I have lived near the Clearwater end of the Cortney Campbel Causway that crosses the north end of Tampa Bay for most of the last 20+ years, so I have fished on or near it hundreds of times over the years. You can catch many different species of fish in this area,red fish on the oyster bars that extend south from where the old power plant use to stand, snook in and around Double Branch Creek, spanish mackeral, silver trout, whiting and tarpon in the open waters around the causeway. But one of my favorite fish to target has always ben the big yellow mouth trout that show up in large numbers every spring. On the south side of the causeway, about half way between the big bridge and the swimming area there are two sets of steps that lead between the rocks to the water. If you park near the eastern most steps and wade straight out until you are in waste deep water you can catch these large trout one after the other in late March and early April. About 16 years ago I was wading out to fish this spot with a friend one morning when we noticed a fish splash its tail on the glass calm water about 15 yards in front of us. As we got a little closer we saw another splash in the same spot and then another and another. Curiosity got the better of me so I waded over to see what was going on. What I found was an 18in. trout laying on its side on top of the water. I scooped it up with my net expecting to find it injured and dying. What I found was this poor trout had tried to eat a puffer fish for breakfast but had bitten off more then he could chew! Literally! When the trout tried to eat the puffer the puffer did what he does best and puffed up. The horn on top of his head stuck through the top of the trouts mouth, and its tail had lodged sideways in the other side of the its jaw. The poor trout could not swallow the puffer, could not spit it out, and could not pass water through its mouth and gills to breath! If I had not come by it surely would have suffocated. Well, this just wasn't this trouts day. The dummy went straight on to my stringer and after I had caught a half dozen of his buddies, between 19 and 26 inches they all went home with me for a nice dinner.
Tony
