If you have never caught Spanish Mackerel now is the time to give it a try. These toothy critters are a blast to catch on light spinning gear. You can expect a lot of cut offs as these mini torpedoes have razor sharp teethe.

The first order of business is to get the right bait. Sardines are perfect baits and can be found right now at some of the local bridges. If you can not get sardines you can slow troll some silver spoons.

I like to use anywhere from 40 to 60 pound test mono leader and a long shank  J -hook in the 1/0 size. Anchoring around the bridges and structure is a great place to start. I will chum a little with some of the baits and then free line some to get the bite.

We had our share of cut offs and losses but we did manage to put several to the boat. We also caught a few snapper but most were right around the 14″ range.

Spanish Mackerel

Toothy Critter

Mangrove Snapper

I know these are not the largest fish you have ever seen or maybe even caught but they put up a drag ripping fight on light tackle and make great table fare. There is a limit of 15 mackerel per person per day and they have to be at least 12 inches to the fork.

If you have children this is something sure to please them as these fish will keep the rods bent.

Thanks for checking in on the reports. I will be on the water this week and will keep you updated as to what kind of action Tampa Bay has to offer.

Capt. Steve Betz

On Saturday I had a group of three guys from Ohio. Eric,Mike and M were a pleasure to have on the boat and there friendly banter made for some laughs. The fishing ended up being much better than it had been. I took the guys to some residential canals as I felt they would provide the best action. This first stop would produce lady fish and the guys had know problem after some short instructions casting and getting the retrieve down. I did not keep a tally but I guess they landed over 20 or so of them.

Lady fish

At times the action could get a little intense as the Pelicans are very hungry right now and they would try and grab the fish off the hook. This made for one close call of a Pelican getting hooked but between Eric and I we were able to free the bird uninjured.

On our next stop we worked another canal. This one would hold trout today. The water temp had come up just two degrees and this seemed to turn the fish on. The lure presentation was a bit different this time. But once again the guys caught on and caught around 25 trout. If they would of been keeping fish to eat they would of easily had there limits but all fish were released for future guest.

Eric w/ trout

M w/ trout

On Sunday morning I woke and got ready to head out. I was a little concerned when I got in the truck and I had ice on the windshield. In the back of my mind I could only think how this may have a bad effect on the fishing. I had no choice other than head to the ramp as my guest for this day Ed and Dennis were driving from Sarasota. They were depending on me to put them on some fish.

I knew once again our best chance was going to be fishing the canals. The fish were in the same place I left them the day before but the water temp had dropped overnight so the fish were just not as eager to eat. Ed and Dennis had the jigging down but only managed to entice a few lady’s to eat.

Dennis working the area with a jig

The bite totally shut off so we made our move to the trout canal. The guys started off with the soft plastic jigs,but it was not going to happen this way. I removed the soft plastic and and threaded a live shrimp onto the jig head. This combined with crawling the baits slowly across the bottom got the bite. In all honesty the action was very slow and only a few trout were caught.

Sunday ended up being a little cooler out than Saturday. It was still clear sunny skies but it just wasnt enough to warm the water.

Ed w/ trout

For the next week the weather is supposed to be pretty nice with temps in the 70’s. We have another front coming through but its supposed to be a mild one. Spring is supposed to begin on the 20th of the month. It can not come soon enough.

Don’t forget to check back . I will keep posting up the reports no matter how good or bad.

When it gets cold beyond comfortable I have found other fishing related options to keep me busy. I spend some time on the phone talking to other fishing guides and recreational fishermen alike. I even head down to the tackle shop to spend some time talking with the fellows. Of course there are other things to do like preparing for the ever dreaded trip to the accountant to have the yearly taxes done. But that is no fun so I usually opt to go through my fishing gear and organize things.

There may be a reel or two that need some TLC so I will take the time to service them. This is a good time to go over some things on the boat. Tampa Bay’s salt water conditions can take its toll on the boat so I will go over checking for loose screws,wiring connections,ect. Its also a good time to check the trailer over. Air pressure for the tires,lubing the axle bearings,checking the winch strap ect. There is nothing worse than breaking down on the way to the boat ramp because of something a little maintenance could of avoided.

With all that being said I like the cold for some reasons. If the weather did not turn sour once in a while I would probably never get anything done other than fishing.

I thought it might be a good idea to include a video in this report. Not to long ago a friend of mine (Neal Cline) and I put together a video on fishing reel maintenance. I hope you enjoy and find it useful.