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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
Inshore Tampa Fishing Guides are somewhat unaffected by regulations on species such as gag grouper, amberjack and red snapper...fish usually targeted by offshore charter boat captains. However, durung the fall fishing season, grouper do become a potential target for near shore guides. Over the last 6 weeks, the "inside 30 feet" grouper bite was better than any year in recent history. An argument could be made that, with this abundance, the November 1st closure was uncalled for. On the other hand, maybe it was the closures much earlier in 2012 that made for a great fall fishery. Either way, there are plenty of grouper out there and hopefully this will lead to some relaxing of the regulations in the near future. Numerous late October / early November Tampa fishing charters yeilded catches in excess of 10 legal gag grouper...not exceptional for an offshore trip, but outstanding for fishing just a few miles off the beach. The beauty of this fishing is that no white bait is even required. Drop a few pinfish traps, pull them the next day and go fish. Fishing for kingfish and mackerel was dealt an early blow with the passing of Hurricane Sandy. Even though this storm did no damage to Florida's west coast, it initiated northwest winds that blew for over a week...muddying near shore waters and sending the fish west and south. It is likely that there are still a few kingfish out ten to fifteen miles, but for the Tampa Fishing guides working near shore waters, kingfishing is now probably a spring of 2013 opportunity.
Thankfully, the big winter seatrout that Northern Pinellas County is famous for showed up a little ahead of schedule, providing limit catches and lots of entertainment.. Those fishing shrimp might have found these fish a little finicky but Tampa Fishing Guides still able to locate whitebait (not an easy task) had many banner days. With an early abundance of big fish, even 5 inch whitebaits were being blasted out of the water. Bobbered whitebait worked very well. Always remember when using a bobber to point the rod at the fish when the bobber goes under and reel until the fish pulls back, then set the hook. The reason for doing so is that fish will often eat a bait and then swim towards the boat. By attempting to set the hook before reeling down, excess slack is not accounted for and a hook set may not even reach the fish, but will send a signal down the line to drop the bait. Also, if the fish hasn't inhaled the bait and is simply holding it, reeling down may pull the bait from it's mouth but won't completely take it away. These trout are highly aggressive and will continue to pursue a bait that is lightly pulled from their mouth so by reeling down, an angler often gets two or three shots at the same fish and finally hooks it. Lastly, a strong hook set will remove the shrimp or whitebait from the hook. Make sure there is something on the other end before setting the hook. When planning a Tampa Trout Fishing outing, look for maximum water movement as the time to be on the water. Also, use circle hooks...2/0 is a perfect size...so as to limit the damage done to fish that will be released.
Redfishing usually begins to slow down towards then end of October in St Joseph's sound. Larger fish are replaced by smaller ones and the overall volume of fish seems to decline a bit until spring. November defied this norm as numerous days produced limits of quality redfish and, on a few stellar days, double digit catches of fish from 22 to 28 inches were recorded. With only a few nights in the high forties to date, water temperatures have held safely in the sixties and it appears that the redfish appreciate this. The forecast for the early days of December continues to be mild so hopefully Tampa Fishing Charters will continue to be productive for redfish in the near term. Fish are still willing to eat "summertime" baits such as live and cut pinfish and pilchards. Once the cold settles in, their scope will narrow to crustaceans like shrimp and crab. Some Tampa Fishing guides have been working the deeper potholes on the lower phases of the tides. This technique is effective for the fisherman willing to work hard...tossing baits into numerous potholes until productive ones are discovered. The benefit is that, once uncovered, these same potholes may yield fish for several weeks. On other Tampa Fishing Charters, guides will wait for the high tide and fish potholes closer to shore, as well as oyster bars and mangrove points. Dock fishing is productive now and will become a primary approach as winter deepens.
So before winter decides to settle in for good, take advantage of the beautiful weather and catch a pile of trout and redfish. With the new, relaxed, trout regulations, 4 fish can be harvested 12 months a year so, even if the redfish don't co-operate, most trips should produce something to take home for dinner. Good luck and good fishing.
This Fishing Report was submitted on 6/5/2013 11:10:46 PM by and last updated on 6/5/2013 11:10:46 PM.
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