Fishing Tampa's Flats and Bay

Posts Tagged ‘red fish’

July has been a month so far that has been very productive in many ways. The beginning of the month being July 4th weekend was basically a rain out as far as fishing went. With that being the case I decided it would be nice to change the pace and visit the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary on Indian Rocks Beach. If you ever get this way I would suggest a visit to the sanctuary as its free admission and with a guided tour you can learn a lot about   our seabirds and the work they do at the sanctuary.

Some of the many Pelicans being cared for

On the week end of the 10th I was to fish in the 4th of a series of Xtreme Redfish tournaments I have been fishing with my partner Justin Ascherman. The rain had stopped and it was time to get our game on. Pre-fishing proved productive as we found a nice school of slot sized fish in the 3 pound range with bigger fish mixed in at upper and over slot in the 7 pound range. We  set our plan in motion Saturday morning for the tournament.  Our goal was to get to fish in the live well and then work on upgrading to heavier fish. This tournament is a combined weight of two fish weighed in. The fish have to be with in the legal size limit of 18 to 27 inches. Our plan worked our very well as we took second place with total weigh of over 12 lbs and also won in the big fish category with a 7.63 lb Redfish.

Tampa Bay Charter 7.63 lb Redfish

After the second place finish I was ready for a vacation. OK not really but my wife have planned a vacation every July for the last 3 years to go scalloping. We spent a week in Crystal River with a group of good friends and scalloped every day. Its a great event for everyone collecting the clam like shell by snorkeling in 3 to 6 feet of Crystal Clear water. As a bonus the tender morsel of meat inside the shells makes for a variety of recipes.  If you think this is something you would like to try there are a lot of guides in the area who specialize in scalloping trips. Just do a Google search.

Tampa Bay Charter Scalloping

Tampa Bay Charters Scallops

After a week long fun filled vacation it was time to get back to fishing. I had the opportunity to fish for the FWC  tag and release program. The mission was to catch,tag and release as many Mangrove Snapper and Grouper as we could. Along with fellow anglers Jim and Mark and Brent from the FWC  along we set out to get it done. In all we caught over 20 Mangrove Snapper in the 17″ size range and several under sized grouper. We ran out of bait at about 2 am and called it a day. It was an interesting experience that I hope to participate in again.

Well with lees than a week left in the month I have to get back out on the water to make sure I can keep up with the fish to provide the most successful days for a Tampa Bay Charter.

If you are looking for a Tampa Bay Fishing Guide please feel free to contact me

As always thank you for stopping by to check out my reports.

Capt. Steve Betz

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

With this latest cold front comingthrough  and a charter on the books I felt a day of scouting was in order.

When we get these cold north winds it can make some drastic changes to the fishing over night. Finding bait to fish with and hungry fish to eat it can go from easy to impossible with a 5 degree drop in water temperature. Today that proved partly true. Finding bait and filling the well with some frisky sardines was like taking candy from a baby. Finding fish that would eat the bait IMPOSSIBLE!

I found plenty of fish today snook,red fish and trout included but not a one would eat any thing that was on a hook. Crazy as it seems the bay water temp went from 65 degrees to 60 degrees in just a couple of days. It was just enough to shut the bite down.

It will take a couple of days and the fishing should pick back up as the fish acclimate themselves to the change.

I am going to head back out tomorrow and try and find some warmer water. Tampa Bay has a couple of power plants that supply some warm water out flow that during times like these can be a haven for many species. The power plants will be my target tomorrow.

I will let you know whats happening there in my next report.