TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

River Fishing Cranks Up Early

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 12, 2007

Normally, snook and redfish move into the river mouths as fall progresses to avoid the coming chill on the flats. The tannin-stained river water, which soaks up heat and often has spring water as a major component, can be 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the shallows when a cold front blows through. As the winter progresses, the fish move farther and farther upstream, with some spending January and February in water that's completely fresh.

But this fall, the water is so hot on the flats that many guides theorize the fish are leaving to escape the heat - and they're actually finding cooler water in the rivers.

'My clients have been doing real well around the mouths of the rivers down along the South Shore,' said captain Chet Jennings of Ruskin. 'It's a late fall pattern, but it's working early this year and I think it's because the river water is several degrees lower than the flats.'

While the normal fall pattern is to switch to live shrimp as the water chills, Jennings said the bite has continued to be on live sardines in the hot weather.

'There are still a lot of good-sized baits off the edge of the flats along the South Shore,' Jennings said.

He said his anglers caught not only snook and reds but some very nice trout by using the sardines around river and creek mouths in the past week.

In addition to the Manatee and Little Manatee rivers, other area streams where this tactic is likely to work include the lower Alafia River, the Cotee and Anclote rivers, and the Myakka and Peace rivers at Charlotte Harbor.

Another nice bonus on river fishing, for those who like to use artificials, is that fish seem more inclined to hit lures in the stained water of the rivers, compared to when they're in the clear, shallow flats. Topwater plugs such as the Spit-N-Image and She Dog and sinkers including the DOA Shrimp and Tsunami swimbait usually will find plenty of takers.

The action is typically at spots where current creates a feeding zone; points, bends, creek mouths on falling tide and anywhere the current pushes hard up against a mangrove shoreline can be productive. Docks with deep water are always good targets, as well.

For more information on river fishing, Jennings can be reached at (813) 477-1513.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The efforts at habitat restoration and improvement around Tampa Bay are nationally-famed among the environmental community these days. The area has poured unprecedented amounts of money, expertise and effort into making the estuarine zones here as good or better than they were originally, and there are successes in dozens of locations.

The creation of manmade wetlands allows engineers to sculpt the land for perfect water flow, add holes and fish habitat where appropriate, and also create added filtering for run-off, helping the bay to grow ever clearer now that major sewage outfalls have been cleaned up.

But all of this takes more hands than government money can pay for, and one of the reasons the whole process is succeeding here is that thousands of volunteers have turned out in the past decade to get down in the mud and put the plants into the ground.

Another of these events, coordinated by Tampa BayWatch, is Sept. 29 at Terra Ceia Bay, in northern Manatee County at the entry to Bishop Harbor. According to BayWatch, the effort will be the largest marsh planting yet, with some 30,000 plugs of salt marsh grass to be planted over 34 acres in several locations. Organizer Peter Clark says some 350 volunteers will be needed to do the job, which is expected to take most of the morning.

Bishop Harbor is one of the best fishing areas on Tampa Bay, and has made an amazing comeback since the outfall from the Piney Point phosphate stacks turned the water green a few years back.

The meeting site is at Bishop Harbor Boat Ramp, west of U.S. 41 off Bishop Harbor Road. Volunteers can register via e-mail to aackman@

tampabaywatch.org.

ETC.: The first event of the Paddle Fishing Tournament Series is Saturday out of the Fourth Street Launch Ramp in St. Petersburg. The unique kayak tournament requires anglers to put their nine favorite lures in a bag, then submit that bag for a pre-tourney drawing. Each angler will be fishing with lures provided by somebody else. This is a photo, catch-and-release event starting at 6 a.m. The entry fee is $10. For more information, visit www. paddle-fishing.com. ... The Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club hosts a free intermediate casting clinic Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Compton Park Rec Center in Tampa Palms. All fly fishers are welcome. Call (813) 655-5627.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT