If you want to catch inshore fish you better start early or fish late. Water temperatures in Charlotte harbor this morning and yesterday morning were around ninety degrees, by nine am. Yesterday morning we shot a show with Mike December, son of Tony December of Pro Marine. Young Mike is 18 years of age, and is a college student at USF and is a future fishing phenom. This kid put Mike and myself on world class redfish and snook in Bull’s Bay. I would have bet that we would have zeroed with the water being so hot. Well I did zero but Mike and Mike pulled it off with great redfish and snook action. Friday morning we ventured to Captiva Island to fish with Ozzie Lessinger, veteran charter captain, for some great trout and snook action on the outgoing tied in the passes using pinfish with a heavy split shot and drift fishing the passes along the drop offs. I had a 38 inch plus on that just plain treated me poorly as we had him out of the dock about the time he decided to go back. Again once the water heated up even more the bite slowed.
Tarpon fishing here remains slow, at the first of the season we were hooking ten to fifthteen fish per day, now if we hook three I am doing cartwheels. We have not had a good crab flush yet as we haven’t had the rain to flush them out of the tidal creeks. That fresh water will run them out. Word is the Tampa tarpon are on fire, with double digit catches being the norm. Only two more weeks here and I’ll be able to check that out for myself.
Red Snapper season is here run far and deep to catch them as it’s a short season so be sure to take advantage.
Be sure to tune in on Saturday mornings at 6:30 on News Channel 8 WFLA for The Reel Animals Fishing Show and listen to Captain Mike on 970 AM WFLA from 6-9 am on Reel Animals Saturday. Call in on Saturday’s to WFLA 970 for Reel Animal’s Saturday and Sunday’s to WDAE 620 AM The Sports Animal for the T.A. Mahoney Reel Animals Fishing Show to win some cool fish gear from 7-9 am. Also visit our website @
www.reelanimalsfishingteam.com and friend us on face book or call 1-866-GAMEFISH to book your fishing trip of a lifetime and until next week, “Do yourself a favor and take a kid fishin’."
