Water Clarity Poor, Weather Fickle
Capt. Fred Everson
July 8, 2009
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Water clarity is worse than poor and has been for months. There has also been a large algae bloom on the Pinellas side of the bay, attributed to a potent mix of high water temps, rainfall, fertilizer, and animal waste. The 14 mile long swath of algae appears like a brown stripe when viewed from the air and has the potential to kill fish and crabs. There was also an outbreak of algae in Tampa Bay last year, and just now no one can predict when it will dissipate.
Anglers continue to catch big trout on the Southshore flats. Mike Strickland of Riverview told me he only caught two fish in front of Sand Key on a recent trip, but one of them was 25 1/2 inches. He said he was still finding sardines on the flats despite the murky water.
Tarpon fishing around the Sunshine Skyway is peaking, and the fish have been running big. Most anglers here are fishing pass crabs or threadfin herring on 50 pound tackle.
You can find Spanish mackerel everywhere there are threadfins this time of year, but the best bite occurs when they have glass minnows balled up. Mackerel will hit anything when that happens; anything shiny will do. Gotcha plugs, and metal spoons are local favorites. I like to rig my mackerel lures on 60-pound monofilament.
If you don't like mackerel, it's a good idea to keep a couple anyway. Last time I looked jack mackerel that most anglers use for chum was over a buck a can. You can achieve the same results with boiled Spanish mackerel, and it might even work better than the stuff out of the can. I cut it in chunks and drop them into a pot of boiling water for about four minutes. Drain the chunks, portion them into zip lock freezer bags and you will have a supply of greenback chum on hand when you need it.
I am still getting great snapper reports from the south end of the bay. I look for them under the channel buoys on a moving tide. Cut threadfin, live shrimp, and small sardines all work well. Small plastic shrimp are the ticket if you want to try artificials. These fish see well, so forgo the use of a leader.
Catch and release snook action has been good around the mouth of the Little Manatee River on falling tides. I watched two anglers land a nice snook in front of a dock on the river last week and carefully release it.
I also had several reports of redfish on the flats in front of Sand Key. That's welcome news, because reds have been scarce on the Southshore flats since last fall. Most of the redfish I have seen on the flats the past few months have been oversized.
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