03-04-2001, 10:33 PM
Tampa Bay Area <br>Fishing Report<br>Captain Charles Walker<br>3/4/01<br>As the freshwater guys say, “the fish are in transition”. The weather has been absolutely beautiful (until this weekend of course), but the grouper have been totally uncooperative. After 3 days on the water last week, we found diddly; a few small fish and two keepers in three trips. The surface temperature is 73 degrees offshore and the fish are showing on the bottom machine, but they aren’t biting. After the glowing reports I heard last week about the grouper being caught in the ship’s channel, I took a will full of threadfins and fished from Port Manatee to Egmont with minimal results. I guess they just need time to adjust to temperature changes, who knows?<br>On to the bait house reports:<br><br>Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325- Snook were biting for the anglers that could get live greenbacks this week. Lots of mangrove snapper were caught near the south Skyway pier. Spanish mackerel are all over the Bay and will bite well on a large live shrimp or a small greenback. The port Manatee spoil island is holding a lot of big sheepshead and of course a lot are being caught off the bridge here on the river.<br>Buddy’s Bait and Tackle on the Courteney Campbell Causeway in Tampa - 813-287-1026- Trout and sheepshead were the hot fish this week. Some snook are around the floodgates and a greenback or other live bait will produce some good action.<br>Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Snook have really turned on this week. Fish over 30 inches are common. Grunts, pinfish, and select shrimp are producing for everyone fishing under the light. Drum have picked up in mostly smaller sizes and a lot of pompano have been caught around the bridge.<br>Dogfish Tackle on Redington Beach - 727-392-6644- Some nice kings have been caught off the pier this week and Spanish mackerel have been around the beach all week. Some nice trout have come in from the backwaters this week as well as sheepshead from around the docks.<br>Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Pompano and Spanish mackerel have been caught all week off the jetty on the Gulf side. Sheepshead and whiting have been caught off our gas docks. Our offshore boats have been getting mangrove snapper, porgies, lane snapper and other great tasting bottom fish. A few kings have been caught offshore this week in the ship’s channel.<br>The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Cobia, grouper, redfish, and a lot of Spanish mackerel have been caught off the piers this week. Pompano have been biting well on the south pier and at night both piers have been producing some sharks. <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