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Winds Down, So Action Picks Up

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 21, 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 wind calmed down and thunderstorms abated this past week, and local fishing picked up. Captain Chet Jennings reported a great day on Bahia Beach reef as his clients hooked and landed a 50-pound tarpon, a bunch of big Spanish mackerel and a few limits of mangrove snapper.

I had two trips last week, one 8 a.m. to noon, and the second 4-8 p.m. The first trip was pretty futile. We hooked a Spanish mackerel on the flats on a pompano jig, but the fish cut through the 30-pound leader next to the boat. The only other bite the rest of the morning was a small mangrove snapper. We fished a variety of live pilchards, pinfish, and chunks of threadfin herring in and around Little Cockroach Bay targeting redfish and snook, all to no avail.

The afternoon trip was much better. First cast we hooked up with a 25-inch snook, followed by another short. Then we got into a 25-inch redfish. It ate a quarter-sized pinfish under a float. Shortly thereafter we hooked another red on another pinfish. In between we caught a dozen catfish. Hardly a stellar outing, but a lot better than the morning trip.

There was also a lot of bait stacked up in the mouth of the Little Manatee River early in the week, and every game fish imaginable was in on the action. Around sunset I saw schools of lady thrashing on the surface, along with some snook under the docks, some jack crevalle over the oyster bars, and even a pod of tarpon were feeding in the channel.

Water clarity is starting to improve, though the temperature is still in the high 80s. It was a bit cooler Saturday, and that should pick the action up a bit for the next few days.

Visit captain Fred Everson's Web site at Tampabayfishing

guide.com for charter info or call (813) 830-8890.

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