Tampa Bay Fishing Report

Capt. TJ Stewart
December 25, 2005
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report

Getting There!

Well it has managed to cool down and the wind has been blowing the last couple of weeks. When it cools down like this we try to start doing a little more offshore fishing or near shore. But it has been a little to rough to get out there and do any fishing. This time of year the fishing is usually really good. We are usually fishing for Grouper or Snapper. Most of the time we are fishing about 6-15 miles off shore. This is one of the types of fishing that we will be doing over the next couple of months. With this we are still fishing in the bay as well, but this time of year it is a little different.

We will start fishing with artificial when it gets cool this can sometimes be a good way to catch fish. Most of the Red fish that we catch this time of year is on artificial. We did not have too much luck with the Red fish last week but we did not have very good tides. We did manage to catch a big Trout 25 inches and a couple of nice Flounder, and all the Lady fish that you could handle. If you are just looking for some action Lady fish will give you that. They will bite no matter how cold it is. Most of these fish that we have been catching have been in the deeper white holes off the edge of the flats. But to get back to the artificial fishing for Red fish it is usually really good this time of year. We fish with jigs the colder the day the slower the retrieve bringing it in. Usually where you find the Red fish you find a lot of other fish too.

Live bait this time of year is usually fishing with Shrimp. This type of fishing is also good most of the time we are catching Trout, Sheepshead, flounder, and some times Red fish. Most of the fishing we do for these fish is around structures in the bay and in the rivers. This past week we did have some luck catching Red fish and Sheepshead we had some nice ones. Usually when we are doing the off shore fishing we are fishing with frozen squid or sardines. For pictures come visit www.castawaychartersinc.com.

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