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Sheepshead, Redfish Are Best Bets As Snook Season Nears

Photo by FRED EVERSON

Dylan Strickland recently caught this four-foot bonnethead shark near the mouth of the Little Manatee River on a live shrimp.

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By FRED EVERSON Tribune correspondent

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 25, 2009

The barrage of weekly cold fronts continued through mid February, though none caused freeze warnings. Water temperature was in the low 60s and inshore fishing picked up a bit.

Capt. Danny Guarino of Ruskin said sheepshead were still offering the best bite. This is prime time for the striped fish as they spawn in the middle of the bay. They like hard bottom and the artificial reefs at Bahia Beach and Port Manatee. Live shrimp or fiddler crabs fished on the bottom are the ticket to success with sheepshead.

Danny Strickland and his son Dylan caught some fish in the Little Manatee River last weekend. The catch of the day was a four-foot bonnethead shark that ate a live shrimp. That's not as big as they get in Tampa Bay, but it's pretty close. They also caught a snook and short redfish. Snook season remains closed for a few more days and will reopen March 1. The slot limit on the West Coast of Florida is 28 to 33 inches, with one fish allowed per angler. Then the season will close again May 1 and reopen Sept. 1.

I'm seeing lots of big sheepshead around docks in the Little Manatee River. I have had some success chumming them up by scraping barnacles off the pilings with a shovel. Small live shrimp fished on jig heads have done all the damage.

One fish I haven't seen a lot of so far this month is jack crevalle. They are usually most abundant in the Little Manatee River and the Bahia Beach Basin in February but so far, they've been a no-show. I think once the water temperature rises above 65 degrees, we should start to see the big schools of jacks.

Redfish are scattered across the flats in the South Shore area. One thing I've noticed this year is that there are more undersized fish than in years past, and I suppose that's a good thing. Nor is there any shortage of slot-sized fish. The limit for redfish is still one fish per angler between 18 and 27 inches.

I've seen more than a few flounder scooting away from the boat in the past few weeks. Water clarity is as good as it gets on Tampa Bay this time of year and will probably stay that way well into May.

No word yet on the arrival of scaled sardines. They generally show up in the area around the end of February. The best indication they are here is to see a bunch of guys throwing cast nets in one spot. The first sardines of the year are the big spawners favored by snook fishermen.

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 e-mailing ihuntsnook@aol.com.

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