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Cooler Water Brings Better Bite

Photo by FRED EVERSON

Mike Strickland of Riverview released this snook shortly after catching it on a live sardine in Bishop's Harbor.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 8, 2008

The Gulf of Mexico water temperature has finally started to drop, and that should trigger the fall fishing bite. This is prime time for a number of species, with snook and redfish at the top of the list.

Redfish have yet to show up on the South Shore flats between Apollo Beach and E.G. Simmons Park, but that could change any day. There is currently a lot of bait on that flat, which is unusual, but then again this has been an unusual year.

September proved to be a windy month, and most of the guides I spoke with said the inshore fishing was pretty slow compared to years past.

The grouper fishing has been somewhere between very good and excellent in recent weeks. Captain Larry Malinoski told me he brought more than 20 fish to the boat one day last week while trolling around the Bay. Capt. Rick Bollinger forwarded a similar report.

There are plenty of redfish on the west side of the Bay, but the South Shore bite has been sporadic. I spoke with Captain Danny Guarino and he said he was finally starting to put a few reds in the box, but it has been a struggle. I have been as far south as Bishop Harbor, and have not found any big concentrations of fish.

The good news is that there seems to be bait on every flat on this side of the Bay. I am still throwing my quarter-inch net because there are small baits in the mix. Throw a 3/8-inch net here, and you will have to pick a lot of bait out of the net. That's not only wasteful, it's time consuming and messy.

Spanish mackerel are still thrashing the surface everywhere in the middle of the Bay around the ship channel. They are feeding mainly on small bay anchovies and small sardines, so to catch them, you've got to match the hatch. Size is as important as color here. A quarter-ounce diamond jig works about as well as anything I've tried with the exception of a small streamer fly tied up to look like a glass minnow. That fly puts fish in the box.

Snook season may be on, but the bite is just limping along. A drop in water temperature could pump it up.

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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