02-10-2002, 10:38 PM
Tampa Bay Area <br>Fishing Report<br>Captain Charles Walker<br><br>2/10/02<br><br>Winter tried to come back this week in the form of wind and rain, but the cold never quite made it. As for the fishing report, just read last weeks or the week before. Winter in central Florida creates pretty much a consistent fishing pattern for most of our inshore and offshore fish. Offshore the pelagics are gone and the bottom fish are a little lethargic due to the cold water while inshore the best fishing is for sheepshead that migrate into the shallows during the winter and really congregate around bridges and docks where there is plenty of food like barnacles, crabs, worms, etc. for them. The reds will be in scattered areas of the flats around the Bay while trout will be holed up in the deeper holes where the water temperature doesn’t make large changes up and down. It’s good fishing, just not the same variety as during the spring through the fall.<br>On to the bait house reports:<br>Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325 – Trout fishing is really slammin’ this week. The sheepshead are really big now and biting just about everything that you can get to hang on a hook. A few keeper snook have come in this week from the mouth of the river up past the trestle. Grouper are still biting well in the ship’s channel by trollers using big lipped plugs. Silver trout are just jumping into the boat for anglers that are fishing for them.<br>Buddy’s Bait and Tackle on the Courteney Campbell Causeway in Tampa - 813-287-1026 – Redfish, trout and snook have been biting well at this end of the Bay for anglers using live shrimp. Lots of undersized fish have been caught and released this week as well. Sheepshead are biting well around the pilings and bridge supports.<br>Bonnie’s Bait and Tackle in Clearwater - 727-446-2772- Spanish mackerel and bluefish are still in the passes this week and will bite anything you throw at them. Whiting and sheepshead are biting by the bucketfuls at night on shrimp. Grouper are still biting from 25 feet on out this week. <br>Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Lots of sheepshead are being caught at the bridges. Quite a few drum and speckled trout are coming in from the rock piles at the foot of the bridge. Reds are being caught at the Fourth St. Bridge. Silver trout are being caught off the rock piles at the end of the bridge as well.<br>Dogfish Tackle on Redington Beach - 727-392-6644- Reds, drum, sheepshead and trout are being caught in the backwaters and on the Gulf side whiting and silver trout are the big catches. <br>Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Sheepshead have been coming in from our dock this week. Trout have been coming in from the potholes on the flats. Our offshore boats have been getting lots of grouper on all day trips and one night trip produced a good catch of mangrove snapper on the full moon.<br>The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Lots of silver trout and whiting have been coming in at night and plenty of sea bass during the day. The south side has been producing a lot of Spanish mackerel and sheepshead this week.<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