A slight cold front shouldn’t stall the progress we’ve seen on the flats lately. Although the winds will be high and the temperature will drop, it won’t last long and the consistent 80 degree days will return. The warm streak we’ve seen has turned on the fishing in north Pinellas. Bait has been spotty, with somedays better than others. It will also get consistent as the sardines settle on the shallow flats allowing just a few casts of the net to load up. I always prefer a mix of baits this time of year. Live shrimp are still performing great since the fish haven’t turned their focus to the quicker live sardines and pinfish. However, the larger redfish are blending into the mullet schools and are hammering live pinfish, cut baits and sometimes greenbacks. On moderate to high tides, reds are hugging the mangrove shorelines, especially the mouths of tidal creeks. These creeks flood with the rising tide giving reds and mullet a period of protection. as the tide falls, the water pours out and the fish will dump out with it. Timing the turn of the tide can result in incredible fishing. Snook are staging in the mouths of the bays and local rivers, getting ready to move out to the beaches. They are starting to devour live sardines and even large shrimp, gaining strength for their summer spawn season.
About Brian: My name is Brian Caudill and I am a Fishing Guide in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I provide guide services for West Central Florida including Tampa Bay and surrounding waters. It is my pleasure to work hard to put all of my clients in the right place for our targeted fish. I am very personable, patient, and easy going. I understand that the charter fishing experience on my boat is about the customer. I hope the following insight about me will help you learn more about my love for fishing.
Fishing for me began as a small child in the state of Kentucky. My earliest memories are of my father and I fishing streams, ponds, rivers and lakes for various species of small game fish such as Bluegill, Redeye (Rock bass), Crappie, Smallmouth and Largemouth bass, or anything else that would bite. Somehow though, Dad always seemed to catch more fish.
Upon moving to the Tampa Bay, Florida area in the late 80’s, my father, still living in Kentucky, would often encourage me to put my knowledge of fishing freshwater to use in the numerous lakes Florida has to offer. For some reason, I just couldn’t keep my mind off of the big fish swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and the backwater flats behind the barrier islands. So, with a few questions at the local bait shop, and the company of a couple local friends, I began to explore the inshore waters of West Central Florida.
As time passed, and my success in locating fish grew, I began entering some local tournaments. Without a boat, and with limited ways of keeping bait alive, I would trudge for hundreds of yards to the fishing holes. To my surprise, my friend Jim and I won a few of those tournaments. Consequently, the organizers would no longer allow us to fish without a boat, fearing some unfair advantage I suppose. So, now armed with the know how to catch these inshore species, I bought a boat and began fishing tournaments around Tampa Bay and all over the state. Some of those included two years on the Mercury/Ranger Professional Redfish Tour, CCA’s Red/Snook Series in Punta Gorda, Florida, as well as the many local events from Clearwater to Tarpon Springs.
Eventually, I decided to take the necessary steps required to receive a United States Coast Guard license to be a Charter Fishing Guide. Now, over sixteen years later, I still get a thrill from putting my customers where the fish are. It is a great joy to see the faces of children and adults alike experiencing what the Florida West Coast has to offer.
- Captains Corner - March 23, 2024
- Brian Caudill - March 4, 2024
- Brian Caudill - December 5, 2023
