TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Artificials Can Be A Good Option

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 15, 2008

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Billy Nobles, left, with "Reel Animals" partner Mike Anderson.

On Monday we had the privilege of fishing the master cookie baker of Longboat Key, Frank, and his friends. We met at O'Neill's Marina in St. Petersburg at 9 a.m.

We had one of those negative winter tides that fishermen dread because you can't run anywhere. In the low water, the fish congregate along the edges of flats waiting for the tide to come in.

As we drifted along, it wasn't long before a 27-inch redfish hit. Soon, we got another redfish, a 4 1/2 -pound trout and another redfish. All of the fish were caught on the Berkley Gulp Shrimp.

Before leaving O'Neill's we had bought 10 dozen shrimp, but the live bait yielded a big goose egg. Later, the tide turned and the fish moved, so it was off to deeper water. We found a decent flounder and a few ladyfish, catching them all on live shrimp. The Gulp shrimp produced one ladyfish and one small trout.

Later in the day, the water came up and we could move around the flats with ease. We had two guys pitching live shrimp and two using the Gulps. It wasn't long before everyone was using the Gulp Shrimp. My mate had her hands full, with fish coming in one after another, and they were all speckled trout 14 to 20 inches long.
Captain Mike had run a four-hour trip just a couple of days earlier and caught more than 125 trout and redfish on the Berkley Gulp Shrimp. I'm not saying artificials will outproduce live bait all the time, but at certain times it will, and a good captain is always prepared to deal with whatever comes along.

Catch captains Billy Nobles and Mike Anderson on the "Reel Animals Fishing Show" on Saturdays from 6:30-7 a.m. on WFLA, Channel 8, and on Sundays from 8-10 a.m. on WHBO, 1470 AM. To book a charter, call 1-866-GAMEFISH or visit www.reelanimalsfishingshow.c

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT