Fishing around Tampa Bay has been decent for the Winter months with plenty of nice catches including redfish, snook and trout, as well as, some very large ladyfish and yellow tail jacks. If you’ve never targeted big jack cravelle, you’re missing some great light tackle fun.
Fishing the area this Winter has been fairly pleasant, but we can expect a few windy days. Bait was on the flats until a few weeks ago and should be showing up again in the near future. March is always a good time to try your hand at artificial lures.
Anglers who have never experienced the thrill of targeting snook, redfish and trout on artificial lures don’t know what they’re missing. It’s fun, exciting and helps you develop a skill that is never lost. Die-hard artificial anglers will tell you that anyone can catch fish with live bait, but plastic is a different test.
Once you’re hooked, you’ll love it–it’s fishing at its best. If you’re not sure about artificials, it gives you something different to attempt. I’ve said many times, “always leave the live bait at the bait shop; if you bring a crutch, you’ll use it.”
If live bait is your choice, shrimp fished on a free-line or under a popping cork usually entices a bite. If you’re using lures, snook can’t resist a MirrOlure topwater over a broken bottom flat on a calm morning. Sub-surface sinking or suspending lures work exceptionally well in deeper water and, of course, soft plastics using at least an 1/8-ounce jighead always seem to produce good action during the early Spring.
Redfish continue eating live and cut bait tossed in their direction, especially the rats. Grass flats with broken bottoms, submerged oyster bars and mangrove shorelines are good starting points. Like snook, artificials work for redfish. Cut baits, small pinfish and dead-sticking stinky baits usually attract the attention of most passing redfish. Try suspending stinky baits, cut chunks of pinfish or mullet, or a piece of crab under a popper–you’ll be surprised at the results.
Spotted sea trout are found around deeper water broken bottom grass flats, especially on strong tides. They eat shrimp, greenbacks and pinfish. A popping cork proves deadly when rigged with shrimp, either live or artificial. Another option is bouncing a soft plastic jig off the bottom. Remember, the bite usually comes as the bait falls, so don’t be surprised to have a fish on just as the lure hits the water.