Captain’s Corner: Jim Lemke

The Tampa Bay Times

Capt Jim Lemke Times Correspondent

The summer heat is here, and the kids just went back to school and wanting to go catch some fish on the weekend so what do. What to do and look for. The first thing I look at is the tide chart to see if we have a good tide. The reason the tide is so important is Tampa Bay can have a 1, 2, 3, or a 4 tide day and That is why a tide chart is so important. The other things I look for is the time of day. With September around the corner it is still hot out. So I like the early morning or late afternoon and early evening because those are the coolest times of the day. The fish on the flats move to deeper holes on the flat or move off it. I like fishing areas like Weedon Island. Picnic Island, Simmons Park. All those areas have a place for the Snook, Redfish, and Trout to move up on or off the flats. A great place to fish is the artificial reefs in the bay for snapper, Grouper, and Spanish mackerel are all great fish to beat the summer heat. When fishing for Snapper I use a 15lb or 20lb mono leader to a 1/0 or smaller circle hook and the smallest weight possible to get it down and for more bites the best baits are sardines or shrimp for bait. The other fish like the Snook and Redfish I will use cut bait like ladyfish or Threadfins in the pot holes on the bottom when its hot out.

Capt Jim Lemke charters out of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater and can be reached at (813) 917-4989 and at captjimlemke@gmail.com.