The big recent front really changed the game for Tampa inshore fishing. This past week, prior to the front, we had clear waters and moderate conditions that was allowing the mackerel, trout, redfish, snook, flounder and many other species bite well. After the front blew through, the murkier muddy stirred up water behind the front left the sheepshead biting well, gags fired up, black drum feeding, trout a bit pickier and the occasional redfish and snook cooperated. The waters are finally clearing back up behind the front with the now calmer conditions. Really got to watch the weather this time of year and fish around the storms, if you only can fish at certain times make sure to capitalize on what’s biting with the weather conditions. When its moderate and clearer waters, nearly all our local species will cooperate at the right time of day and in the right areas. When its murky, muddy and stirred up — the sheepshead, black drum, gags and trout flourish. However, that muddy water really brings out the best in sheepshead.
Sheepshead love the structures like docks, piers, jetties and rock piles around the area. The love to eat clams, oysters, barnacles and fiddler crabs and you can catch them with small pieces of shrimp as well. Smaller hooks and lighter tackle is king, but you need a stronger hook that won’t bend out or snap in their harder mouths. 1-2ot hooks with around 15-20lb floro seems to work well with a minimal amount of weight. Just enough weight to keep your bait in the strike zone which is right up against the structure that the sheepshead are cruising on looking for crabs, barnacles and other crustaceans. These guys are fun to catch, great eating just a little tricky to clean since they are bonier fish with a very tough rib cage to fillet out.
Black drum are similar to sheepshead and hide out in similar areas but instead of being right on the structure these guys tend to hold the bottom adjacent to these structures eating many of the same food items as sheepshead but the best luck for the drum is a crab or whole live shrimp weighted to the bottom.
Snook are still around the area, but they are much more tricky in the passes and most seem to be on the move especially with the fronts increasing in strength and our local waters cooling down more and more. The slower action artificials seem to be working well or bait on the bottom weighted down making it easy for them to feed seems to be working best.
Redfish can be found in the potholes of the flats, mangrove shorelines, and upper bay areas especially in the warmer afternoon sun in the shallows warming up from the chillier local water temps. Like the snook they become more opportunistic and slower moving as the water cools so slow-moving lures are the trick this time of year. Just like you and me, the cooler it gets the more we tend to want to slow down. Remember, the fish can’t just bundle up like you and me so when temps drop suddenly they can get a bit of a shock and tend to just freeze up making them a little tougher to get chewing until they warm up or find easy prey items.
Flounder are being caught around the docks, bridges and passes and along the sandy edges and potholes of the grass flats on live shrimp on the bottom or the slow-moving artificial shrimp like the DOA shrimp. These guys are waiting for passing bait right on the bottom so you got to present them the bait like they want, or they will not cooperate.
The mackerel bite was really good around the area prior to the big blow that stirred up the water and we are expecting them to return in force as the water clears the next few days ahead of the next blow early this coming week. Unlike the rest of the species we have been discussing these guys like fast moving flashy baits like casting spoons or gotcha plugs around the passes, beaches, piers and mouth of the bay.
Tripletail are still all over the bay and along the beaches hiding out under buoys, markers and other debris. If you are lucky enough to run across one of these unique looking fish, make sure to show them a live shrimp or artificial shrimp right near their hide outs for a chance at a great dinner. However, remember they have to be eighteen inches total length now to keep which can be challenging sometimes to run across.
