Captain Jason Prieto Tampa Bay Forecast

Tampa Bay Has Great Winter Fishery!

January 1 st was the start of winter for Tampa Bay and we have been blasted with cold fronts every 3 to 5 days. This can really take a toll on fishing as drastic drops in water temperatures and not a lot on consistent weather will make for some tough fishing. Fortunately for people that fish Tampa Bay we have plenty of warm water refuge, from Power Plants with warm water discharge to the springs feeding the river systems that offer constant warm water. Tampa provides some great winter weather fishing. It comes down to being able to handle the cold weather. With that being said February is here and while it can be just as cold as January we start to see signs of spring and the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sheepshead really take center stage this time of year as they use the residential canals, reefs and wrecks to spawn. There are various ways to target sheepshead and all work good but some can be a bit involved. I like to take the easy road and that’s using smaller shrimp mixed with a #1 super sharp daiichi circle hook. (You can even use pieces of shrimp) As stated earlier these fish get on the reefs, docks and wrecks that are all over the bay so finding a good spot isn’t that difficult. Simply drop you shrimp down with the adequate amount of weight depending on depth and tide and get ready for some great fishing. Sheepshead are known to be great at stealing bait so you will want t bring a bunch of shrimp.

Trout are also a hot fish to target going into February. You can expect to catch a ton of fish on the flats using both live and artificial baits. My preferred method is using artificial bait when targeting Trout in the winter. It’s a great way to catch a lot of fish and when drifting the flats you can also cover a lot of ground. Some of my favorite Trout rigs consist of the  Mirrolure Mirrodine 17MR BCH. This is sinking suspending twitch bait and the Trout absolutely love it. And great option would have to be a soft plastic Mirrolure Lil Jon. Match this with a 1/8 once Jig head on the shallows and you will be amazed at the amount of fish you will catch on artificial bait. Remember the cooler the water the slower you will work the baits…

Redfish is another great option this time of year. While you wont find to many big schools od fish roaming the flats you can have a blast catching the smaller reds around the creeks, docks and rivers. There are a bunch of different baits and methods and techniques to use but I like to use a select size shrimp on either a free line or add a split shot to get it down. Reds love shrimp and many other crustaceans and they work great for the winter time since they are

slow moving bait. Last thing to do is get ready for some great spring fishing. Take advantage of those bad weather days and get you boat and gear in good shape and ready for spring because it will be here before you know it. Tight lines.

Captain Jason Prieto is a native resident of Tampa and has fished Tampa Bay and its surrounding waters for the past 30 years. He is owner and operator of Steady Action Fishing Charters which is based out of lower Tampa Bay and has been operating since 2004. To book a charter, you can reach him at 813-727-9890 or www.steadyactionfishingcharters.com. If you would like to catch him on the radio tune into Tampa Fishing Outfitters Radio Show on Sunday Mornings from 8 to 9 AM 1040 Sports Talk the Team.  Tight lines!!!!

Captain Jason Prieto