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• December 2011

Spotted sea trout will be plentiful

Posted Dec 22, 2011 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Dec 22, 2011 at 06:43 PM

By FRANK SARGEANT

Most anglers think of nighttime dock fishing as a way of catching snook — and it’s a good one — but spotted sea trout also stack up around many lighted Intracoastal Waterway docks in winter and, unlike snook, you can take them home for a breakfast of fried fish and grits if the spirit moves you. Snook harvest is undergoing a long hiatus due to a winter kill a few years back.

Though trout are easy to catch on artificials when out on the flats, in the clear water under the docks they take live shrimp much better. Light line, small hooks and a free-lined presentation does best. Tail-hook the shrimp, lip it where the shadows overhang the water and be ready to set the hook when you feel a tap. A DOA plastic shrimp is the second best bet for this fishery.

Docks from Clearwater to St. Pete Beach are all worth checking, as are those at Anna Maria and southward all the way to Boca Grande.

Another good bet around the holidays is to find sheepshead on the flats — they tail just like redfish. Careful wading and accurate casts with unweighted shrimp will fool these cagey fish, and you’ll pick up reds along the way. The South Shore flats are particularly good — the last hour of outgoing tide is the time to go, and wading is a must.