The South Shore News & Tribune
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Better Weather Boosts Fishing
Photo by FRED EVERSON
This trout just measured over the 15-inch minimum. The fish is great eating as long as it's kept on ice.
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Published: May 14, 2008
Capt. Chet Jennings reported some tough fishing behind the most recent fronts. But the news is getting better and better as water temperature is back up to 75 degrees and higher. It has been going up and down for a month, and most fish simply hate the declines.
Capt. Billy Jordan also said the bite was slow. He was trolling plugs around the Sunshine Skyway Bridge last week and didn't find much. It took pure persistence to put a single fish in the box, and he figured he just annoyed it enough to make it strike.
I took a trip to Pinellas Point with my buddy Gabe Krakowski of Brooklyn, N.Y., and we had no trouble finding a few keeper-sized trout.
I never used to fish for sea trout much, but they are easy, and they eat well if you take proper care. You don't need bait - a silver plug will do, nor do you need stout tackle.
Most of the trout we catch in Tampa Bay fall in the 15- to 20-inch slot, and they don't take much drag. If you were fishing for nothing but trout, 6-pound test monofilament would be plenty. But in Tampa Bay you never know what's out there. If a 25-pound cobia strikes your plug 10-pound test monofilament gives you a fighting chance.
Sea trout are a fast-growing fish and they are not hearty. Because they are so fragile, it makes sense to fish for a limit and quit as soon as you're done. The limit here is four fish between 15 and 20 inches, with one fish more than 20 inches permitted.
Trout should be immersed in ice and gutted soon as they are dead, then reimmersed in the ice bath. Back at the dock I fillet them one at a time, returning them to the ice as soon as I'm done with each fish.
Every second a piece of fish spends at ambient air temperature will detract from its flavor and texture, so keep 'em cold. I like my trout deep-fried and breaded with Italian-flavored breadcrumbs.
Keli Emery called to tell me she was catching redfish on the South Shore backcountry and flats. She also said she caught three snook the day after the season ended. Isn't that always the way?
Tides for the coming week are so-so, because we are a week ahead of the full moon. Things should start to improve by the weekend, with some good tides to wade on around sunset.
Water temperature is in that near-perfect range at 78 degrees; now if only the wind would lie down.
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.
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