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Spring-Like Weather Heats It Up

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

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

Florida's winter weather is known for quick changes - sunny one minute, raining the next, with temperatures that force you to wear a coat in the morning but have you in a bathing suit by the afternoon.

This can get confusing for fish, but during the past week the weather has been moderately warm. Sunny afternoons pushed the mercury into the 80s. Instead of thinking of this as winter, I saw it as more of a spring scenario.

I still try to match my lures to the available forage. While baitfish are not that readily available on the flats, there are concentrations in some areas. This is where I'm targeting snook, redfish, trout and flounder.

Killifish, glass minnows, pinfish and even a few scaled sardines are holed up in back-country areas of Joe Bay and Terra Ceia. I match this bait to a soft plastic from DOA called the CAL Shad with a quarter-ounce jig head.

In addition to baitfish, a pass with a fine mesh dip net over grassy areas reveals a number of shrimp. The DOA Shrimp is the imitation I find most productive when fishing potholes in these grassy areas.

Potholes in Joe Bay on low tide have been full of speckled trout, with a few flounder and silver trout. The specks range from 15 to 24 inches long here, and they don't hesitate to eat the DOA Shrimp on a Deadly Combo rig.

Reds are also in these holes, mixed with a few snook. Reds to 30 inches have chewed the CAL Shad in a variety of new colors from DOA, but the night-glow/holographic-gold-glitter has been outstanding.

Ray Markham co-hosts "Florida Sportsman Magazine Radio Live," Saturdays from 8-9 a.m. on WWBA, 1040 AM, and may be reached for charter at (941) 723-2655.

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