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Conditions Expected To Improve

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2008

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Mel Berman.

"Look at that! I'll bet there's at least a hundred big trout right by those rocks," shouted captain Rick Seward Jr.

And although we could see all those lunkers, most had a case of lockjaw. The series of cold fronts, followed by several days of higher barometric pressures, have not been ideal for catching fish. And this week, sluggish tides made catching fish a real challenge.

However, by Super Bowl Sunday, tides should be flowing better and with more settled conditions, most game fish will be ready to chow down.

Interestingly, on our trip this week, small jigs were much more productive than live shrimp. This is a time of year when greenbacks and other baitfish populations are nowhere to be found.

As a result, lures like my Old Bayside Shadlyn and Rick's Tsunami Trout Mauler were the only baits that got any action.

With the water temperature in the 60s, there are still some nice grouper being landed close to shore. On a calm day this week, John Johnson was fishing the shallow reefs off Hernando County in his 15-foot boat and landed a nice 25-inch keeper gag.

As for this weekend's fishing outlook, with settling calm and warmer weather, the fish should be more cooperative.

Reds and snook will be found in residential canals, and trout should be hanging in the troughs around spoil islands and in the deeper flats.

Hear "The Captain Mel Show" Saturdays from 6-9 a.m. on WFLA, 970 AM. Visit "Fishing Florida OnLine Magazine" at www.capmel.com.

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