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Trout Season Re-Opens Tuesday

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By FRANK SARGEANT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 29, 2007

For many inshore anglers, the first bite of the New Year Tuesday morning will be a southern spotted seatrout. The season on trout re-opens on Jan. 1 after a two-month closure in the southern half of the state, and plenty of trout-hungry fishermen will be seeking a few fillets.

With Gulf water temperature at 69 degrees, the fish are active along most of the West Coast, and many of the largest fish of the year are likely to be caught this month, barring a rapid cool-off.

For the last decade, one of the best trout areas in the state has been St. Joseph Sound, the shallow, grassy basin stretching roughly from Anclote Key south to Clearwater. The area is open to the direct tidal flow of the Gulf and boasts exceptionally clear water as a result. But the broad shallow shelf provides vast seagrass meadows, and these are ideal nurseries for seatrout.

St. Joseph also boasts dozens of "spoil islands," rocky bars created with the dredge material from the Intracoastal Waterway, and these have become real magnets for mature trout, particularly through the cooler months.

The fish are typically found anywhere from 10 feet off the island to 50 feet out, and they can be surprisingly large, to 25 inches, and abundant at times. However, the clear water and heavy fishing pressure here can make for tough fishing.

Basically, the first boat on an island holding fish can expect a rapid bite for 30 minutes, and then the fishing is likely to become more challenging.

Guides who fish the islands regularly have learned to anchor their boats in about 4 to 6 feet of water, then sit still and keep everyone quiet while the trout settle down. Then, they present large live shrimp under small foam floats, drifting the baits over the rocky holes repeatedly with the tide movement.

Skilled anglers can also connect with artificials like plastic shrimp or swimbaits, but the bite here is definitely better on live shrimp.

Other areas likely to produce trout this week include the holes around Tarpon Key near Fort DeSoto Park, the grassy bars off Pinellas Point, the potholes inside the bar near the mouth of Bishop's Harbor, and the deeper grass south of Manbirtee Key. Tierra Ceia Bay is also a noted winter trout spot, with numerous deeper holes likely to hold both trout and snook at this time of year.

Sarasota Bay has similar habitat, and also produces some nice fish from deep "wheel troughs" under large yachts at residential docks. The troughs are created by the prop wash of the big boats, and can be several feet deeper than the surrounding water.

At Charlotte Harbor, some of the best winter fishing is found far up inside Bull and Turtle bays, particularly on low tides around the new and full moons. Find the holes between the dry bars, wade to them, and you'll find both trout and redfish.

Deeper grass flats like those east of Captiva Pass and those south and east of Devilfish Key can also be productive for trout at this time of year. These typically produce fish at the lower end of keeper size; the larger fish are often found in shallower water in winter.

There's a certain prejudice among some old-time Florida anglers that trout are not all that good to eat, but they are in fact my favorite table fish, always light, delicate, tender and perfectly flavored. They have none of the "red meat" strips that cause reds, snook and mackerels, among others, to taste fishy if not removed.

Best way to prep trout, in my experience, is to ice them immediately; trout kept in a live well get soft in short order. Fillet and skin them, cut out the rib cage, and you have fingers of beautiful white meat that are wonderful floured and deep fried, baked with a bit of mayo, of sautéed with a little white wine and butter.

The limit is four daily in the south zone, five daily in the waters north of Fred Howard Park near the Pasco/Hernando county line. Size limit is15 to 20 inches, including one over 20.

UPCOMING: Captain Pat Damico presents a free seminar on fly fishing in Patagonia On Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club, meeting at Compton Park Rec Center in Tampa Palms; www.tbffc.org. The club welcomes new members, also teaches tying flies at no charge. Rattlesnake Point Outfitters presentS a free trout fishing seminar Thursday at 7 p.m. at Jerry Ulm Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep, 2966 N. Dale Mabry in Tampa; http://www.jerryulmdodge.com; (813) 872-6645.

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