Monday March 3rd, 2008
Instant Hookups.
I knew it was gonna' be a little windy for the fishing charter with Chris, Mike, and Jess in Tarpon Springs. I just didn't know how windy it was gonna' get. I was hoping that the wind would hold off long enough for us to get on the redfish bite that has been so good for so long. When we pulled up to the first spot I could see the fish busting baits on the point of an oyster bar. This is a good sign. It means that we've found fish and they were hungry. This had me excited and I quickly set the Power Pole to stop the boat from moving and hastily baited hooks and got them in the water.
It wasn't long after the first bait was in the water that Jess was hooked up with her first redfish ever. It put up a nice fight and even pulled a good bit of drag. Shortly after taking pictures of that fish Mike had a really nice trout on. It was such a nice trout that I assumed, during half the fight, that it was a redfish. Both fish ate greenbacks fished under a cork.
Shortly after that, the wind started to blow and when I say blow I mean howl. We chop on the water made it hard to see the fish when they were in the water and the only time we saw the two schools of redfish there, they were so close to the boat that they spooked. I decided to leave that flat in search of other fish hoping that we could find some hiding on the lee side of some islands that wouldn't be so spooky.
It was tough the rest of the day. The wind, more than anything, can really make finding fish hard. It puts a chop on the water, it can muddy the water up, and it can even hold a tide out and keep it from coming in. Luckily, at the last spot of the day we got into some more trout and finished the day strong with everybody catching fish.
Spring is coming and these cold fronts should be gone soon. With that you can bet on calmer weather and more consistent fishing. Not that it hasn't been pretty consistent now but each cold front brings high winds, temperature drops, and tougher fishing conditions for a day or two. I'll be glad when the fronts are gone.
Tampa Bay Fishing
Captain Clay Eavenson
813-300-2147
http://www.captainclay.com/
gofishing@captainclay.com
