Warm Weather and a Hot Bite
Capt. Trajan Rodriguez
January 4, 2017
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
With the warm December we had the bite has been great and there are plenty of fish around willing to feed. The whitebait is holding extremely thick on all of the bay bridges and still on many of the flats. As the water temp continues to drop, the white bait will drop into the deep channels of Tampa Bay.
Snook have been feeding like crazy and are stacked up in their winter time spots. 50 snook days have been extremely common along with some big fish being caught. Creeks, deep holes, and the rivers will be holding big snook for the next few months. Getting white bait has been the key to success. With the clearer water I prefer to fish 25 pound leader when fishing for snook. Upper Tampa Bay is a great place to target these big snook in the winter time.
The trout bite has been off the charts. Trout have been holding thick in the big holes on the flats as well as creek mouths with strong moving tides. The incoming tide has seemed to be the best time to limit out on these tasty fish. Channel A and Double Branch Creek will often load up with big trout this time of year.
Redfish are still out on the flats with many big fish around. The Gandy area has been holding schools of 20-30 overslot fish. Cut bait may require patience but typically pays off with the cooler water temps.
Sheepshead are just about every where there is structure. This means docks, bridges, and rock piles. They are big this time of year and can be caught with tiny hooks using shrimp, barnacles, and fiddler crabs.
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