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Tampa Bay - Saltwater
Capt. Matt Ercoli
December 21, 2003
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Well things have changed around here quite a bit. The last couple of cold fronts have put us into full winter fishing conditions. This has not been a bad thing for my charters though. The fishing remains very good as I follow them into their backcountry haunts as they prepare for the set-in of winter. This past week I have had some great fishing for snook, redfish, trout, black drum and a few pompano. My primary target has been snook and redfish though.
Snook fishing has been very strong. The fish are very concentrated as they all try to pack into the same few warm water areas. One cast you may catch a 20 incher and the very next a 35 incher, all sizes are mixed together right now. We’ve had a few days this week where we broke 20 snook in one spot.
Redfishing has been equally as good. Most of the reds are running in the 16 to 25 inch range, with quite a few falling into the slot of 18 inches. My best day this week we faired better than 20 redfish as well.
Because of the good snook and redfish bite I haven’t been targeting trout too much. The cool water has really spirited the larger trout to bite. I have been catching some good size trout while we are fishing for other fish. Remember Jan 1st, trout reopens. You can bet with the big ones biting that we will be catching them.
I’m also catching some nice black-drum, the largest would go maybe 14 to 15 pounds. We have also been catching some fat sheep-head mixed in with them up to 5 pounds.
There are also a few pompano showing up in the mix, so maybe we will have one of those brilliant pompano winters, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed.
Well that’s all I have for now but I will keep you posted. I still have a few days remaining around the holidays so if you’re interested let me know. Also remember it’s time to start planning those spring trips as well. Oh yes, one bit of advise if you are heading out on your own. Slow and deliberate, that is how you must be fishing for the snook and reds, trout will bite a little faster retrieve until the water cools down more.
Good luck fishing and have a great holiday season.
Capt. Matt
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