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+--- Thread: Tampa Bay Area Fishing Report (/showthread.php?tid=6871)
Tampa Bay Area Fishing Report - captchas - 12-23-2001
Tampa Bay Area <br>Fishing Report<br>Captain Charles Walker<br>12/23/01<br>It was supposed to be 38 degrees this morning. Thank God it wasn’t! I hate the cold! It’s coming though. The last week has been considerably cooler and the Gulf temperature has started to drop. The cold front that’s coming through tonight will probably put things down to “normal” for the end of December. I sure hate to see it. All the weather gurus are saying that we will have a cold winter, somewhat back to the kind we had before they figured out that the Pacific Ocean drove our weather here in Florida. I wonder if that’s really true or if it’s just another batch of fiction by the PETA-heads to try and explain how nature works?<br><br>Anyway, it looks like the holiday weather is going to be cold and windy most of the week. This will definitely make the fish complete their winter migration so we can look for fishing to change to a winter mode.<br>On to the bait house reports:<br>Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325 – The ship’s channel and the flats have been producing some nice sized redfish. There are plenty of trout for catch and release fishing. There are some nice flounder around Simmon’s Park and the cobia are moving back to the power plant outlet. Lots of sheepshead are available around the pilings and there are plenty of black drum in the river. Snook are in the mouth of the river. Don’t forget our guarantee, our shrimp will catch fish or they’ll die trying.<br>Buddy’s Bait and Tackle on the Courteney Campbell Causeway in Tampa - 813-287-1026 – Reds, black drum, and trout are biting around the big bridge on live shrimp. Sheepshead are all along the Causeway and around the bridge pilings. <br>Bonnie’s Bait and Tackle in Clearwater - 727-446-2772- Grouper were caught this week in 30 feet of water out of Clearwater. Kings were still being caught on the Sand Key hard bottom. Pompano have been coming in from the Gandy along with big black drum. Whiting and drum are coming in from the beach. On the freshwater side, the crappie are turned on and we are selling a ton of live minnows for them.<br>Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Pompano are biting like crazy off the Gandy Bridge and the best lures are Doc’s Goofy Jigs with fiddler crabs. Sheepshead are biting well. Lots of big jacks are biting at the foot of the bridge. Lots of small snook are biting for catch and release.<br>Dogfish Tackle on Redington Beach - 727-392-6644- Whiting and silver trout are being caught on the beach this week. Grouper are biting in 35 feet offshore. Spanish mackerel are still biting around the Pier. In the backwaters, a few snook are starting to bite along with black drum around the bridges and docks.<br> Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Sheepshead, snook, and black drum are biting off our dock and along the sea wall. Our offshore boats only managed to get out a few days this week and caught grouper and mangrove snapper.<br>The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Pompano, king mackerel, grouper, silver trout, and grunts are coming in pretty steady today on the north pier. Our biggest grouper this week was just over 38 inches, 21.4 pounds. Sheepshead are really biting well on both ends of the bridge. Some flounder have been coming in along with whiting and silver trout.<br><br>Folks, feel free to call any of the places in my report for more information, and be sure to tell them that you read about the fishing in their area in Capt. Charlie’s fishing report on the Internet.<br><br>If you want more information about fishing in the Tampa Bay area or wish to book a charter, simply e-mail me at captchas@flfish.com or if you wish to arrange a charter faster, call me at 727-546-7257. Be sure and visit my web site for lots more Tampa Bay Area fishing info at: http://www.floridasaltwater.com .<br><br>Good fishing and tight lines,<br>Capt. Charlie<br>http://www.flfish.com/fl<br><br><br><br>Capt. Charlie Walker<br>http://www.flfish.com