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

Catch some silver trout to put on table

Posted Jan 21, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Jan 21, 2012 at 06:00 PM

BY BILL MILLER

Silver trout are schooling up all over the Bay area, and they are easy to catch and really taste good.

When I was a young man, I first heard them called sugar trout. The reason they were called that, I was told, was that when they were cooked they tasted sweet. I agreed with that then, and I agree with that now.

Other names I have heard for silver trout include white trout, summer trout and sand trout.

The silver trout looks like a speckled trout without spots and generally does not grow as big as its cousin the speckled trout.

Good places to catch silvers are the channel leading into Port Manatee, right off the Williams Park boat ramp in the Alafia River, the Weedon Island power plant channel, Gandy boat ramp channel, Davis Island boat ramp channel and hard bottom off the Gulf beaches in 10-15 feet.

Silver trout will be seen on your fish finder as a cloud from the bottom up. If you don’t have a fish finder, try drifting and fan casting the area where mackerel birds are dipping and diving. A good cluster of boats also usually indicates some silvers in the area.

I like to use eighth- or quarter-ounce tandem jigs tipped with a small piece of shrimp.

When I see a fish mark on the bottom, I drop my jigs straight down or just flip it away from the boat and jig it up about halfway off the bottom. If I don’t get a hit, I reel it up and do it again.

There is no size or bag limit on silver trout.

Most anglers only keep the bigger ones and what they can eat for a good meal.

Captain Bill Miller hosts “Hooked on Fishing” on Bright House Sports Network, Channel 47. To book a charter with captain Bill or his son captain Billy, call (813) 363-9927.