of water, they seem to lose all fear. I had one fish pick a motionless streamer off the bottom as I dealt with a tangle in my fly line.
These redfish have proven to be the most reliable bite on Tampa Bay in late August for the past couple of years. Capt. Chet Jennings of Apollo Beach told me the bite was just as frantic last year, but the fish were smaller. He said these fish should hang out on the flats through September, if this year is anything like last.
Tonight I fished the strong falling tide at sunset, targeting catch and release snook. I caught two fish that measured 24 inches and hooked another fish that felt a lot bigger, but the hook pulled. They were hitting a red and white Top Dog Jr, and six-inch Rip Tide Jerk baits in Peal. I was wading south of Apollo Beach, and the action was slower than what I would have expected with such a good tide. We had better luck earlier in the week on a lower tide, south of the mouth of the Little Manatee River. John Oliverio fished with me and had his first slam with the fly rod, catching and releasing a snook, a redfish and a trout. The redfish and the trout were both in the slot, and the snook was short.
I have seen some big snook on the flats between Shell Point and Cockroach Bay in the past couple of weeks, but the bite has been slow. It should pick up when the water temperature drops a bit. It’s still in the mid 80’s inside the bay.
There was a lot of bait on the flats this, but most of it was small. Redfish will remain the best prospect this week despite the opening of snook season next Sunday.
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