GO FISHING is a 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.
Thank God for a lying groundhog. Our buddy Phil saw his shadow, and that means a few more weeks of winter. Here in Florida, with water temperatures approaching 70 degrees in February, the bite is on.
Captain Mike ran a trip this week in Clearwater, and he reports that they couldn't find a spot that wasn't holding trout. The average size was around 18 inches. Don't tell anyone, but he caught them on the DOA CAL Shad tail, with a white body and a chartreuse head. Go figure, I think that's the only color he owns, but it works.
Captain Stephen Markovich reports that on Tampa Bay the large trout are back, along with large schools of redfish and — wait for it — huge black drum. The bait is still plentiful at the Skyway piers, but be careful, as the demolition is still going on. You don't want to skewer your vessel on a submerged piling.
Offshore is absolutely on fire with the grouper bite. It's a shame we can't bring any home, because the red and gag seasons are closed. There are still plenty of other species you can bring home for dinner, though.
The amberjack bite is unreal, and they are a blast on light tackle. At around the 100-foot range, look for rock piles, as these hot spots are holding mangrove snapper. That's if you can get past the red snapper. What a problem to have.
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