TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Angler's Almanac: Don't Let Standstill Get You Down

Photo by FRED EVERSON

Jake Jordan of Auburndale went fishing with his dad, Jim Jr., and granddad, Jim Jordan, and scored this fine snapper off Port Manatee.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 6, 2008

When you can find as many fishing guides on the golf course as you can on the water, you know we are in the summer doldrums.

Inshore fishing has suffered in particular in recent weeks with not much going on.

Capt. Chet Jennings told me that the glamour species on Tampa Bay - tarpon, snook and redfish - have been mostly uncooperative.

He's been turning his attention to the smaller summer staples such as trout, jack crevalle, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and sharks, as have most serious anglers. Fishing in the heat of mid-day has been tough, and fishing in the afternoons can be downright frightening due to the sudden appearance of thunderstorms.

Water temperature is staying in the high 80s and that is simply not productive for many fish.

Bait has become hard to find - even threadfins. A couple of weeks ago I was able to net big threadfins easily, now the baits I'm seeing are much smaller and wise to the ways of castnetters.

And even when I do have plenty of live bait, the fish don't seem to want it.

I was on the other side of the Bay a couple of times last week looking for pompano, but caught only one fish. I also tried some mid-morning trout fishing on a strong falling tide off Pinellas Point, and that bite was worse than slow.

Capt. Billy Jordan and I caught only a couple of short fish before heading for the middle of the Bay to look for snapper. This species often provides the steadiest action in the summer months, but even they shut down for the most part on my last two trips.

There are plenty of big mackerel in the Bay just now, but every time a school of fish breaks the surface a couple of boats race in on them. That puts the fish down and shuts off the bite.

The best way to catch mackerel is to ease up on them, shut the motor off and let them come to you. Chumming with chunks of threadfin will also bring them in.

I like to have a heavy spinning rod at the ready rigged with a stout wire leader and a 5/0 circle hook for sharks. Sometimes you will see big black tips cruising through the bait pods being ravaged by the mackerel. Those fish will readily eat a big chunk of cut bait, but your tackle better be up to snuff - these sharks are powerful game fish, and they eat pretty well.

I have also looked for cobia on several occasions in the past three weeks, but I've only seen two fish. They were circling a channel buoy, and quickly sounded at the approach of the boat.

Fred Everson is a Ruskin fishing guide. All South Shore fishermen and guides may submit information and photographs to be included in this column by calling (813) 830-8890 or sending an e-mail to ihuntsnook@aol.com.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT