TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Heat Slowing Down The Bite

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 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: Fred Everson.

Fairly nice weather led to mediocre inshore fishing on the south end of Tampa Bay. The afternoon bite was better, but not much. I fished for trout on Pinellas Point twice. The first trip began at 7 a.m., and we fished a rising tide without much luck. One 20-inch trout hit a MirrOlure 57 MS right next to the boat, and we caught and released two short ones, and that was the trout bite for the day.

We crossed the bay to try for redfish late in the morning on Little Cockroach Bay. Conditions were perfect for fishing cut bait on the shadow line of the mangroves - high tide and murky water. But nobody told the redfish, and we finally called it a day as the wind died and it got too hot.

The next day I decided to try the outgoing tide in the afternoon across the bay again. Roger Mills of Ruskin put the first trout in the box, but the bite never really took off. We caught another keeper trout, a bunch of shorts, a Spanish mackerel, and had a plug cut off by a bluefish, and that was it. On a hot bite with a fast-moving tide, it is usually no trouble to catch and release several more fish. But this is not unusual in the summer months. With the water temperature hovering in the high 80s in the bay, fish aren't generally as active in the heat of the day.

Captain Danny Guarino said he had a much better day on Pinellas Point fishing live bait earlier in the week. He said he was catching trout until a school of bluefish mixed with Spanish mackerel moved in when the tide started to drop.

I had one offshore report from early last week from Shawn Hencye who said he had a banner day 7 miles off Egmont Key, catching more than 40 Spanish mackerel, six cobia and numerous sharks and bonito.

Visit captain Fred Everson's Web site at Tampabayfishingguide.com for charter info or call (813) 830-8890.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT