Captain’s Corner: Tyson Wallerstein

Up and down weather is certainly typical for this time of year. Perfect weather the last several days has really made it nice out on the water. However with this weeks cold front expect to take a small step backwards in the progression of spring.

Catch and release snook fishing picked back up this week in Tampa bay. The snook are prowling the flats in the middle of the day during the incoming tide. As the big fish begin their transition to their summer spawning areas they can be targeted along the mangroves for next few weeks.

Water temperature is the key. Find those flats that are a degree or two warmer than others and you should be able to find some hungry snook. Many of the flats in the bay are holding around 70 degrees this week most likely due to the heavy rain we had. Flats that face to the south or west tend to heat up quicker than those that face north as they receive the most hours of direct sunlight, some of these spots have been as warm as 78 degrees this past week.

Live pilchards are getting the fish fired up, finding the pilchards however has been tricky to say the least. Look for bird activity to reveal the location of the glass minnow schools that are holding around the bridges. Within these glass minnow schools are the pilchards, bringing plenty of baitfish chum along is the key to attracting the pilchards into a cast net sized area. Lots of throws of the cast net have been necessary to gather enough bait for the day.

Capt. Tyson Wallerstein
Flats Monster Inshore Fishing
(727) 692-5868
capt.tyson@hotmail.com