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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
April 14, 2004
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Soutshore Tampa Bay Report
When anybody asked me when snook fishing peaks on Tampa Bay, I used to tell them April. But in recent years, April hasn’t come through. The first two weeks of this month provided few stellar days. As I write this report, it is 69 degrees and windy. I have already cancelled three trips this week, and it’s not supposed to let up until Saturday.
When the wind lies down and the sun comes out, fishing has been quite good. Spanish mackerel have invaded Tampa Bay in force and they are good sized. Most of the guides have been fishing mackerel on the weekends because there is so much boat traffic inshore. Weekends at Shell Point Bait and Tackle have been very busy, with the parking lot filling up by 9:00 am. That will probably change somewhat after Easter, and when snook season closes on May 1. But for the next few weekends, if you want a space inside the lot, be early. Same for those who want to buy big shrimp and white bait. Looking for select shrimp at 4:00 in the afternoon on weekends is unrealistic.
The shrimp supply has been pretty good lately, but I can already see the average size of bait starting to decline. It’s a paradox that we get the largest shrimp in the dead of winter when they do the least good.
Greenbacks have been in and out of the shallows all winter. Every time a cold front passes through the bay, they seem to scatter, and here we are in mid April with yet another front upon us. I suppose the white bait will finally arrive on the flats to spawn just in time for snook closure.
Other bright spots in local fishing have been trout and redfish. Terry Ackroyd says the bite on big trout has been very good south of the mouth of the Little Manatee River. He also said he’s seeing big schools of redfish in mixed sizes. This past winter was the best I’ve ever had on reds, and many of the fish we caught were oversized.
Tarpon have also arrived in the bay. Larry Malinoski of Ruskin caught a big one at the Skyway last week on a live pilchard. They should spread out to all the usual haunts on Tampa Bay by mid May.
We have two tournaments coming up at Shell Point Bait and Tackle – The Catch and Release in A Pot of Hot Grease Mackerel Tournament on Sunday, May 02, and the First Annual Redfish on the Fly, catch and release fly fishing tournament on Sunday, May 23. For more information, go to my website at Tampabayfishingguide.com, or call the shop at (813) 641-3662
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