Snook Bite Heats Up
Capt. Fred Everson
April 15, 2009
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Two good things happened last week. Some bait showed up on the flats outside the Cockroach Bay boat ramp and there was a big school of redfish roaming the shallows south of the Spoil Island at Port Manatee. The bait was there too, but it was nothing like easy. Most of the guides I spoke with are still running to the Skyway rather than throw the net 20 times on the flats.
Water temperature is now in the high 70s and despite another cold front the first week in April, it didn't change things much. High winds that plagued anglers throughout the month of March have continued into April and show no signs of letting up. So it has been for several years running. Once upon a time April was the month to fish in West Central Florida, but in recent years the winds have continued to get stronger and stronger. It doesn't matter much what the water temperature is if it's blowing 30 knots – you just can't get at them.
Capt. Chet Jennings told me he had a good day on redfish at Piney Point with live bait last week. He told me he found the bait on the flats, but that it took some work. He said the redfish bite lasted for about an hour and a half, then quit. He said that overall his fishing has been good, but he also said he was canceling almost as many trips as he fished because of wind.
That's a good point, and the sign of a good guide. Anybody who takes you out in 25 knots of wind because he needs the money is cheating. If the waves are coming over the dock at the boat ramp, it's a good time to call the whole thing off and wait for a better day. If your guide balks at the cancellation in this situation, stand firm and look for another captain on a better day. Fishing is supposed to be fun, not an exercise in survival skills.
Grouper season is back on and some early reports are beginning to trickle in. Capt. Larry Malinoski told me he caught some nice grouper inside the Skyway last week. He was trolling jigs on planers.
I'm still seeing sheepshead around the dock pilings in the Little Manatee River, and they are probably done with spawning activity. I haven't had any recent reports from the artificial reef off Bahia Beach, other than Spanish mackerel. Once the mackerel arrive the sheepshead are usually gone.
There will be a lot of water movement this week on the falling tides, as this report will hit the newsstands about three days after the full moon. Best bet will be the strong falling tides around sunset.
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