01-26-2002, 09:50 PM
Tampa Bay Area <br>Fishing Report<br>Captain Charles Walker<br>1/26/02<br><br>What beautiful summer weather we’ve had. The only catch is that it’s January. I love the warm winters, but the fish are about as 
as they can get. I really believe they don’t know what to do. The surface water temperature offshore has been above 70 degrees this week, of course I’m sure there is a nice thermocline with cold, cold water deeper down. Believe it or not, two to four pound Spanish mackerel are being caught offshore, go figure.<br>On to the bait house reports:<br>Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325 - Trout and reds are really slammin’ for those that know how to catch them. Lots of silvers are around. Sheepshead are really the top dogs right now. Anywhere that there are barnacles and crabs, you will find the sheepshead. If you can get through the other boats, there are cobia, tarpon, and black tip sharks at the power plant. It might be easier to walk from one boat to the other to get where you want to fish around the power plant.<br>Buddy’s Bait and Tackle on the Courteney Campbell Causeway in Tampa - 813-287-1026 – Trout and reds are biting around the Causeway and the bridges. Sheepshead are biting blood worms, fiddler crabs, pieces of shrimp, and oysters around the pilings and rock piles all over the Bay. <br>Bonnie’s Bait and Tackle in Clearwater - 727-446-2772- Silver trout are just thick around the Redington Pier. They will bite just about anything you put in the water. The grouper have been biting one day and not the next. Anclote has a lot of trout and some reds that are biting well on higher water. Spanish mackerel and bluefish were in the mouth of Clearwater Pass this week.<br>Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Silver trout are biting pieces of shrimp like crazy under the lights after dark along the bridge. Sheepshead are in the large sizes around the pilings. In the bayous, under the lights at night, trout and reds are biting live shrimp as soon as they hit the water.<br>Dogfish Tackle on Redington Beach - 727-392-6644- Spanish mackerel are around the Pier and of course whiting at night. Some nice speckled trout have been caught at night this week from the pier and from the backwaters on live shrimp. The grouper that we have been hearing about seem to be coming from about 80 feet of water.<br>Don’s Dock on Madeira Beach - 727-391-3223- Lot of red grouper have been coming in from bait stacks in 80 to 90 feet of water. Trout have been biting inshore on live bait this week. There have been some nice reds caught off the grass flats. Some big sheepshead are being caught off the rock jetties and around the bridge pilings in the Pass.<br>Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Sheepshead have been coming in from our dock daily. Big trout are biting around the Vina Del Mar Lights at night. Our offshore boats have been doing very well on their on trips out forty miles plus.<br>The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Some Spanish mackerel, silver trout, grouper, sea bass, sharks, and jacks have all been biting this week. It almost seems like Spring is here the way the fishing has picked up. Plenty of sheepshead are coming in daily on pieces of shrimp or fiddler crabs.<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
as they can get. I really believe they don’t know what to do. The surface water temperature offshore has been above 70 degrees this week, of course I’m sure there is a nice thermocline with cold, cold water deeper down. Believe it or not, two to four pound Spanish mackerel are being caught offshore, go figure.<br>On to the bait house reports:<br>Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325 - Trout and reds are really slammin’ for those that know how to catch them. Lots of silvers are around. Sheepshead are really the top dogs right now. Anywhere that there are barnacles and crabs, you will find the sheepshead. If you can get through the other boats, there are cobia, tarpon, and black tip sharks at the power plant. It might be easier to walk from one boat to the other to get where you want to fish around the power plant.<br>Buddy’s Bait and Tackle on the Courteney Campbell Causeway in Tampa - 813-287-1026 – Trout and reds are biting around the Causeway and the bridges. Sheepshead are biting blood worms, fiddler crabs, pieces of shrimp, and oysters around the pilings and rock piles all over the Bay. <br>Bonnie’s Bait and Tackle in Clearwater - 727-446-2772- Silver trout are just thick around the Redington Pier. They will bite just about anything you put in the water. The grouper have been biting one day and not the next. Anclote has a lot of trout and some reds that are biting well on higher water. Spanish mackerel and bluefish were in the mouth of Clearwater Pass this week.<br>Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Silver trout are biting pieces of shrimp like crazy under the lights after dark along the bridge. Sheepshead are in the large sizes around the pilings. In the bayous, under the lights at night, trout and reds are biting live shrimp as soon as they hit the water.<br>Dogfish Tackle on Redington Beach - 727-392-6644- Spanish mackerel are around the Pier and of course whiting at night. Some nice speckled trout have been caught at night this week from the pier and from the backwaters on live shrimp. The grouper that we have been hearing about seem to be coming from about 80 feet of water.<br>Don’s Dock on Madeira Beach - 727-391-3223- Lot of red grouper have been coming in from bait stacks in 80 to 90 feet of water. Trout have been biting inshore on live bait this week. There have been some nice reds caught off the grass flats. Some big sheepshead are being caught off the rock jetties and around the bridge pilings in the Pass.<br>Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Sheepshead have been coming in from our dock daily. Big trout are biting around the Vina Del Mar Lights at night. Our offshore boats have been doing very well on their on trips out forty miles plus.<br>The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Some Spanish mackerel, silver trout, grouper, sea bass, sharks, and jacks have all been biting this week. It almost seems like Spring is here the way the fishing has picked up. Plenty of sheepshead are coming in daily on pieces of shrimp or fiddler crabs.<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