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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
July 8, 2004
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Southshore Tampa Bay Fishing Report
Spanish mackerel continue to provide most of the action on Tampa Bay, but the heat has slowed even that bite. I am not catching as many fish, but those we’re putting in the cooler have been in the 5 pound class. That’s a far cry from what this fishery was nine years ago when you had to measure every mack to see if it made the minimum. This year I’ve caught way more fish over 20 inches than I have under.
Capt. Chet Jennings reports steady action on tarpon. Yesterday he put four fish in the air and landed two of them. He also said the snook bite has been stellar.
I have been targeting tailing redfish by wading on the low evening tides around the new moon and the full moon. Nothing easy about getting these fish to eat, because water clarity is poor and choked with weeds and algae. To hook up with tailers you need to put the bait or lure on the bottom where the fish can see it. I prefer to use artificials because they cast farther, and it’s important to keep some distance from the fish.
I recently tried a new weedless bait from RipTide. They call it a Flats Chub, and it’s a shorter version of the old jerk bait with a wider belly and a forked tail. I rigged the new bait on a Capt. Mike’s worm hook, which features a 3/16-ounce lead weight on a red hook fitted with a coiled keeper. Rigging the bait on this hook is easy and secure, and the bait runs true. The amount of weight adds a little casting distance with less splash than you get with a heavier jig head, but still puts the bait on the bottom where tailing redfish are looking for the next meal. What impressed me most with the new bait lure combination was the high percentage of solid hook ups compared to strikes – much better than any hook I’ve ever used.
Last night I did some wading on the falling tide at sunset, targeting big snook with a Red and White Super Spook. I love fishing this plug on a baitcaster. The first strike turned out to be a small bluefish, which should fill my quota – I rarely catch more than one or two of the toothy critters every year. Then as the sun descended on the St. Pete skyline, I saw a big swirl on my plug. It wasn’t the snook I was looking for, but a tarpon I guess to be about 60 pounds. It came off on the first jump, but that strike on the surface plug was certainly worth the price of admission.
There are still plenty of big redfish on the Southshore flats, but the midday bite is slow. Try fishing the low tides around sunset for the most action. Live shrimp or bottom hugging, weedless artificials are the prime offerings.
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