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Don't Overlook Small City Lakes

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 21, 2008

Updated: 01/20/2008 11:11 pm

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

How many times do anglers drive by a body of water just off the road and assume because it's not a huge lake it doesn't hold fish?

Sometimes these lakes are manmade from construction projects or were dug as fill-dirt pits, but however they got there, you can bet most have a decent fish population through a natural stocking process.

Tampa's Lionel Bryant and a few relatives have been working small bodies of water throughout northwest Hillsborough County and putting fish on the stringer at a rate as good or better than larger, more well-known lakes.

On Saturday, Bryant, Ed and Eric Bryant and Alfonso Valdez braved the windy weather and bank fished a small lake off Racetrack Road and had an excellent day catching bass. Using a Carolina-rigged 7.5-inch purple artificial worm, Lionel Bryant landed the first big keeper, a nice 3 1/2 -pounder.

After catching a few more and preparing to call it a day, there was one more cast made with a wad of wigglers on a small bream hook. The reel started ripping drag before the fish was brought to the bank. Though the group didn't have a scale to weigh it, the female measured nearly 25 inches, easily putting it over 6 pounds.

When the Bryants aren't fishing locally, they visit family near Gainesville and have had an excellent speck season fishing at night on the Rodman Dam. Bryant says he and brother-in-law Stanley Hall have gotten their limits at night on minnows nearly every trip this year, with most of the fish measuring 12-16 inches.

For charter trip information, contact Mark Cook at (813) 846-9277 or send an e-mail

to tribfishing@aol.com.

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