Guide Bites
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George reports anglers may not want to make fishing harder by chasing the usual trout, reds and snook this week, as the cold nights will make the task a lot harder. Instead, those who focus on sheepshead, silver trout and whiting have the best chance of being rewarded. All three species feed well in cold water and are not turned off by big temperature drops the way others are. The bigger sheepshead he’s finding have been on rock piles in 10 to 12 feet of water, with live shrimp taking them. Live fiddler crabs have been producing better around docks, though the dock sheepshead have been running smaller. The whiting and sheepshead are going to be in deep canals and channels. One of the best producing spots is the boat channel out of the Gandy Boat ramp, where it’s not unusual to see a number of small boats anchored up and dropping shrimp to the bottom for both species. Boaters with sonar units can find both by looking for “big balls” of fish hanging close to the bottom in water 10 to 15 feet deep. Once found, it’s easy to load up on them for a fish fry. Other good options in the current conditions include working the edges of the shipping channels in the bay, where there has been some good catch-and-release gag grouper action. Though grouper is out of season, many are landing a lot of nice-sized grunts while fishing for them, and they are great on the table. Spots that have been productive include the channels at Port Manatee and the Skyway. Those who do want to go after the more glamorous inshore species may want to try the Weedon and Big Bend power plants, where water used to cool the generators is expelled, warming the surrounding water. Trout, reds and even snook, along with cobia and jacks are not unusual catches even in very cold conditions.
Capt. Chuck Rogers (813-918-8356): Capt. Chuck says already cool bay water will dive to new lows after the cold that’s predicted this week. All the action is going to be where the fish can stay the warmest. That means deeper canals, backwaters with dark, muddy bottom that hold the sun’s heat and the Weedon and Big Bend power plants, where warmer water expelled keeps things more comfortable for a wide variety of species. Until the water gets a chance to warm back up, anglers also can concentrate on the species that bite most reliably in winter. Sheepshead are a good bet, with rocks, dock and bridge pilings where they hang out. Live and frozen shrimp works, as do fiddler crabs. Whiting is another wintertime staple, with fish up to about 14 inches in deeper holes, channels and pockets, where they feed on the bottom. They take live and frozen shrimp. It’s the same pattern for silver trout, which also hang deep and feed near the bottom on the same baits.
Tackle shop roundup
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Bill says prior to this week’s cold nights, the trout and redfish bite in the Gandy Bridge area has been pretty good. Both will be a little tougher to find in the outside bay waters with the expected water temperature drops so anglers may want to move to canals, creeks and backwater pockets. Live shrimp fished near the bottom in 8 feet and deeper water may be a winner. Patience and moving from spot to spot is the drill. Docks in canals are likely places to find fish congregating, the docks in deepest water the most productive. Sheepshead don’t mind the colder conditions as much and will take live fiddler crabs or shrimp around bridge and dock pilings, as well as around submerged rocks and jetties. They get hit hard by anglers at this time of year, and Bill recommends if normally productive spots are dry, start searing any structure within 100 yards of the spot to discover where the fish are gathering after being pressured by too many anglers “dropping lead on their heads.” Whiting and silver trout feed well through cold spells like we are seeing, and they school in big numbers in channels in 10 feet of water or more. Live and frozen shrimp works well, the latter good news for anglers when shrimpers are having a hard time netting the bait at this time of year due to them burrowing in the sand due to the cold Gulf waters.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727-954-6365): Jacob reports that over the past week, trout and sheepshead have been the stars of the show for most anglers. Small, live shrimp on a No. 1 or No. 2 hook fished around pilings and rocks have been working on the sheepshead, but for the trout, medium shrimp has been tops. Prior to the cold this week, big redfish have been on the flats around Weedon Island in good numbers. A relatively cold-hardy species, the pattern could continue through the falling water temperatures we’re expected to see this week. Cut ladyfish, mullet, or pieces of blue crab appeal to them in the cold water, as they don’t like to expend energy chasing live baits. Offshore, the great hogfish bite continues, with lots of big fish on rocks in 40 to 60 feet of water. Live or frozen shrimp planted on the bottom takes them. Some nice catches of large red grouper are being made by anglers fishing rocks and ledges in 70 feet of water. Large live baits on a 6/0 or 7/0 hook with enough weight to hold the bottom works. The blackfin tuna that had been around in decent numbers offshore have thinned out some with the cooler weather, but Jacob says March and April are when anglers may be able to resume fishing them with confidence.