Please dowload enable javascript or download the latest flash player.

Weather Search: Type zip or city

Outdoors Forum:

• Talk Outdoors

Weather Links:

---

• Live Video Weather
• Solunar Tables
• WFLA Doppler Radar
• Marine Forecast
• Personal Forecast
• Watches/Warnings

Tide Charts:

---

• Daily
• Hillsborough
• Clearwater
• St. Petersburg
• Point Pinellas
• Conversion chart
• Tide predictions

Most Recent Entries

• UD unveils Military Machines inserts for 2012 Goodwin Champions set
• Rays @ BoSox: Guyer out for the season, Jennings close to returning and lineups
• USF softball: It’s game day
• Weekly Tampa Bay fishing report
• Rays at BoSox: Rivalry renewed
• Karen Cooley returns as Zephyrhills girls swimming coach
• USF beats Pitt, stays alive
• The Nerds head north
• Jeffrey Shank out as Gulf boys basketball coach
• Berkeley Prep captures Academic Team Champion Award - again
• This week’s signings and offers
• Berkeley Prep wins FHSAA Academic Award standings
• Shank out as Gulf boys hoops coach
• Be prepared for year’s busiest boating weekend
• Train and O.A.R. added to summer concert series

More

• Bucs Report -Tribune staff
• Rays Report - Roger Mooney
• Bolts Report - Erik Erlendsson
• Bulls Report
• Prep Report - Hillsborough
• Prep Report - Pasco
• Prep Report - Region
• Prep Report - Recruiting Updates
• Prep Report - Football
• Go Fishing: On The Waterfront
• The Sports Bookie - Bob D'Angelo
• Gators Report - Tribune staff
• Youth Sports Report
• NFL Draft Report
• Go Ask: Frank's Tacklebox
• Bucified Bert Blog
• BUK Power - Bucs Fan Blog
• Pigskin Preacher - NFL Fan Blog
• Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen
• Highlands Sports

Monthly Archives

• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011

April weather for February fishing

Posted Feb 7, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Feb 7, 2012 at 03:17 PM

BY RAY MARKHAM

I know the calendar says we’re pushing mid-February, but I’m wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Water temperatures have been into the 70s, and that’s usually not something I see until late March or early April. Bait schools are scattered on the flats on high water, but hang in deep water much of the rest of the time. Schools of bait are also on beaches. This abnormal weather pattern is making fish set up housekeeping in places that they aren’t normally residing this time of year.

We’re catching fair numbers of speckled trout ranging from 15-18 inches. Lower Tampa Bay spring trout range from 18-30 inches and usually show up from March through May in the lower Tampa Bay area. Top-water lures are productive for these big fish, but a top-water bite is still pretty tough to get going on a regular basis. Subsurface lures that work the bottom of the water column, like CAL Jigs with Shad tails, MirrOlure soft plastic Lil’ John jerk baits and DOA Shrimp are still top producers in soft baits.

The approaching full moon is pushing water up higher on high tides and draining the flats on the low tides. Low negative tides have pushed fish off flats and into channels and in holes on the flats. Outside sand bars are occasionally holding pompano that will readily take a Doc’s Goofy Jig, DOA TerrorEyz, or a CAL Shad. Dragging a jig on the bottom will put a few flounder in the boat.
Redfish continue to find shallow mud flats or sand bottoms to hang on during the mid-day sun. An Eppinger Rex spoon cast well beyond the resting fish and allowed to settle before a retrieve will catch these fish when the lure is worked slowly.

Ray Markham runs the Flat Back II out of Terra Ceia and can be reached for charter at (941) 228-3474.