This weeks windy conditions didn’t lend itself to much fishing but as the weekend approached things started to look a little more friendly. Cooler air temps are moving the Snook schools up the rivers and into their fall and winter haunts.
Good numbers of these fish can be enticed with live green backs as they are trying to fatten up for the winter ahead. Artifical shrimp also work very well this time of year with the Berkley Gulp shrimp leading the charge. I have best luck this time of year with the 3 inch model in molting color fished on a ¼ ounce jig head. Worked around the docks in the rivers and residential canals this can be a deadly combination. If hard baits are your thing try the 7MR 11 floating twitchbait by Mirrolure. This is one of if not the very best winter hard bait on the market as it allows for a very slow presentation.
This gives fish in cold water conditions time to react to it and strike! Late fall and winter also mean great Redfish and Trout fishing on Tampa Bay. The waters tend to clear up so the sight fishing for Reds gets spectacular. This won’t be the case this weekend with a full week of wind but over the next month or so the waters should start to clear up some. Again pretty hard to beat the Gulp baits on this front as these scented dandies are pretty hard for Reds to turn down. Just want to remember to use as light a jig head as possible to reduce the splash and be sure to lead the fish. Don’t hit him in the head! Won’t work.
As for the Trout the colder it gets the more big fish seem to pile onto the flats. The season remains closed until 1 January in the south region so be sure to release these fish carefully as our Tampa Trout fishery is rebounding very nicely.
Catch Capt. Michael Anderson and Capt. Billy Nobles every Saturday morning on News CH8 at 6:30am and Sundays at 11:00am for the Reel Animals Fishing Show and Sunday mornings on AM620 for the TA Mahoney Co. Reel Animals Radio Show from 7am to 9am or to book a trip call 1-866-Gamefish.
