ReelCranking

Slow start to the day but once the tide switched the bite turned on. The DOA jerk bait was the bait of choice. White and Gold Beam were the colors that worked best today. A slow retrieve while keeping the bait low was the presentation that was getting the best strikes.

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Very windy today and not much to show for it. Tried to troll the ship channel for gags but had no luck. The wind and waves were pumping. I made a move to the residential canals and found several small trout before the weather forced us off the water.

Lots of really good size trout on the flats of Weedon Island. The trout were in two and a half feet of water on up to a foot . There were plenty of small reds and snook along the mangrove line. The bite was slow for me today but I still caught some very nice fish. The weather was great but will begin to decline with increasing winds and a higher chance of rain. Take advantage of the good days when you can the cold front will be starting to come weekly.

With the lower water temps I have moved my focus to docks and deeper water. Grass flats in the three plus feet have been producing great numbers of trout averageing fifteen inches with several over twenty. DOA’s 3” shrimp and 3” shad tail have been my baits of chose along with the MirrOlure MirrOdine. Retrieve the bait slowly make shore the bait hits bottom more times then not the fish will hit the bait on the fall. While dock fishing try to get as far under the dock as you can and slowly pull the bait along the bottom. The docks are producing sever types of species from reds to flounder. Live shrimp will also work well but you will have to deal with the pinfish. Be patient and it will pay off.

Had a great trip today with Dave and Reid lots of action and a bruser of a red fish caught by Reid. Reid has one of the best cast I’ve seen for a ten year old he can work a top water or a jig and catch fish.

All kinds of fish can be targeted right now. The Pompano bite is great around the Tampa Bay area bridges and all the major passes along the beach. Black drum are hanging around the Gandy bridge look for them to be on the backside of the pilings. They will eat shrimp, crabs and even a Docs Goofy Jig. Keep an eye out for Tarpon they too are all around the area along the beach and at the bridges. You can catch them using shrimp, thread-fins and my favorite pass crabs on the right tide. The trout have also been a good go to for a fun time on the water. I have been fishing the pot holes in the three to six foot depth with live white bait, Strike King Coffee tubes or Paddle Tail jigs. So get out and fish or call us to book a trip.

After a long hard winter that was less then kind to the Snook population the fish are doing well and the bite is good. We boated several Snook in the high twenties and low thirty inch ranges today using white bait. The Snook are under and running the edge of the mangroves. The key was heavy chumming and some patience didn’t hurt either. Keep in mind to handle the fish with care and take the time to revive them before sending them on their way. After the winter they have had the more we can keep alive the better we will all be. The Trout bite in upper and lower Tampa Bay is still good we caught plenty of them today and yesterday using several differnt types of soft and hard baits in three to eight feet of water. The fishing is getting better every day and Tarpon are just around the corner so get out and fish.

Had a great time on the water today caught several nice Trout in 6 to 9 feet of water using Strike King Coffee tubes. The key was to work the tube slow and lift the tip of the rod and reel the slack in while lowering the rod. The bite seemed to come on the fall more so then the rise of the bait. The weather is good and the fishing is getting better get out and fish.

 Today I found a large school of Reds along with a large number of big size Trout while working the grass flats of South Pinellas today. The trout were eating MirrOdines and Strike King Tub baits. The Reds were harder to get to eat but with a lot of patience they finally took a shrimp. If you come across one of these schools be patient and as quiet as possible and you will be rewarded. Spring is almost here so  go fish!

Had a great time fishing for trout today with a friend of mine. The trout were in 2′ to the 3′ of water working Mirrodines at a good pace faster then in the past two weeks do to colder water temps. The water temp is up to mid 60’s so a faster retrive was very productive today. As far as the Redfish they are still very spooky and in the shallow water around oysters a very silent approach with a sented soft plastic or live shrimp and some patience should do the trick. Good luck!