Tampa Fishing Report for Tampa Bay
January 9, 2008
The first few days of January fishing in Tampa were some of the coldest days in recent history and what made the situation even more ironic, water temperatures at the end of December were still hovering around 70 degrees, far above seasonal norms. Snook were still occasionally being caught off of residential docks. With much colder water temperatures, the game has now changed and we should finally be into our winter Tampa fishing pattern. This means that the snook bite should pretty much close down in the inter-coastal waterway, with fish biting only on warmer days back in canals, bayous, creeks and rivers. Slowly fished artificials and large, live shrimp would be the baits of choice to entice these somewhat lethargic, winter snook. Plan on working hard to catch them. Areas where these fish will congregate are typically well protected, receive sun for a good portion of the day and have dark bottoms to hold the heat.
The extreme low tides in Tampa Bay this time of year can create some excellent fishing opportunities for redfish that have remained inshore. To find the best locations, be prepared to be in your boat the next time that the water is completely “gone” from our coast. This may mean getting your boat to a marina where there is good, deep water as many shallow ramps will be useless on these days. Travel to any flat that you know that redfish frequent and take notes…even draw a map, of where water remains. Many flats will look like large mud fields with some small ponds. These ponds may well be “fishbowls” full of redfish. Not only will these holes hold redfish on extreme low tides, but also on higher tides when you can’t see these holes from a distance, so make careful notes of where these spots are. Once target areas have been identified, approach them with some stealth, position yourself just close enough to reach these areas with a long cast and drop your baits in. Shrimp, pinfish and cutbait all represent good options for this type of fishing.
Seatrout, usually here in abundance by now, started showing up in Tampa in December then stopped when the weather warmed. However, courtesy of our early January artic blast, there numbers should increase significantly. “Salt and pepper” grass flats, spoil islands and deep holes should now be populated with our large “yellowmouth” trout. Pinfish and shrimp should be all you need to get these fish biting. If fish are scattered, work a swim tail jig like Bass Assasin’s swim shad through likely areas until fish are located. Be prepared to drop anchor quickly when you get a hit as the bigger trout tend to hang out in groups. You’ll occasionally see a “trailer” fish behind the first fish you hook wanting to take away the hooked fish’s dinner.
Regarding the weather, wait a day or two after a strong front comes through to let the fish adjust to the new temperature range and then they should be ready to bite. As important as anything, make it a point to be courteous this time of year. The season just opened in our region (South if Fred Howard Park) on January 1st so they’ll be a lot of people out there for the next month or two. Once large schools of trout are located, they will draw a crowd. Make sure that you understand which way the wind and tide are moving so that you don’t accidentally park right where a fellow angler is fishing.
As of late December, the smaller winter silver trout were thick off of the beaches and in some deeper cuts in the inter-coastal waterway. These fish are extremely abundant, easy to catch and have no limit so if you want to pull on fish all day and bring home some trout fillets, these fish will get the job done. You might clean ten fish to fill half of a gallon zip lock with fillets, but it’s still a trout dinner. A few kingfish were still being caught off of the beach in late December but this should now be over. With cold weather here. It may be time to look for Cobia around our local power plants. Have a healthy, happy, fish filled, new year!
Good luck.
Captain Stewart Ames
US Coast Guard Licensed Captain
Member Florida Guides Association
www.tampa-fishing-charter.com
sames001@tampabay.rr.com
© 2007 Captain Stewart Ames,
Gone Fishing Charters, Tampa, FL
727-421-5291
