Fishing Tampa's Flats and Bay

Posts Tagged ‘red drum’

The last week or so has really gotten my spirits up about the fishing in Tampa Bay. It seems like winter has been dragging on forever,but now I think spring has sprung even if it hasn’t just jumped right out and slapped us.

Today my guest were Ted and Charlie from Michigan. These guys had me excited before we ever left the dock. They had been fishing the day before from some docks on Tampa Bay. They were telling me of their catch and what it included. One of the fish they caught was a Spanish Mackerel. That got me all fired up! These fish are a pelagic species and just hear of one caught told me the spring run is near. Trust me when they show up in force I will be one of the first to have a report up. I love these fish. Not just because they can make some good table fare,but they can also test out some light tackle with some drag ripping runs. Stay tuned for that report.

Ted and Charlie did not care to tangle with the Black Drum I had been catching but wanted a drum of a different kind. We went to an area that I knew was holding fish and after making a few adjustments Charlie got hooked up with a nice fish. Unfortunately the fish came unglued! We waited it out but a Kayaker and a couple of other boats created some unwanted pressure and the fish shut down. I made a run to try and put them on some trout and they did catch a few but not really the amount I would of like to see. A few more move produced nothing. I really thought the bite would of been a little better but hey,its fishing. I can find them but can not always make them eat.

Time was slipping away and I knew Ted had a schedule. I asked him he he could spend a little extra time out so I could try and get them the redfish they wanted. He agreed they could stay a little longer.

To make along story short I found the fish again. After setting up Charlie was first to hook up. He got a nice 25″ redfish,then Ted hooked up. He had a real bulldog on and once landed it measured just under 27″. We tried for a little while longer but the guy in the Kayak came back and with his extra pressure it drove the reds deep under the bushes.

Ted and Charlie display their Tampa Bay Redfish

With 2009  rapidly coming to an end I wanted to get one last trip in for the year.

Trout season will be reopening in our area the first of the new year.

I have great confidence that I can put clients on some nice keeper trout this time of year so I wanted to do something different today. I like to offer a variety of species to catch using different methods so my charter’s stay fun and eventful. Being caught up in fishing the back waters and creeks I have neglected fishing the residential canals. Today would be the day I would scout them out.

I took a friend of mine with me today. John is a novice angler but he loves to fish and does not mind the scouting portion of fishing. Scouting is not something I can do with clients on board so when I do scout its usually by myself or with someone that enjoys scouting. You see scouting is not all ways about catching.

The time I had allotted today to scout probably wasn’t the best for canals as it was a negative low tide and I prefer a high out going when fishing them. But hey I had to go when I could as not to miss out on tonight’s party.

Methodically we worked the docks one by one,looking for fish and tossing small live shrimp under them. John caught on quick and began catching Redfish and Sheepshead.

After spending the time out there today I was not disappointed I went. It was not a banner day but it was productive. We caught about a dozen Red fish (red drum) and probably another dozen Sheepshead with a Snook thrown in the mix.

It was a good way to end an old year and bring in a new. It also adds an alternative fishing experience for my clients to enjoy.

Have a Happy and Safe New Year.

Capt. Steve Betz

Today I had my charter with Richard  and his son Derek.

I picked them up at 9:30 am and we headed to our first destination. After the last two days of scouting I figured the fishing was going to be a little slow. The first couple of stops were proving me right as they only produced a couple of trout.

I told the guys we had to make another move so off we went. This next spot would prove me wrong. Derek had the first bait in the water and it was fish on. He came up with a small redfish. Richard hadn’t figured out the sweet spot yet so Derek proceeded to school him. It didn’t take long and Richard was in the game. They caught about 15 red’s when they quit biting.

I made another move and this is where we stayed while they caught about another 60 redfish! It was one after another with double hooks ups being the norm. Even though these fish were not huge they were beautiful with Derek catching one with 10 spots total. That fish could of been a contender in a redfish spot tournament.

We used shrimp today and that made all the difference. I had sardine’s but only a few fish were caught on those.

Don’t forget to check back as I will be posting updated reports of whats happening in Tampa Bay.

Until then Happy Holidays!

This is an email I received from Richard after his charter with me.

Captain Steve, I wanted to thank you for making today a memorable fishing trip.  Sometimes it’s not how many fish you put in the cooler but the experiences and memories you have of a great day on the water.  Derek and I had a great time!

I looked at your web site and it looks great.  Good job!  The fishing report for 12.23.09 is also great!

Thanks again for a memorable trip.

Have a great Christmas.

Richard

It seems I dont get to spend as much time as I would like fishing with my wife. Karen loves to fish but seems that daily life gets in the way at times.

We made plans to get out this Sunday and do a little inshore reef fishing. As we approached our launch site I knew the plan was going to have to change.

Fog had set in and it was thick. I dont like running in the fog or sitting at anchor in the middle of the bay either. Its just not the safest thing to do as other boaters just can not see you.

So our plan switched to staying close to the mangrove’s in areas the boats would not be running.

After making our way thru the dense fog by GPS we soon had our baits in the water.

Karen was first up with a nice trout. Then it was red fish one after another. All on the small side. The I started catching some trout when I heard Karen say ” I dont know what it is but I have something big!”

I looked over and her rod was bent double. I told her to take it easy and let the rod and the reels drag do the work. That was all the coaching it took and her old fishing censes  kicked in and it was reel down and pull up.

The fish made some runs ripping off drag but Karen soon won the battle and landed this nice 30″ Red Drum.

The fog lifted and boat traffic picked up so we decided to call it a nice morningand head back home to watch football.