Tampa Bay Needs To Warm Back Up Again!
Capt. TJ Stewart
February 8, 2009
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
It's cold… it's warm… it's cold… it's warm… it's typical winter weather for Florida. Through all the ups and downs of the weather, fishing has amazingly remained good. We have been fishing in the rivers when it's cold and in the bay when it is warm.
When the weather gets cold many fish move into the rivers, looking for warmer water. Water in the rivers is not much warmer than water in the bay in the morning, but as the day goes on, the darker areas heat up faster. It can sometimes be hard to get a bite even in the river on a really cold morning. A good tip when fishing in the river is to find an area with a darker bottom (a mud bottom) that quickly gets shallow. Once the sun comes up, the fish usually lie along the ledge from the deeper water to shallow water. The fish on the ledge usually bite better than the fish that are lying out in the deeper water. When using shrimp as bait on colder days, make sure the fishing line is slack. Having slack in the line will let the fish take the bait more easily. When fish pick the bait up, let them take it for a minute. When the fish have more time to take the bait, it increases the chances of catching the fish. The same goes for using artificial lures on cold days… use a slow retrieve. When using lures on cold mornings it is common for the fish to miss the bait a few times, so don't give up. Always re-throw the bait and try to work it by the fish again. After the fish see the bait come by a couple times, they will get angry and finally hit the bait hard, making it more likely to hook them.
When the water temperature is above 60 degrees, the fish like live bait. When the water temperature is warmer we fish the flats around the outside of the mouths of the rivers and the mouths of the rivers. The fish in these areas tend to be in really shallow water. On really low tides fish usually sit on the edges of bars. When the tide comes back in the fish will push up onto the flat. At times they can be hard to catch in such shallow water. When approaching these fish be really quiet. Use the wind to blow you on the flat or pole the boat to the spot where the fish are. Look for mullet or structure in these areas because the fish like to hang around both. Being quiet will help not spook the fish. Much like fishing with shrimp on cold days in shallow water, let the fish take the bait before reacting. Sometimes the fish will pick the bait up and drop it a few times before latching into the hook. Patience is key to catching the big one.
Spring is just around the corner! Fishing has been pretty good, but it is going to get really good over the next few weeks as the spring season approaches. It's not to late to book spring trips. Morning or afternoon… just come let the rods do some work for you. Please visit www.castawaychartersinc.com and book a trip today.
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