Friday, 05 November 2010 15:02 | Written by Stewart Ames
October Tampa Fishing Charters rewarded numerous anglers with exceptionally large redfish, although fishing was somewhat inconsistent. Fish were located in only a few areas, but when the bite was "on", it was as good as it gets. These larger breeder or bull reds populate areas near local passes in anticipation of their yearly spawn. Most stories that local anglers hear about bull reds are told by offshore fishermen who run across large schools while grouper fishing but inshore anglers can join the party during the October / November time frame. The most effective approach used by Tampa fishing guides for catching these big fish is to go to rock piles or hard bottom areas near the beach and chum aggressively, using chum blocks, cut or whole whitebait. Position the boat uptide of this structure so that chum drifts through the target area. Usually, within in hour's time, a fish will be hooked if they are in the area. Understand that these fish may be a part of a larger school roaming up and down the beach and may be in one area one day and gone the next. The chances of catching one of these trophy sized fish is certainly less than than catching your "run of the mill" slot redfish, but just getting a chance to fight one of these really big fish can the redfishing experience of a lifetime. Best baits for these bruisers are probably large pinfish because they are big enough to be of interest and will not be bothered by the broad range smaller fish that will likely be present. Standard redfish tackle can be used to catch these larger fish, although moving up a notch to heavier spinning tackle such as that used for kingfish is a safer approach. Last year, these trophies were available well into November and barring any extreme cold, the same should be true for this year.
The cooler temperatures of mid to late October chilled the fall snook bite once and for all. Although fish can be caught during our colder months, the task becomes much more difficult...probably best just to wait until next spring. Seatrout are being caught in reasonable numbers, although many short trout are still mixed with those of legal length. As of November 1st however, it doesn't really matter as the south region (south of Fred Howard Park) is closed until January 1st. Look for the winter gator trout to begin showing in the next 30 days. Although "off limits" for the frying pan, great catch and release fishing can be had during the closed season. Often times, the early season jig and top water can be quite good.
Some of the best Tampa Fishing over the last three weeks has been on near shore hard bottom areas within 5 miles of the beach. Large Spanish mackerel in the three to five pound range have been feeding ravenously and catching thirty of these fish on a Tampa fishing charter has been an achievable task on numerous occasions. 1017jackmbonitaMixing in with these speedy predators are bonita, kingfish, spinner sharks and the occasional barracuda. The recipe for fast action on these hard bottom areas used by most Tampa fishing guides is the following. Pull up over an area of hard bottom several miles off the beach and look for a large bait school. Threadfin herring are the predominant bait in these locations. Rest assured that if there is hard bottom and bait, it is likely that larger fish seeking an easy meal will be in the neighborhood. Next, drop a chum bag. Deploy a few free-lined baits off the back of the boat...preferably medium to large sized whitebaits...and then start chumming with additional whitebait. If you are in the right area, strikes will almost always occur within fifteen to twenty minutes. Typically, mackerel are the early arrivals and provide entertainment while some of the larger predators work their way up the chum slick trail. A kingfish or bonita may be the next to show, signaling it's presence with a reel emptying run. With braided line, smaller tackle can now be used to land these larger fish as the reduced line diameter allows for more line capacity. 1020jonkingfishIf you are not experienced with light tackle fishing however, starting with a 6000 series reel like a Shimano Spheros, loaded with three hundred plus yards of 30 pound braided Power Pro line is probably sporty enough. Kingfish on this spinning gear may run two hundred yards dead away from the boat, only to turn directly back at the angler. The alert angler will reel as fast as possible knowing that, after five or ten seconds, the line will come tight again on a kingfish that is now all the way back to the boat or even past it going the other direction. A second and maybe a third run will follow...hopefully concluding with a landed kingfish. With all of this activity, spinner sharks in the thirty to eighty pound class typically find their way into your slick. First sightings of the acrobatic sharks are usually exciting. They may explode on a tired mackerel of kingfish near boat side, leaving the angler with no fish or terminal tackle, or maybe just a fish head...or they may actually become hooked. Often times this results in a catapulting, twisting leap some five to six feet into the air as they attempt to free themselves, which they usually do. The novelty of these shark encounters wears off after a couple of quality fish are cut in half however. If an angler has a desire to actually land one of these1101kirbyscuda sharks, most Tampa fishing guides will have a boat rod with a length of heavier steel leader to accomplish this task. When fishing over more pronounced structure such as artificial reefs, large "reef smart" barracuda are still available. Like the sharks, they usually blow thier cover when chasing their favorite meal...a Spanish mackerel. Once a mackerel is hit, the most effective way to catch the barracuda is to deploy another live mackerel as, once their feeding switch is in the "on" position, they become much more likely to eat another offering.
November's first cold fronts are unlikley to send the redfish and near shore predators south so, barring any extreme weather, Tampa fishing should remain strong this month. If you have an interest in getting out on the water, give Gone Fishing Charters a call. Good luck and good fishing.
Captain Stewart Ames
Gone Fishing Charters
US Coast Guard Licensed Captain
Member Florida Guides Association
sames001@tampabay.rr.com
(727) 421-5291"> (727) 421-5291
No comments:
Post a Comment