The Tampa Bay Times
Mild temperatures have allowed the water in north Pinellas County to reach 70° on the flats. That has given us the opportunity to catch bait in the morning although it is not as plentiful as it will be in the coming months. Trout are responding very well to live sardines and small pinfish but shrimp are always carried along in case I cannot locate the other choices. The islands in St. Joseph Sound are still productive, however trout are showing up on a lot of the flats and the low tide potholes as well as the edges of the channels. Redfish are starting to appear in pretty good numbers. Most are mid slot size fish between 20 and 24 inches. Edges of the mangrove shorelines have held a few fish. Low tides have pushed a lot of fish into large sand holes along the edges of the flats. Working the mullet schools has produced some good fish in recent days. During the extreme low tides, I like to observe the flats that have the most wading birds. They are foraging on the same food the redfish will eventually eat as the tide comes in. Snook are cooperating as well in the backcountry areas where water is the warmest. Live sardines are the first choice when the conditions are right. However, there is still a chance of cold fronts to move through dropping the temperature and halting the snook bite until the water warms again.
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