Trout bite still on fire

Posted Feb 3, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Feb 3, 2012 at 04:47 PM

BY BILLY NOBLES

Thank God for a lying ground hog. Our buddy Phil saw his shadow, and that means a few more weeks of winter. Here in Florida, with water temperatures approaching 70 degrees in February, the bite is on.

Captain Mike ran a trip this week in Clearwater, and he reports that they couldn’t find a spot that wasn’t holding trout. The average size was around 18 inches. Don’t tell anyone, but he caught them on the DOA CAL Shad tail, with a white body and a chartreuse head. Go figure, I think that’s the only color he owns, but it works.

Captain Stephen Markovich reports that on Tampa Bay the large trout are back, along with large schools of redfish and — wait for it — huge black drum. The bait is still plentiful at the Skyway piers, but be careful, as the demolition is still going on. You don’t want to skewer your vessel on a submerged piling.

Offshore is absolutely on fire with the grouper bite. It’s a shame we can’t bring any home, because the red and gag seasons are closed. There are still plenty of other species you can bring home for dinner, though.

The amberjack bite is unreal, and they are a blast on light tackle. At around the 100-foot range, look for rock piles, as these hot spots are holding mangrove snapper. That’s if you can get past the red snapper. What a problem to have.

Catch Billy Nobles and Mike Anderson on the “Reel Animals Fishing Show” on Saturdays from 6:30-7 a.m. on WFLA, Ch. 8, and from 6-9 a.m. on 970 AM, and on Sundays from 7-9 a.m. on 620 AM. To book a charter, call 1-866-GAMEFISH or visit http://www.reelanimalsfishingshow.com.

---

Weekly fishing report

Posted Feb 2, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Feb 2, 2012 at 01:34 PM

BY JIM LEE

Weekly Fishing Report

Fishing results and tips for freshwater and saltwater spots, including Tampa Bay and area locations.

Freshwater

Speckled perch (crappie) are in the grass in some areas or staging to spawn in other areas. Catches are full of roe. With our mild weather, bass action is at its best. Live shiners usually take larger fish, but high numbers and an occasional big boy can be taken on artificial lures.

KISSIMMEE CHAIN: Grape Hammock Fish Camp, (863) 692-1500: Speckled perch catches have been good. The best catches are still coming in late in the evening or at night. They are staging along the grass line and may be spawning this week. Limits of bass are being taken by most. Most are in the 2- to 6-pound range.

LORIDA-ISTOKPOGA: Trails End Fishing Resort guide service, (863) 655-0134: Limits of speckled perch are filling coolers. Bass action continues to be better than expected for this time of year.

LAKE OKEECHOBBEE: Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort, 800-473-6766: Bass are us, but not too many specks reported. Bass up to 10 pounds seem to be the norm these days. Limits of bass are also normal in this area.

LAKE ROUSSEAU: Captain Frank Bourgeois, (352) 666-6234: The Withlacoochee River is producing good catches of bass. Lake Rousseau bass catches are improving. Some speckled perch are being caught in Lake Rousseau.

LAKE PANASOFFKEE: Pana Vista Lodge, (352) 793-2061: Lots of bass for this time of year. Limits are the norm. Bass in the 6- to 8-pound category can be found in this lake. Speckled perch catches are spotty.

Saltwater

Catches generally remain about the same in the Tampa Bay area. Spotted sea trout are open along the whole coastline and should stay that way. Catches are good in some areas, with smaller fish found in others. Sheepshead, flounder, redfish and a few bluefish are being taken. Offshore, there are plenty of gag grouper in 40 to 50 feet, but are not legal to take. Red grouper catch numbers increased to four fish, but finding a keeper size red grouper is about 1-in-100. Both redfish and trout were on the flats this past week with the great weather we have been having. Fish the docks with live bait. Flounder are still inshore and are most anywhere from the Skyway to Crystal River. Lots of sheepshead up to 9 pounds are being caught most everywhere. Fish the docks, structure, canals and any place that will hold fish.

10,000 ISLANDS: Captain Corey McMillin, (239) 695-4420: NO REPORT.

SARASOTA: Captain Rick Grassett, (941) 350-9790 or (941) 923-7799: Wade fishing in Sarasota Bay produced redfish and trout. Another day saw Spanish mackerel, bluefish and trout caught.

RUSKIN: South Shore Bait & Tackle, (813) 641-2010: Great catches this week. Catches of trout, flounder, redfish and sheepshead continue to attract anglers in this area. Trout and redfish continue to be a little undersize, but the catching is good. Fish the Kitchen area for a mixed bag of silver trout, speckled trout and redfish. Snook are still being caught up the creeks and canals.

SKYWAY AREA: Captain Sergio Atanes, (813) 973-7132: Still catching high numbers of sheepshead in this area. Most are in the 3- to 9-pound range. Catches of 20 to 30 sheepshead are still being taken. Good numbers of redfish are also on the menu.

LOWER TAMPA BAY: Captain Tony Frankland, (813) 915-8541: Trout and snook inhabit the canals and backwater areas. Fish the deeper canals in Apollo beach, under the docks and oyster beds. Whiting are a good food fish and now is the time to find them. Snook catches are up. Sheepshead are under docks and can be caught with a shrimp tail threaded on a jig head.

UPPER TAMPA BAY: Cody’s Bait & Tackle, (813) 884-3100: Trout and redfish are in abundance in this area. Fish Canal A for reds and snook. Fish the mangroves for reds at the mouths of the creeks.

SOUTH PINELLAS: Captain Paul Hawkins, (727) 560-6762: Trout, redfish, mackerel and pompano are all around for the taking. Move fast with jigs rather than using live bait. Watch for mullet schools with redfish or trout mixed in with them.

FISHING PIERS: South Pier, (941) 729-0117: Expect the unexpected. Pier fishing offers most of the current species being caught in the bay. Fish the pier for Mangrove snapper, trout, redfish, perhaps a flounder and even a stray grouper. But you can’t keep the trout until January. Grouper are off limits.

MID-PINELLAS PARTY BOATS: Offshore bottom fishing from Hubbard’s John’s Pass Marina and Kingfish dock, (727) 393-1947: Gag grouper are not in season just as the bite gets good. Red grouper are available by the ton, but most all are short fish. The ration of keepers to undersize fish is 1-to-100. Gray snapper are big and there are plenty of them. Go offshore for a deep sea fishing extravaganza. Fish the deeper waters for great mangrove snapper catches. Black sea bass, porgies are also on the list.

GANDY BAIT & TACKLE: (813) 839-5551: The Gandy Bridge is closed to fishing. However, Gandy Bait and Tackle is the place to go in this area for live bait and tackle and information. The upper bay action is picking up. Mangrove snapper, whiting and sheepshead are moving up into the bay. Weedon Island is producing trout and redfish.

CLEARWATER TO DUNEDIN: Captain Brian Mathey, (727) 667-8291: NO REPORT.

TARPON SPRINGS: Captain Rich Knox, (727) 376-8809 or (727) 808-6688: Good white bait can be found, but artificial lures are taking the trout. Cobia were sighted on the flats. Big 30 inch mackerel were spotted in a foot of water.

KEATON BEACH (PERRY): One More Cast guide service, (850) 584-9145: NO REORT.

HERNANDO BEACH: Captain Frank Bourgeois, (352) 666-6234: Fillman’s Bayou and Chassahowitzka back water areas are where the reds and trout are being caught. The trouble is that you need a shallow draft boat these days with the low tides. Fish the high tides only or you may have a problem. Homosassa is another good trout and redfish area, but watch for rocks. High numbers of trout are being reported taken in the potholes. Offshore fishing is still fantastic. Gag grouper are big and hungry, but expect to return them to the water. Many keeper-size fish are still being caught and released. Very few red grouper are being caught. You can keep four red grouper over 20 inches, but there aren’t many to find.

WEEKIWACHEE: Captain Steve Soults, Angling Adventures (352) 686-0853: Fishing up rivers is good. Also, fish Fillman’s Bayou for trout and redfish. The flats are not producing big trout.

FLY FISHING: Lets see now, mackerel, redfish, trout and sheepshead should be enough to keep any fly angler busy until we get more kingfish and cobia. Watch for schools of redfish or schools of mullet that may hold reds or trout. Go thrash the water.

---

Variety, action in Sarasota and Gasparilla Sound

Posted Feb 2, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Feb 2, 2012 at 12:51 PM

BY RICK GRASSETT

Due to the great, warm water that we’ve had recently, fishing has been good. Anglers fishing deep grass flats with me caught and released trout, pompano, blues and Spanish mackerel on jigs and flies recently.

Clients fished Gasparilla Sound with me on a couple of trips and caught and released numerous trout, snook, pompano and bluefish on jigs with shad tails, tandem rigged jigs and clacker float/plastic shrimp combos. With shallow water temperatures reaching close to 70 degrees in back-country areas, we saw snook moving onto the flats to feed in the afternoon.

On another trip we found several schools of little tunny feeding off Siesta Key and got a few shots at them with a fly. We went back into Sarasota Bay and caught and released about a dozen trout and a 4-pound Spanish mackerel on a fly at Stephens Point and Bishop Point. Anglers fishing potholes in shallow water in Sarasota Bay with me caught and released several trout in the 3- to 4-pound class on flies recently.

Look for little tunny, Spanish mackerel and tripletail in the coastal gulf when sea conditions are good. Fishing shallow grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout and reds and deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano should also be good options this week.

Rich Grassett operates the Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key. For more details, contact him at (941) 923-7799 or visit his websites: http://www.flyfishingflorida.net or http://www.snookfin-addict.com

---

Bass bite gets hot

Posted Feb 1, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Feb 1, 2012 at 07:21 PM

BY FRANK SARGEANT

Warmer weather has the bass bite going nuts at Lake Okeechobee, reports Captain Mike Shellen. He says the Skinny Dipper jerkbait, a soft plastic that’s usually Texas rigged to make it weedless, is one of the top offerings over the submerged grass all along the north shore.

Shellen also said that crappie fishing, which should be on fire, has been hit or miss for many anglers. The fish are all over the weedline one day, gone the next. This is likely to change to a strong, steady bite any day and continue through mid-March when the spawn winds up.

Rodman continues to turn out 10-pound monsters to live shiner anglers, but water levels will be on the way up soon after the drawdown, so those who want to experience this amazing bite at its best will want to go soon. Shiners and advice are available at bait shops in Salt Springs and Orange Springs.

The upper St. Johns is another prime spring area for big fish. Top Stick Marsh guide Jim Porter says he’s catching plenty of fish around the start-up of new hydrilla growth in the lake – fishing had been off there for some time after a die-off of the submerged grass. He said shiners are the top bait, but big plastic worms, spinnerbaits and topwaters also do the job. The lake also turns out whopper specks at this time of year for anglers fishing the submerged ditches with live minnows.

---

Abnormally warm winter is confusing to some fish

Posted Jan 31, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Jan 31, 2012 at 02:17 PM

BY RAY MARKHAM

This winter has produced some record warm temperatures. Water temperatures on the flats in Terra Ceia this week reached 72.2 degrees some afternoons. This is more typical of the water temperature in March or April.

Sheepshead should be preparing to spawn over the next month. The next full moon should find these fish getting very fat and many will spawn on this full moon or the next. But for the most part, I’m seeing fewer fish than normal. What I am seeing more of are flounder, Spanish mackerel and bluefish.

Trout are scattered on the flats, because water temperatures are not so cold. North winds this week have blown much of the water off the flats and forced fish into the holes. During cold weather, you’ll find trout in deep holes and, on occasion, if those holes are on the edges of a shallow dark mud bottom flat, trout will move up shallow to feed.

Trout favor shrimp during winter. A couple of months ago, they were eating scaled sardines and pinfish. Most baitfish leave the bay during winter. Because of this, the DOA Shrimp has produced more trout than most other lures I use now. Jerk baits are effective for trout. The MirrOlure Lil’ John, CAL Jerk Bait, and the Exude D.A.R.T. are all very productive for trout, but they will also take flounder, redfish and even sheepshead and black drum.

Redfish are still working the shallows on mud flats in the upper 60-degree water, something they would do even in 50-degree water. Reds seem to be acting as if it’s winter, even on warm days. These warm and cool days move fish and make them indecisive, leading to tough days of fishing, but for the fish, I’m sure they are wondering what season it is.

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

---

It’s mango time on wrecks, Pipe

Posted Jan 30, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Jan 30, 2012 at 03:57 PM

BY RANDY ROCHELLE

Well, thanks to high winds and rough seas, red grouper season was shut down a few days early. The next couple of days aren’t looking much better, but by the end of the week the winds may lay down.

Mangrove snapper will be a target species for the next couple of months. While the bite has been very hit or miss, they are out there. You may just have to work at it a bit. Two places come to mind when targeting snapper this time of year: wrecks and the Pipe. Both hold good numbers of snapper, but both also hold amberjack, cobia and perhaps a stray kingfish or wahoo.

Chumming will not only stir the snapper up, but also any other fish that are within sniffing range. Let the chum work for 15 to 30-mintues before you start fishing. Giving them time to feed will allow the fish time to ball up, making it less likely to spook them scattering them out.

For the next couple of months, grouper will be off limits. However, even though it’s catch and release only, this is a good time to do a little scouting. Head out to an area you don’t fish or don’t have numbers in and slowly cruise around while watching the bottom machine. Watch for any kind of break, hard bottom or just about any kind of structure. Once you find something, mark and make a couple of drops. If you catch a good fish or two, log the number and move on to the next spot. I found some of my very best numbers this way.

Capt. Randy Rochelle runs the “Gotta Go” out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 365-3218.

---

Big bass bonanza on the horizon

Posted Jan 29, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Jan 30, 2012 at 12:02 AM

By MARK COOK

Signs of spring are slowly beginning to show.  The azelea blooms are beginning to peak out, cardinals are starting to bounce through the trees each morning and female bass are heading into staging areas ready to deposit their offspring in their earliest form. The bass spawn is right around the corner and in some areas south of the Bay area it has already begun.

With water temperatures approaching 70 degrees it is just a matter of time before the local waterways in Central Florida start reporting bass in the double-digit weight class. I have already heard several reports of smaller male bass in the spawning areas of some phosphate pits and even small roe in the bass that were kept by some local fishermen.

Look for harder bottom areas near cover to find the spawning fish. Until they move into the shallows they can usually be found just off the bedding areas in the first cut of deeper water. These fish are usually hungry and somewhat agitated and will strike fairly easily if a bait is presented to them. With water temperatures still cool they may not be in a chasing mood so it is best to slow your retrieve down from your normal pattern. Dragging a texas-rigged dark plastic lizard slowly is one of my favorite prespawn tactics I like to use.

Once the bass are on the beds a white jig dropped just over the bed then slowly twitched in the middle of the bed will eventually drive the big females crazy. I like jigs better when sight fishing as it they need to grab the whole bait, as opposed to the tail of a plastic worm. I’ve seen females, and even the protective males, literally pick up the tail of a worm and move it repeatedly off the bed making it nearly impossible to get a hook set.

---

Fish in close for fast-paced bottom action

Posted Jan 24, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Jan 24, 2012 at 01:39 PM

BY RANDY ROCHELLE

The marine forecast isn’t looking to bad for the rest of the week as winds are forecast to be out of the east to southeast at 10 to 15 knots, with seas running around 2 to 4 feet. Gulf water temps are hovering right around the 60-degree mark and, combined with the current closures, means you’ll have to run deep to bring home a grouper dinner.

Right now, red grouper is it and the best bite will be outside of the 100-foot mark and even they will be put on the do-not-keep list come Feb. 1. Other than red grouper, mangrove snapper and amberjack are just about the only other two fish that we have been targeting and you’ll want to run past the 100-foot mark to catch either.

Now, if you don’t mind cleaning a bunch of fish, there are a few fish you can target in closer. The number one fish that comes to mind is grunts or gray snapper, as they are often called, on head boats. These fish rarely exceed more than 2 pounds (hence the cleaning part) but are very tasty and easy to come by. Ledges, rock piles, artificial reefs and areas of live broken bottom in 30 to 80 feet of water are the areas you will want to target. Light spinning tackle rigged with a slip weight above a swivel and a 1/0 to 3/0 hook tied onto a 3-foot section of 30- to 40-pound leader works best. In my humble opinion squid, cut into chunks, is by far the go-to bait. You will also find porgies, triggerfish, snapper and small grouper on these same areas and the fast pace action makes this a prefect fishery for kids. 
                   
Capt. Randy Rochelle runs the “Gotta Go” out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 365-3218.

---

Catch some silver trout to put on table

Posted Jan 21, 2012 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Jan 21, 2012 at 05:00 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.

---

Bass respond to warmer temps

Posted Jan 19, 2012 by Tribune Sports

Updated Jan 19, 2012 at 06:32 PM

BY FRANK SARGEANT

Captain Mike Shellen and clients have been waxing the lunker bass on Okeechobee, mostly by fishing live, wild shiners on the north shore.

Shellen said the cold spell knocked the water temperature down 14 degrees over a couple of days and shut down the bite, but then the rapid warm up turned the fish on once again. A trip a week ago Monday morning turned up 35 bass, including three over 8 pounds! On another recent trip, Shellen and client Charles Rosen got a 7-2, a 9-1 and a 10-1, again on shiners.

Shellen says the big live baits are definitely best for the lunkers, but spinnerbaits, flukes and senkos are all effective on the outside weed edges, while flippin’ heavily-weighted creature baits inside the mats is also doing the job, often with larger fish. For details, visit http://www.okeechobeebassfishing.com.

The rest of the Kissimmee Chain is equally productive late January through February, with both pre-spawn and spawning bass in the shallows. The south and east shorelines of Brahma Island at Lake Kissimmee are good bets with weedless spoons, swimming worms or topwaters, while the southwest shore of Toho is a great area to connect with spinnerbaits or buzzbaits on warm afternoons.

Crappies are biting throughout the state now, with schools of big fish in water 8 to 10 feet deep at Crescent and in the Clermont Chain as well as in Lake George – slow-trolling a Hal-Fly or similar tiny jig a foot off bottom will find these fish. Spawners will move to shoreline weeds on the new and full moons from now through March, with Okeechobee one of the best spots in the nation.

---