Snook Season is On
Capt. Fred Everson
March 3, 2008
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Winter weather dominated the action, or lack of it on Southshore Tampa Bay mid-week. Monday was the exception, with light winds and mild temperatures. Capt. Chet Jennings worked the mouth of the Little Manatee River and caught some big jack crevalles on live scaled sardines.
I am also starting to see some snook under the docks on the north side of the river as water temperature climbs into the high 60s. With 25 to 30 knots of Northwest winds blowing across the bay much of this week, boat traffic was light. But despite a couple of very cold mornings, water temperature in Tampa Bay was actually 5 degrees higher than it was in Fort Myers on Friday. At 69.5 degrees, the snook bite should continue to be hot. My last few snook have come on RipTide Curtailers, fished on their 3/8 ounce jig heads.
The recent cold spell did not seem to faze the trout. The bite has been hot off the Cockroach Bay entrance channel, and several captains reported catching fish in the 18 to 21 inch range. Live shrimp under popping corks seem to be most productive. Capt. Mark Thomas told me he was fishing the Pinellas side of the bay and also catching big trout and some bluefish.
I had a second hand report from Capt. Larry Malinoski about an acre-sized school of cobia north of the Skyway, on the Gulf side of the bridge. It is indeed the beginning of the season for cobes. The next two months should find them cruising the shallows in front of the Kitchen, and on the flats surrounding Mac Dill and those south of Apollo Beach.
Snook season opened yesterday and conditions were good, except for a lazy incoming tide that will last all day. Sunday it's more of the same -- another two tide day with a low at dawn, and the high an hour and a half after sunset.
You can visit the captain's website at Tampabayfishingguide.com for charter info, or phone him at 813 830 8890.
Tampa Bay Fishing Forecast:
Weather forecast for Tampa Bay through next weekend is windy. It is March, after all. Let's hope it doesn't blow through April and May as it did last year.
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