Fishing Tampa's Flats and Bay

March is here and it came roaring in like a lion! The wind has been relentless and the cold just as bad. The weather has made for some very tough fishing conditions. I was able to get out twice in the last week and let me tell you it was not easy! Winds 15 to 20 knots out of the north west with some serious gust thrown in made for some very well planned out trips. Picking the right launch site was key to getting to areas with protection from the wind.

Canals were the main target area this past week. The fishing was slow with mainly sheepshead and lady fish being caught. The sheepshead make great table fair and the lady’s they make for some fun rod bending action.

The sheeps head were caught around the dock pilings in the canals using small live shrimp on a 1/0 circle hood weighted with a small split shot. The lady’s on the other hand were eager to eat our artificial baits. Just about any soft plastic on a 1/8 oz jig head would do the trick. Letting the bait hit the bottom of the canal and then bouncing it back along the bottom would entice the strike.

The trout bite was totally off and I think this had to do with this latest front coming thru. Sometimes the fish just get lock jaw and there is nothing you can do about it. The fishing so far this year has been very unpredictable. I know I am not the only one that hopes the weather soon breaks and we get some warm temps.

Keep checking back for more reports. Spring is just around the corner, I hope.

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