02-25-2001, 07:01 PM
Tampa Bay Area <br>Fishing Report<br>Captain Charles Walker<br>2/25/01<br>The grouper are definitely in the shallower water, but they are not necessarily everywhere. (It could be that they are everywhere and just not biting.) I haven’t had my camera out with me lately, so I can’t say for sure, but I can say that you need to move around until you find fish that are biting. Each stop should be fished for at least 30 minutes in order to get the grunts, triggerfish, and other bottom fish actively feeding to attract the attention of the grouper. That’s the way it seems to work for me at least. I’ve gotten several reports from fishermen and divers that have been out to deeper water and it’s the same there. Some places hold fish that will bite and some places don’t. This may sound elementary to many of you, but there seem to be a lot of people that feel every rock should hold fish. Thirty or forty years ago that might have been the case, but continued overfishing has changed that. We have to work for every fish that we catch nowadays. Don’t believe everything you read in the magazines and newspapers either. I think many of those writers are either trying to sell a story or sell a fishing trip. Take your pick.<br>On to the bait house reports:<br><br>Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325- Snook are a little slow to bite, but there are plenty of them out there. If you can get some greenbacks, that’s the ticket for them. Lots of Spanish mackerel are coming in from the Skyway area. Grouper have really started biting well in the ship’s channel. Most of the trout that we are catching in this area are legal size and up right now. Around Port Manatee, there are a lot of redfish biting on the flats. In the Simmons Park area reds are biting well in the canals.<br>Bonnie’s Bait and Tackle in Clearwater - 727-446-2772- Snook are biting in the Allen’s Creek and McKay Creek areas. Trout are coming in from the outside. Sheepshead are still in the area in good numbers. Lots of reds have been found around Edgewater Drive and the backside of Honeymoon Island in the really skinny water.<br>Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Snook are biting around Weedon Island and the oyster bars around the 4th St. Bridge. Trout are biting well on shrimp. Reds are showing up on the flats all over the area this week.<br>Dogfish Tackle on Redington Beach - 727-392-6644- A couple of kings have shown up off the pier this weekend and lots of 3-5 pound mackerel. A tarpon was caught off the pier this morning. Lots of sheepshead, trout, and drums have been caught in the backwaters behind the store.<br>Don’s Dock on Madeira Beach - 727-391-3223- Some kings have shown up this week off the beach. Some nice grouper have been coming in from 40 to 80 feet of water. Trout and reds are biting inside the pass and up and down the ICW. Sheepshead and drum are biting well.<br>Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Pompano, Spanish mackerel and whiting have been coming in from the jetty on the Gulf side. Sheepshead, flounder, and small grouper have been biting off our gas dock. Some bull reds have been caught off the sea wall and off our pier this weekend. <br>The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Lots and lots of Spanish mackerel, whiting and silver trout have been around the pier this week. The best baits have been ’Gotcha’ plugs and live shrimp. Lots of the Spanish are 24 inches. Pompano and lots of sheepshead have been caught. Mangrove snapper are biting well at night. A tarpon was caught this weekend. The fishing is great!<br> <br>Folks, feel free to call any of the places in my report for more information, and be sure to tell them that you read about the fishing in their area in Capt. Charlie’s fishing report on the Internet.<br><br>If you want more information about fishing in the Tampa Bay area or wish to book a charter, simply e-mail me at captchas@flfish.com or if you wish to arrange a charter faster, call me at 727-546-7257. Be sure and visit my web site for lots more Tampa Bay Area fishing info at: http://www.floridasaltwater.com .<br><br>Good fishing and tight lines,<br>Capt. Charlie<br>http://www.flfish.com/fl<br><br><br><br>Capt. Charlie Walker<br>http://www.flfish.com