Written by Stewart Ames
Wednesday, 02 February 2011
January began where December left off...serving up cold and inconsistent weather. As the month progressed however, conditions stabilized and the trout fishing that this area is famous for finally turned on. On some days, cold mornings necessitated fishing backwater areas for smaller redfish and sheepshead. Once the hottest part of the day arrived, usually around 2PM, the warmer water would start to produce trout. Once 70 degree days started showing up in succession, the trout bite was "on" right out of the gate. Interestingly though, several techniques might need to be employed to determine what the trout would respond to. Although a bobbered, large shrimp is supposed to be a sure fire approach, there were days when a green or dark brown colored jig would produce exceptionally well. On other days, using a shrimp without the bobber was the ticket...just letting it drift freely with the current...and on still others, using a small #4 split shot and dragging the shrimp slowly across the bottom triggered a bite. Patience is also a key to this fishing as big seatrout, like many other fish, have very defined feeding periods. These fish may sit in an area for several hours and eat nothing and then turn on for the next hour and eat every bait thrown in their direction. Therefore, if fishing a proven location, post up and work the area thoroughly and know that if a few fish are caught, there may be many more in the neighborhood. As a general rule, these fish feed most heavily when tidal movement is strongest so don't leave the dock without this information.
Big Tampa Winter SeatroutRedfish activity also picked up as temperatures moved back into their normal range. Winter "keeper" redfish tend to be at the low end of the 18 - 27 inch slot limit and finding them will take persistence. Even when a group of fish is located, half a dozen fish might need to to caught to find the one that squeaks past the 18 inch mark. Bigger slot fish still are making an occasional appearance but aren't a sure bet until our average temperatures move up in late February and early March. Dark, backwater areas consistently hold winter fish, especially locations with an abundance of oyster bars. Another good bet is to fish flooded oyster bars, during the warmest part of the day, that have deep water access nearby as redfish will come up on these looking for their favorite winter food...crabs. As crabs aren't readily available to the average angler, the other resident crustacean, the shrimp, would be the bait of choice. Beautiful redfish on winter Tampa Fishing CharterPost up as far away from the intended fishing location as possible, getting just close enough to make a long cast into the area. Let a split shotted shrimp sit near the drop off edge of the oyster bar for five minutes or so. If no bite results, reel in and position the bait off of a different edge of the bar. Once each likely fish holding spot in the area has been covered, move on. Redfish usually bite fairly quickly so there's no point in setting up on any one location for too long. Residential docks are a third choice for winter reds. Soak a weighted shrimp under each dock for five or ten minutes and, again, keep moving as the bite will usually be quick if someone is home.
Hopefully, the coldest part of the winter season has passed and fishing will slowly and steadily improve until it really goes off sometime in March. For the remainder of February, watch the weather and the tides and, with a little bit of luck, you'll experiance one of those magical days when big trout can't get into your boat fast enough. 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
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