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For Trout, Try Noisy Artificials Or Shrimp

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By FRED EVERSON

Tribune Correspondent

Published: February 6, 2008

Windy and cool best describes our weather of late, and it has kept many anglers off the water in recent weeks.

Those who braved the elements forwarded mixed reports.

Capt. Danny Guarino reported slow fishing in the Little Manatee River, where he was trying to stay out of the wind. He caught a few small snook and some trout.

Capt. Chet Jennings said his luck was a little better.

He was fishing for silver trout around Apollo Beach and saw some birds working the surface. He went over to investigate and found a pod of big-scaled sardines.

With a live well full of bait he took his client into Cockroach Bay, where they caught a few snook, and then into the Little Manatee River, where they caught a 32-inch redfish.

Water temperature has been fluctuating between the high 50s and low 60s, and some fish don't like it this cold. Redfish and sheepshead seem to tolerate it, but snook and jack crevalle do not. Snook will basically become dormant when water temperatures drop below 60 degrees.

Flounder and trout are less susceptible to the cold, but flounder are hard to target in the South Shore area of Tampa Bay. They seem to like sandy potholes in shallow water where they can soak up some of the sun's warmth.

The best bait for flounder is probably tiger chubs, which are unaffected by the cold. Occasionally flounder will pick up my jerkbait when I'm blind casting for redfish, but they rarely get the hook. They will hang onto the bait all the way back to the boat and then let it go. That's why anglers who target flounder prefer small jigs with short tails.

Trout are much easier to find, and if there is a more consistently aggressive fish on Tampa Bay, I need to know what it is.

Speckled trout are a fast-growing fish, and have made a pretty good comeback from the red tide during summer 2005. Many captains tell me they have been catching big trout in Cockroach Bay, and on the flats around the entrance channel.

Trout like deeper water than redfish or flounder, and you can usually find them in 4 to 5 feet over grass. Noisy artificials and shrimp under popping corks produce well.

We have minus tides this week around midmorning, which makes for good sight fishing opportunities for redfish and shark. I carry a box of frozen squid with me during the winter. Both of our winter sharks relish it as much as they do live shrimp.

Fred Everson is a Ruskin fishing guide. Fishermen and guides may submit information and photographs by calling (813) 830-8890 or sending an e-mail to ihunt snook@aol.com.

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