Weather's Better -- Fishing So-so
Capt. Fred Everson
July 16, 2009
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
The weather calmed a bit this week. The wind died down, and thunderstorms were minimal. However water clarity is still poor from the recent rains.
I went snapper fishing one day last week with Mike Strickland and Bird Glass of Riverview. We had no trouble netting some greenbacks on the flats in front of Piney Point, and then headed out to the ship's channel. We caught snapper under almost every can, and got cut off a few times by Spanish mackerel.
Capt. Danny Guarino told me he has been targeting mackerel and sharks this past month, and that the bite has been pretty good. I saw quite a few bonnetheads on the flats while we were netting bait, and also a few blacktips.
Trout bite has been good early in the morning, and late in the afternoon or early evening. They are not very active in the heat of mid day.
Capt. Chet Jennings said he was catching tarpon around Port Manatee on live threadfins. In fact, he said one of his clients hooked a tarpon that jumped into a nearby kayaker's lap. Goes to show you need to be careful where you fish. I'm seeing a few tarpon in the Little Manatee River at daybreak, but have had no luck hooking them.
I haven't had a single redfish report in over a week, but there are some fish in Little Cockroach Bay. It's just hard to fish back there without a breeze in summer heat.
I ran the marks on Tuesday looking for snapper and cobia. I found plenty of snapper and a single cobia on one of the range markers off Apollo Beach.
Captain Fred can be reached at 813 830 8890 for more information, or you can visit his website at Tampabayfishingguide.com.
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