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Tampa Bay - South Shore
Capt. Fred Everson
November 2, 2006
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
The first cold front of the season passed across the bay earlier this week and dropped the water temperature down to 73 degrees. Tides were low in the extreme on Tuesday, with the oyster bar at the mouth of the Little Manatee River totally exposed, making navigation even tougher than normal.
Capt. Billy Jordan reported that fishing was slow on the low tide, and it was too windy to get into deeper water. He did catch some ladyfish around the mouth of the river, and cut them up for redfish bait, but that bite didn’t happen either.
As I write this, there is still some bait on the flats and it’s good sized. I saw a few pods of three and four inch baits on the flats between Cockroach Bay and Big Pass earlier this week.
Spanish mackerel continue to roam the deeper waters of the bay, along with huge schools of ladyfish, and jack crevalle. To distinguish one fish from the other, the jacks beat the surface to a froth, making lots of noise. Ladyfish roll and make less noise, but don’t leave the water unless they are hooked. Spanish mackerel jump clear of the surface to great heights, and can reenter the water without making a splash. All three will attract diving birds.
Snook season is in the homestretch with another six weeks remaining, and by most accounts, the fishing this fall was not as good as last year. Capt. Mark Thomas said he found snook in the Little Manatee River, and that the action yesterday was steady. He said that he found bait on the flats, but it’s getting thin. It took him nearly two hours to catch enough to fish with on Friday.
Capt. Fred’s website at Tampabayfishingguide.com for charter info, or call 813 830 8890.
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