Fishing For Hope Food Drive -

The Fishing for Hope Food Drive
WHEN: Saturday, November 20, 9:30am - 1pm
WHERE: Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent
               2010 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, Florida, 33602.


This is an INvitation from Capt. Bill Milller
"Please come by and help us feed the needy during this holiday season.

Joining me trying to fill up my new boat, The S.S.Hope, with food will be "The Average Angler" Glen Pla, "The Reel Animals" Capt. Mike Anderson and Capt. Billy Nobles, The ESPN Radio Outdoors Team of Captains Danny Guarino, Jason Prieto, Will Shook, and Ric Liles, along with Captain Billy Miller, "Mr Trout" Captain Richard Seward, Capt. Mark Gore and many more bay area captains and fishing media personalities.

We will be available to help you unload your car, talk a little fishing, sign some autographs and pictures.

Here's what we need:

Turkeys

Canned goods like vegetables and fruit

Cereal

Cake mix

Peanut butter

Pasta

Soup

The first 200 people to bring in donations to the S.S.Hope will receive a Mystery Gift Card from Betts Fishing Center valued at $5,$10,$20,$50 or $100.

Let's join together as a fishing community and make a real difference in our world.

Please forward this email to friends and post it on Facebook, Twitter and the other social media outlets.

For more information on the food drive and Metropolitan Ministries go to www.metromin.org.

I look forward to seeing you this Saturday.

Best Regards,

Capt. Bill Miller "

Tampa Bay Boat Show Nov 19-21 2010 (FREE ADMISSION $5 Parking)

Just a little information for something to do since it is getting chilly outside.

Capt. Gary Burch sent this out.
Ahoy Mates!


It's time for the Florida Fishing School seminars for the fall season.
Presented by the St Petersburg Times and will be located at the Florida
Fair Grounds.

Come by and see my seminars on Staurday and Sunday. I will be talking
about inshore equipment and techniques and cast netting.
I will be persenting at 12 noon and 2 pm on Saturday the 20th and 2 pm
Sunday the 21st.

This is the boating and fishing event of the season. Chart your course to
the Florida State Fairgrounds on November 19, 20 and 21. The Tampa Bay
Boat Show is a grand event showcasing area boat dealers and the latest in
boating and fishing supplies... great accessories too. This three-day
sales event offers a great way to see and compare all available makes and
models in one location. The main floor will be filled with new boats,
trailers, docking and safety equipment, the best fishing equipment in one
place and many outdoor-related exhibits!

Don't miss the Florida Fishing School on Saturday and Sunday!
Local fishing captains will share their expertise in a variety of fish-y
topics.

FISHING SHOW: Gulf & Bay Florida Fishing School
Learn From The Pros • Saturday & Sunday
Presented By The Area's Top Fishing Experts & Captains.

WHERE: Florida State Fairgrounds
ADMISSION: FREE - $5.00 for Parking

Friday, November 19, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 20, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, November 21, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

http://www.tampabayboatshows.com/index.shtml

Come on by the seminar and say hey.

Capt Gary Burch

http://www.allcatchcharters.com/

captgary@allcatchcharters.com

727 458-6335

Fall Fishing Tampa Bay

The fishing overall has been fantastic in the bay and on the grass flats around Tampa Bay. I personally have been fishing the flats near St. Joseph Sound whenever I am able to get away from Work, Which lately hasn't been too often. However the reports I have gotten from my buddies have been that the fishing is great. The trout seem to be hitting everything you throw at them. The trick is finding the right depth to fish. I found on one of my last trips that the watre between 5-7 feet has been the most productive. Also I found on trip two weekends ago that there is everything out there biting. In just about 2 hrs of fishing My last trip we caught 18 Trout, 2 Small Grouper, 2 Small Black Sea Bass, a Spanish mackerel, a Remora, and numerous grunts. All while drifting the flats in about 5-7 foot of water.

My Buddy Tim gets picked for SUNCOAST TARPON TOURNAMENT

(<--TIM --- ME -->)

Well what a deal, they needed volunteers to observer during the SUNCOAST TARPON TOURNAMENT and if picked you get to fish with one of the anglers that are in the tournament. http://suncoasttarponroundup.org/
And what a lucky draw Tim got picked to fish with Capt. Bill Miller. What an honor it is to be able to fish with such a local celebrity in the fishing world. Many people may not think much of just going along for the ride in such a large tournment But for those of us that understand the amount of knowledge that just observing a great fisherman can impart makes that ride well worth it and the chance to watch someone with so much local knowledge fish in our own backyard. Good Luck Capt. Miller and Tim keep your eyes open and hopefully we can get some pictures.

Tampa Grouper Fishing

Hit the water at around 6am, loaded up with some bait and headed offshore to find some Snapper and Grouper. The Wave action was a little rough on the way out and ended up staying rough all day long. We hit the Rube Allyn first and ended up landing a couple Mangroves and plenty of small reds and grunts. We hooked into a Goliath and on the snapper pole it was not a long hook up. After a few larger fish broke us off on the rocks we headed to the vets reef. We landed the Grouper in the picture and lost a few more larger grouper to the rocks but all in all a good day of fishing. It seems the Chum is what brought in the larger grouper and each time we dropped a chum block down we hooked up with the Larger ones.

Great Summertime action

The trout on the flats are outstanding right now. They seem to be hitting just about anything you throw to them. The morning bait schools are alive and well and the trout are hanging around the edges looking for that easy meal. Top water is one of the most exciting and fun things to do and watching those trout explode on your bait is a real fun time. My favorite is a "bagleys jumping finger mullet" Silver or Gold and I cast it as far as I can on my 20lb braid and (18")17lb flouro leader once it hits I give it one violent jerk that makes it jump about 1-2ft after about two or three jerks you should have the attention of any nearby trout. After about 2-3 casts in the same spot you should have made them mad enough to hit it, and I mean hit it they seem to be jumping all the way out of the water chasing it. The picture above is the 24 incher that seemed to be one of the ones I made mad yesterday morning.

Fishing Report - Post 4th

Despite the rain coming down all weekend I was able to hit the beach early before sunrise for about 2 hrs on Saturday Morning before the Rain set in again. I caught 2, 20" snook and 4, 17" spanish mackerel that were cruising the beach. I was on the beach when it was Dark and was getting NO hits then as soon as the sun gave me enough light to see the gree/blue of the water the fish started hitting. Just about every hit was a strike and I believe many were schooled Spanish Macks running the beaches. I was broke off a few times just from the teeth. Also throughout the day I was able to fish the beach and land a few more Macks. The Snook were there but no real bites and there were no Pompano to be had or at least I didn't catch any. I will be trying to get back out this coming weekend and test the Redfish bite But we'll see how that goes with the Rain continuing all week.

July 4th Fishing Report

If you have time to Break Away this weekend and you can escape the rain. You should find some good fishing. The best part is that even though the weather has been typically hot during the middle of the day the Morning and Evening Bites have ben excellent. The fishing itself has been better than ever. Off some of the closer wrecks I have heard they are catching some keep sized Mangrove Snappers and even in the bay near the shipping channel there is a nice bite going on. So get out on the water and give it a try. I plan to be at Venice Beach, Florida for the Weekend. I am of course taking poles along and will be trying my luck at Pompano off the beach. Also the morning Snook Bite might be a good thing to do bright and early. I will post pics if I really get into em.

OIL FREE GUARANTEE

Oil Free Guarantee Graphic

Copyright free graphic!

Right Click, Save File and E-mail to your Webmaster for use on your site!

If you see this Graphic on a Web Site and it is offering a Service to you and you are headed down to Florida this is YOUR guarantee that your trip to Florida will not be affected by Oil from the BP Disaster. All of our businesses along the coast are being affected and MOST of them have no Oil even near their shores. SO if you are planning a Trip to Florida in the near future feel free to find one of these Businesses and Guarantee your trip. You can't beat this deal and it gives you a way to ensure you'll enjoy your vacation OIL FREE.

Trout non-stop action

If your looking for a good bite and a lot of fishing action, the trout are on fire across the grass flats in about 4 ft of water. I had excellent luck all weekend long on the grass flats near Sunset park and Howard Park in St. Joseph Sound (28.1428, -82.80250). Top water was the exciting bite. Bagleys Jumping Finger Mullet was the bait to use I used Silver and it worked great and I used a Chartruese and white. The best action was when I threw it out as far as I could get it and then Jerk it real hard so the lure practically flew about 1-2ft skipping back across the water. The Trout were so excited they were literally shooting up out of the water chasing the lure as soon as it sat for about a second or two. This action went on from about 8am until, I left about 10:30am and did not stop. I didn't see any Tarpon and no other fish were biting it seemed. I did however see a Red just cruising near the Mangroves across sandy bottom however no bites from the,

FULL Moon Weekend - Tarpon Trout and Pompano

Depending on what your fishing for you are in luck this weekend since it is a full moon weekend there will be a lot of fish wanting to eat. Tarpon on all the Bay Bridges, and on the outside beaches from Egmont to Anclote. Trout on the Flats, Redfish up in the mangroves on High Tide, Snook on the Beaches, Snapper in the Shipping channels and deeper bridge cuts, Pompano along Howard Franklin and Gandy bridges. IF thats not enough then the Shark Fishing should be good as well. I myself will be trying along the Anclote Key beaches and the Honeymoon beaches for Tarpon. Hopefully I can find em and cast to em and we should be able to hook up. Remember the Early mornings and evenings are going to be your best bites BUT the fishing has been outstanding lately and even the heat is keeping the fish from biting.

Trout on the flats

I think I've said this enough over the past two weeks but it is worth saying again. If you think you want to fish and catch some good sized Trout or just want to make sure you catch something the Trout are biting everywhere across the grass flats off Howard Park and Anclote Key. There are also spanish mackerel in with them and a Pin fish on a free line or under about a 3ft cork could bring in a Shark or two.  I was able to take my sister out Trout fishing accross the Flats and this is just one of the many trout we landed.

Howard Park - Trout and some Tarpon

Hit the water by 7am the tide was outgoing and it seemed like a good morning. However we weren't able to see any Tarpon rolling early. So we threw some topwater plugs and had a few nice strikes but they were random and nothing consistent. We did spot a few small pods of tarpon but they weren't that active and throughout the day we saw only about 3 pods that were too far away and by the time we moved in their direction they were gone. The Trout bite was hot though and is the goto fish in the early morning and throughout the day on jigs and underwater plugs in the 5-8ft water. anything shallower and the bite shuts down. Yesterday's favorite color was a light natural gulp swim bait. We left the water by about 11am and headed back.

TARPON ROLLING

Sunday Morning was a good day to be on the water. The Sun had just come up and put the Kayaks in off the Howard Park causewau around 7am. Started off by drifting accross the flats and getting multiple strikes and hookups on topwater plugs. About 6 good sized keeper trout and 2 nice sized Spanish Mackerel.  The excitement of the day was the Tarpon Rolling in pods all around me. It seemed they were small pods of about 5-8 fish BUT once I was able to get close enough I found that the 5-8 I saw were part of about a 50+ fish POD. and it wasn't the only pod seen. At the same time all across the flats and some of the 4-7 ft water. Watched a rental pontoon boat fishign for trout Hook up with about a 120lber he showed them his head and shook it to throw the hook. Of cours they were pretty excited especially the girls on the boat. Hoepfully it will be the same this coming Friday since I will be able to get back out there right before the weekend to try and hook up with them.

Fishing Phillippe Park - Sunset or Early moring is the best

The Heat is just crazy hot. The water however is just a tad cooler and to wade fish at Phillippe Park is just a nice relaxing time. The Reds are few due to the hot water but a live white bait under a cork or a Shrimp under a cork may entice the one or two that are roaming the area. From High Tide to outgoing tide is the best. Low tide can be TOO shallow and you have to wade a long time to find 3 ft. water.  Early morning and Evening are still the best bets.
    The GULF Beaches and Fishing are probably your best bet BUT your still going to want to hit them early or late in the day.  Also if your wanting to find fish this time of Year a Charter may help you with some tips and Tricks so IF your vacationing or just want to learn a little bit more about fishing this time of year you may want to think about getting a Charter. ALSO it's almost fathers day so a Charter would be a Great Gift.

FISHING IS GREAT and the BEACHES are GREAT

Tampa and the waters surrounding Tampa are excellent. There is no SIGN of Oil anywhere near shore and the if your planning on visiting there is not a better time than now. It's warm, sunny and the beaches are just as beautiful as ever.
     Also the Fishing is fantastic right now. The heat has forced the fish to Morning and evening bites HOWEVER there are some bites going on mid day when drifting flats and jigging for trout and Spanish Macks. The gulf Grouper bite is good as well and there have been an above average number of Red Snapper being reported on some of the deeper wrecks in 50+ft of water. This means going out about 25 miles or so. SO with that distance we should see Oil if there was any and there have been NO REPORTS YET of oil that close. Hopefully we don't see that in the near future BUT we will definetly let people know if we do.

Fish Recipe - Snapper, Redfish, Snook

Actually this will work with any White firm fleshed fish.

Grilled Coated Fish


3 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 lemon

4-5 fillets or pieces (1 1/4 pounds) firm-fleshed white fish (Snapper, Snook, RedFish)

1. Place fish into a large Ziplock bag.
2. Sprinkle Olive Oil and Old Bay Seasoning on the fish. Shake to Mix.
3. Slice Lemons then remove the individual lemon hearts (lemon supremes). Place into bag with the fish.
4. Let marinate in bag in a refrigerator or on ice for about 20-30 minutes.
5. Heat gas grill on medium or charcoal grill until coals are ash white. Place Cast Iron Skillet on rack to heat.

6. Pour entire mixture including Fish on Skillet and turn constantly until done about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Depending on size of fish serves 2-3 people

FISHING NOT CLOSED - BEACHES NOT CLOSED - YET

(Superimposed Image, Pink is predicted path the OIL has covered. The dark is where it WILL be on the date)

Surface Trajectory - With Water Currents

Sub-Surface Trajectory (50M) below the surface

So far we are lucky but it seems like it is just a matter of time until we will see these two headlines on our morning news papers. Until then please get out and see why we are all complaining. The Beaches are beautiful and the Fishing is very good right now. A little Hot during the Day but the mornings and evenings are providing an Excellent bite. Here is a the University Of South Florida - College of Marine Science Web site. they have some good prediction models and it looks pretty much like a lot of us have expected. It's Coming. Just a matter of when. Here is an Image I pulled from there and Super imposed the Google Maps landscape on it and laid a distance measure on the closest Oil. HOPEFULLY the oil they are saying that is headed our direction is small BUT the Surface Oil may just be the tip of the Iceburg, Literally. Remember Fisherman Speak with your wallet when your filling your boat tank and Truck. - Boycott BP.

HOW YOU CAN HELP - Oil Spill Phone Numbers

One thing is certain BP obviously does not know what they are doing. BUT the NOAA has put out numbers for people to report problems and even how they can volunteer. Here is the list fromt he NOAA Web Site.

• To report oil on land, or for general community information, please phone 866.448.5816.
• To report oiled or injured wildlife, please phone 866.557.1401.
• To learn about volunteer opportunities in all areas and what training is required, please phone 866.448.5816.
• To discuss spill related damage claims, please phone 800.440.0858.
• BP is asking fishermen for their assistance in cleaning up the oil spill. BP is calling this the Vessel of Opportunities Program and through it, BP is looking to contract shrimp boats, oyster boats and other vessels for hire to deploy boom in the Gulf of Mexico. To learn more about the Vessel of Opportunity Program, fishermen should phone 281.366.5511.

Some of the latest images on NOAA show areas of Oil off the west coast of Florida and the winds moving them towards shore.

Recreational Fisherman and Commercial Fisherman - BOYCOTT BP

Oil Spill about 120 Miles off the Tampa Beaches.
We have a Choice when we put that $200 in boat gas; make it count towards something. This Oil will hit us and if it is still pumping out like it is for the next 2 months until they can get a second well drilled that is just POOR Planning on their part because they wanted the PROFIT. Fisherman all around Florida Should not be filling their Trucks or Boats at any BP gas station, that would be like us saying we approve of their handling of this Oil spill.

Beach Snook

The Snook have moved to the beaches. This 33incher was just hangin about 15ft from shore in strong moving outgoing tide. A Chartruese 1/2oz DOA Jig head and a White Gulp Shrimp brought him in. Just before sunrise off the north beach on Anclote Island. The offshore we did was good but no keeper grouper. However friends that went out hit the Kings about 10 miles out and Grouper on some of the deeper reefs.

FREE SALTWATER FISHING WEEKEND in FLORIDA

Residents and Visitors Fish for free in Saltwater this weekend.

"Florida is the fishing capital of the world," Crist declared, "and our beaches are clean, the fish are biting, and we invite our friends to enjoy some Florida hospitality."

So no reason to not bring the poles along with you this Memorial Day Weekend.

OH and when filling up your boats BOYCOTT BP.

Memorial Day Fishing

Although the water may be churned up a bit and there will be more than your usual number of boaters on the water the fish still need to eat. If you can find that calm area without the 15 yr olds on Jet Skis skimming around you like the dragonflies you should be good. If your headed off shore look for the bait and there will probably be Kings around. Trolling a #1 or #3 planer should get you to them. Reports of keeper grouper on many of the wrecks are coming in but the trick has been a small pinfish, not the huge hand sized ones but live bait in general seems to help find the keepers. Short Reds and Grunts seem to be the main staple without the live bait. Keep your freeline on top and maybe that stray King or Cobia will give you a thrill.  Boating this weekend may be a little extra special SO take care and watch for your fellow boater. Remember your Safety Gear. (16ft+, throwable, life vests for everyone, sound device like a whistle, fire extinguisher) for more info fisit the FWC site here
     If your headed offshore to fish you need the following. Venting Tool and Dehooking device, ALSO remember that when harvesting REEF FISH. All personnel Must use NON-Stainless Steel Circle Hooks when using natural baits.

Keep this in min this weekend and be safe.
Tight Lines!

Jawbreakerfishing.com - Offshore Charter - Capt. Dan Barry

JawbreakerFishing.com
Jawbreaker Fishing Report
I was lucky enough to find my way onto an offshore trip with Captain Dan Barry over this last weekend. I have to say that the trip worked out great but the fish didn't seem to cooperate. We are looking for the banannas still. We caught fish  and lots of them but most were undersized. However he had one of the most comfortable 34' Crusaders I have ever been on and his mate was very helpful and both were fun to hang out with. The day after we went out he was able to get to the fish and his report shows it. If your looking for a great offshore trip with a very accomodating captain and one that will chase the fish down and throw em in the boat for you if he needs to Capt. Dan is the guy you want to call. Check out his web site and when your ready for the private trip or that corporate outing Capt. Dan will make sure you find the fish!

Tampa fishing local report

Hit the water on Saturday to just see what was biting. drifted across flats just east of Anclote key. once we hit about 7 ft deep we started getting hits on jigheads with swim bodies and gulp shrimp. Spanish Mack, trout and even small black bass were hitting the baits. drifitng allowed us to cover a lot of area and get a good mix.

TampaBayFish - Who are you.

(Tim<-------->Trevor)

     This is my reintroduction. My name is Trevor. I am a normal everyday working individual and not a Professional Fishing Guide or Professional Fisherman. I started this web site to satisfy my need for Weather Links, Tracking where I caught Fish, posting pictures for my friends to find easily and other helpful information. It has kinda grown from there and I have added a few things.

      I wanted to post this so that people understand that this may not be the best fishing site out there but it is by far one of the most genuine. I don't exagerate my catches and if I don't catch anything well, thats just how it goes sometimes. Oh and I do catch Ladyfish and Catfish just like everyone else. I do own a boat, a 21 foot Trophy Pro,

(Up on the Trailer)

 so I am lucky in that regards because I can get to more fishing locations, I do have a lot of info on shore fishing so hopefully if other people have favorite locations from shore that can help to just drop me a line or a comment to my posts. One other thing is me and my buddy have Kayaks, 16'

(The Yaks)

with motors, which get us to the other places we fish. If you haven't looked into a Kayak for fishing here in Florida I highly recommend it. I saw a great fishing kayak setup yesterday at West Marine for $399 thats a pretty good deal. (No I'm not affiliated with West Marine) Also I am not a Florida Native BUT I did grow up fishing and have fished since I could put a worm on a hook.

      The one thing I did right was meet a great Florida Native Friend (Tim) who has shown me the ropes. He isn't the most computer Savvy But he can fish and regularly outfishes me. We try to fish once a week mostly weekends and evenings. We tend to target whatever hits our baits. We are big fans of Top water and light jig heads with a swim body. We love to catch Redfish and we typically catch a lot of Snook. We do go offshore out of Hubbards Marina on their 36hr trips and we take my boat out about 30-40 miles. (Single Engine so, yes I have an EPIRB).

(The Trop and TampaBayFish.com)

      I am a local to Tampa so maybe you'll see me around and I am a Sports team Homer so, GO BUCS!, RAYS!, LIGHTNING!, STORM!, ROWDIES! and any other local team. I especially love the Rays and have since I moved here. I Made it to the ONLY World Series Game We won SO FAR game #2. This year I will make it to more World Series Games.

      A few things that I can mention is that this web site only generates money from the Google ads on the side and I do not get paid any advertising fees for any of the other links on here. I would like to, but I'm not really into working that hard to sell my site as having the top google ranked site for Tampa. Since I do have just about every #1 position when searching for anything fishing related in Tampa. Here's my only plug for the site. Test it out! Search for "Tampa Fishing" or "Gandy Fishing" or "Tampa fishing information" and I am #1 and for just about any other search for fishing in the Tampa Bay are I am number one also.

     Anyway, I am always listening to the locals, and at the boat ramps and getting info that I think is good and passing it on through my site.

(Offshore with a Keeper Red)

     So the next time you come to my web site and think "This guy doesn't know what he's talking about" you may be right. BUT the way I see it its just like fishing Sometimes you get good info sometimes you don't. If you always caught fish they would have called it "Catching" instead of "Fishing".

     Thanks for visiting my web site and I hope at least someone catches a fish and if you learned where to catch it or how to catch it from my site well at least I promoted the sport and hopefully you had fun thats all any of us can ask for.

 -------

Tight Lines!

Trevor.

This Weekend Fishing Plan

If your headed out this weekend and looking to catch fish then target your species and be prepared for some heat. Redfish are looking good on the flats on outgoing tides. The Beaches should hold some Snook and will be good early till late morning then again on the evening side. Tarpon are at the bridges and in the passes look for the rolling fish and then find their direction and slowly motor away and ahead of them and let them come to you. Trout are getting a little picky and have moved into the deeper water near channels and deep flats. 6-10Ft will be your best bet. 

Early Sunday Kayak fishing

Hit the water by 5:50am Sunday morning and heade out of our favorite Anclote spot. Early morning and calm water combined to make a great day of fishing. Caught and released 3 Snook all undersized between 15-18 inches but very healthy. Hooked a Black Drum about 5 lbs got him to the kayak and he released himself. Also had a swipe at my top water by one of the largest Red fish I think I have ever seen inshore. Looked like a man in a fish suit he was so big. Heard reports that the reds weren't out on the flats and that people were having a hard time finding them. They are very tricky to find and when you catch one the rest will scatter. Keep an eye out for Mullet and you should find Trout and Reds hanging around with the. Try a Gulp Shrimp rigged with NO WEIGHT and drop it to the bottom and jerk it through the grass or off the top of the grass. You'll probably cactch a lot of Trout but A few Reds will be there too.

HELP TRACK SNOOK IN OUR AREA

If you're a regular fisherman and you have been catching and releasing SNOOK. You can help FWC Biologists track and record our snook population. Just remember these details.
1. Where you caught the fish. (then go to google maps, find the location, Right click and say "whats here" it will show you decimal gps coordinates)
2. Measure the Fish.
3. RELEASE THE FISH (at least until September)
4. GOTO http://www.snookfoundation.org/data and enter your information.

VERY SIMPLE and its for a good cause.

Kayaks, Snook and some Redfish

Hit the water around 5pm up near anclote river and attempted to target some Redfish. But they weren't cooperating. We ended up catching a couple small Snook. This was actually a good thing being this far north we figured we would see a bad effect from the cold earlier in the year. The Snook were about 18-20 inches and they were strong and healthy. This is a good sign that the Snook population is still doing well and should come back strong. We did see a lot of Reds swimming the shallows even one that was swimming in such shallow water about 10 inches along his back was exposed and he just kept swimming along.

Kingfish Just offshore - few tarpon showing

The kingfish are still out there and they seem to be hitting good starting in about 12-20ft of water. Trolling the beaches just outside of Clearwater all the way to johns pass should produce look for bait schools and for birds and you should find them. Also I have heard reports that Tarpon have been seen just outside of Ft. Desoto rolling off the beaches. Hoepfully the warmer water will keep them here and we should see them move into the bridges soon. Trout are a steady bite on the grass flats on outgoing tides and the Red fish seem to be hanging out as well on some of the flats off Dunedin and down near Desoto. Snook are there too but they are off limits best to just leave em alone and target the Reds and Trout, there are enough of them around to satisfy the bite.

Early Tarpon Reports, Redfish Hangin out.

I have heard from a few captains that the Tarpon are already here, and with the weather warming up like it has and the water following suit I believe it shouldn't be much longer before the bridges are a good place to find em rolling. Redfish seem to be hanging out on the flats and the early morning and evening should be your best bets. If your wanting to stay out after the heat hits by midday find the beaches and look for tarpon. Remember those lady fish can be good bait so bag one or two and freeze em up for the next trip out.

OIL SPILL IMAGE

(CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE)

As you can see from this image the Oil Spill is HUGE. Hopefully it will not reach our shores. The effect on the local habitat would be devastating. I hope that we as local fisherman can help in some way to protect our shores if it comes to that. Maybe with all of the boats we have we would be able to put out some of the barrier devices that hopefully our FLORIDA GOVERNMENT is acquiring now.

Spanish Mackerel Favorite Lures

Just so you know what your looking for when you hit the bait shop. Make sure you get a nice long Steel Leader and some swivels as well. These are a few of the local favorites that have produced many fish. take a look at the "Straw Lure" I like this one it has strange action in the water BUT for some reason the macks really take to it. I like the McDonalds straws that are thick and have the nice red lines down the side. about a 3-4 inch long piece with a small treble hook at the end works excellent.

Spanish Makerel Invade Tampa Bay

With the warmer weather and the excellent bait situation in the bay the waters are teaming with Spanish Makerel. They seem to be around every bait pod and just about anywhere you go within the bay there will be Macks looking to feed. This coming weekend if your looking to catch fish then Macks are it. Of course there are other fish around and the Redfishing is still excellent as well up on the flats.

Redfish Action is HOT in the Tampa Area

Just about every flat is holding Redfish right now. If you think you are going fishing this weekend at all. LOOK AT THE TIDES and hit the water at High Tide and find a Nice Flat to Drift accross.....My Favorite, GULP SHRIMP "New Penny" or "White" are excellent choices for Redfish this weekend. you can't go wrong if you are out there the fish are there too....Check out my Map for more places and exact locations.

Kayaks near Anclote River, Spanish Macks in the Bay. Snook here but still tired

Hit the water during the week and along the banks of a Small Salwater Lake off the Anclote river we found the Snook and Small Reds were very active. Hitting just about any top water or small swimming lure we through at them Hooked up 4 times and landed about a 29" Snook. She came up slow snapped the line next to the Kayak and laid there waiting for me to pick her up and take the hook out. She was BEAT jumped 3 times and came to the boat. I got the hooks out with no damage to her and towed her behind the kayak to get the oxygen flowing. She bit my finger and flipped her tail and was gone. other fish were active in the small eddies near the shore and tide currents.
   Another Tip was in the bay near Gandy Bridge the Spanish Macks were out in force over the weekend. Trailing behind large schools of glass minnows and other small bait schools. Anything Shiny and darting was a good bet. Easy to land about 10-15 in as many minutes. Bait seems to be all over in the shallows and across the bay. The cold doesn't seemt o have affected them much. Bad thing is walking the shoreline you can see the reminders of the cold on the Snook. Snook Skull bones were plentiful in the upper bay along the shores.

Hunting for Reds and only get Trout

We hit the water late morning but with the wind and the previous cold weather, really we were just relieved to be back on the water. A beautiful day 71 degrees and one small cloud. The wind was a little strong but behind the mangroves we found calm water and a few trout that seemed to be slow but hungry. The good news is we found a few Reds, Large but not very hungry or happy to be chasing our baits.  SO all in all it was a good day to be a fish. BUT the weather was excellent and just getting out there made it a fantastic day Sometimes just going out and looking at new locations is what fishing is all about.

Warmer Weather means Warmer Fish

Well if we can read into anything about the weather and the fishing situation this weekend it should tell us that the Fishing should improve over this past week. The Fish should be a little more active and they should be feeding, SO the bite should be good. Look for Redfish to be active as soon as the morning CHILL is knocked off and look for the regular Trout bite to be happening on your favorite Grass Flat. From the shore off Dunedin causeway should be great fishing this weekend. Also fish around Desoto area and other causeway haunts should be pretty active.

REDFISH - IN abundance

It seems the Redfish are making an appearance. The warm weather got them feeding and it seems in Cockroach Bay they have been schooling and hitting anything thrown at them. Also around Ft. Desoto reports have been good of schools and biting redfish. This is great news and hopefully it continues. BUT with the cool front moving through we may see a slight slow down BUT hold onto your hats cause it seems with the Warm Weather on its way fishing could be Heating up....LOL literally. look for early morning reds and early evening reds to be some of your best bets Although with the water getting to it's max in the middle of the day the Bite even in the heat of the day should continue to be good for a while.

Warm Weather - Better Bite....Hopefully

Well with the expected warmer weekend there should be a little better bite. If nothing more than we hear more about it because MORE fisherman are out and about able to report it. The Trout are still very active in some of the main areas near Dunedin, Ft. Desoto and the bay and grassy flat areas. This is a good sign if your out and about trying to fish, if nothing else you should have a great day on the water. Best bet is still Live Shrimp free lined on a Cork OR a scented plastic like a DOA or a GULP twitched along the bottom.

FWC Announces Snook Season Closure

FWC Announced that the Spring Snook Season will not take place. This means that Snook Season will remain closed until 1 Sept 2010. Catch and Release only. On the other hand Trout seem to be the hardy fish in this cold weather, if you can get out there a good bet is a DOA or Live Shrimp under a popping cork. If you find fish and they are not eating move to another area and maybe your luck will be better. Leaving Fish to Find Fish is never a good idea but in the cold weather and shock to the ecosystem we have had it may be your best bet to catch fish.