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Skyway Area Getting Results

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 11, 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.

The winds were down early last week, but the tides were slow, and so was fishing on South Shore Tampa Bay by most accounts.

Captain Tom Rinehart of Apollo Beach reported finding some kingfish well inside the Bay. He said he saw some bait skipping out of the water with no visible strike on the surface and put out some large baits and instantly hooked up with a 20-pound king.

That fish cut off the monofilament leader at the side of the boat, but he went back to the same spot the next day with wire leaders and landed one 10-pound fish. He said he found the kingfish in the same spot three days in a row, about 12 miles inside the Skyway.

I ran to the other side of the Bay on Wednesday with clients and we caught six slot-sized trout and a 3-pound bluefish, all on MirrOlures. The flat off Pinellas Point is probably the nicest stretch of water on Tampa Bay.
Water clarity is simply incredible, and the flat is covered with whitebait. I threw a quarter-inch net several times and caught bait with every toss without chumming, and they were perfect-sized 3-inch baits, but we never used any because the artificials were so effective.

Captain Chet Jennings reported slow fishing for snook on the Hillsborough side of the Bay much of the week, but he had better luck at the Skyway. He was fishing for tarpon, when a client asked, "What's that fish swimming around the pilings?" Turned out to be an 80-pound cobia.

The client hooked the brute, and it took 30 minutes to bring it to the boat on heavy tarpon tackle. Jennings said it took all his strength to bring the gaffed fish into the boat.

Captain Jeff Horne stopped by on Friday and said the redfish were thick on the South Shore during the week.

Visit Fred Everson's Web site at Tampabayfishingguide.com

for charter information or call (813) 830-8890.

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