March 2012 Report
February was a great month for fishing. March is now here and its only going to get better. The weather here in Tampa Bay has been outstanding for this time of year and that only makes it better!
Recent outings have been producing some nice catches of Snook,Redfish and Trout. I suspect with the spring like weather we have been having it wont be long and the Spanish Mackerel will be making their way up into Tampa Bay. Nearshore they have already shown and reports are that the Kingfish are mixed in with them. I should be making the run soon to see for myself.
The spanish sardines we use for bait have shown up around the bridges, channel markers and deep water canals. With the water temperature rising it will be a short time and it will be covering the shallow flats. Throwing the cast net to catch bait will become a early morning activity for me as I get ready for the day’s charters.
Recently I had the opportunity to team up with good friend Capt. Jim and do some scouting. We picked one of the worst tides to do so. Tides play a very important part in salt water fishing. On days like this is when you really learn what is going on.
After gathering bait for the day we headed off to check several areas of Tampa Bay in search of fish.We did not find fish at all of the spots but at the ones we did they were hungry and ready to eat even on the almost slack tide. To me this is a sign that fishing in March is going to be off the hook!
Capt. Steve Betz with a respectable Snook
Capt. Jim with a nice trout
Now is the time to book a Tampa Flats and Bay Fishing Charter!