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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
March 18, 2005
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Just when you thought winter was over, here comes another cold front to scatter the bait and drop the water temperature. The forecast for today was a high of 70 degrees, but as I write this at the bait shop in my winter jacket, that hardly seems likely. Capt. Mark Thomas said he spent a day looking for bait inside the bay this week and couldn’t find any.
Capt. Danny Guarino said he found bait at the Skyway a couple of days ago, but couldn’t keep it alive for more than a few minutes after dumping it into his livwell. Red tide is apparently the culprit. I had another phone call from a customer who was trying to catch bait at the bridge, and he had the same results. Another angler told me he put the boat on plane soon as he got the bait in the well, and most of it came back to life as he headed up the bay and away from the bridge. Hopefully all the rain we had these past few days will push the red tide back out of the bay.
Ahead of the wind and the rain this week, the best local action was on trout. One of the most productive areas has been Cockroach Bay. Many of the trout we are seeing at the shop are right around 20 inches.
The redfish bite has been very quiet this week, and the action on snook practically non-existent. That should all change for the better once the water temperature comes back up. Cool weather and heavy rains had the bay temperature back down to 62 degrees, and that’s really bad news for snook fishermen. Snook are not very active below 65. Redfish are less susceptible to cold water, but they do seem to shut down when the water temperature drops – just as snook do.
There have been no reports of mackerel in the bay so far. The red tide and the recent rains may delay their arrival in the bay even further. The same would probably apply to tarpon and cobia.
The full moon is still a week away, but that means the real end of winter is at hand. Hallelujah!
We have scheduled the first mackerel tournament at Shell Point Bait and Tackle for April 10 – a Sunday. Registration is $25 for adults, $10 for kids under 12, and includes a selection of mackerel lures. A free fish fry and jambalaya feed follows the weigh in and awards ceremony. Call the shop for details at (813) 641 3662.
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