I basically have no report on the south shore.  The red tide impacted it enough I stopped going there.    Others who have gone have had some difficult trips.   It will come back but for now I would consider other locations if I were you.   Will winter help?  Hopefully. But red tide can survive right through the colder months.    We just hope that it naturally dissipates.  Likely a product of heavy rains again this summer, get your local community efforts together to reduce fertilizer runoff hopefully lessening the strength of future blooms.

Keep the number ready:  Felony poachers are a way of life on the south shore.    Call it in.   A poacher is a common thief, who is stealing from us all.  Put this in your phone:  888-404-FWCC (3922).

Want to know what’s going on off the Skyway piers?    To get detailed reports, check The Skyway Report on capmel.com.   Written by Paul Bristow every week, he keeps you on the heartbeat of the Skyway bite.  Get out and enjoy the easy action on the Skyway Piers!

As always: Be careful out there!

Neil Taylor
Owner and guide:  www.strikethreekayakfishing.com
(Cell) 727-692-6345  LivelyBaits@aol.com
Owner and site administrator:  www.capmel.com
The lower Bay just continues to be great opportunities.    Again, in a battle that is never really over: The great work of FWC officers to target felony netters and keep an eye on other recreational offenders has led to better fishing for us all.  Their continued efforts to catch felony netters are making the south shore region return as a great fishery again.   But help them out:  Keep your eyes peeled for illegal activity and make a call if you see poaching, 888-404-FWCC (3922).  Your tips will help make cases and you could be eligible for a reward.

I have been asked to not stop sending this particular message:     Catch a legal snook:  Let it go.    Let’s rebuild this trophy fishery.   We have plenty of other options for take-home fish, why shoot yourself in the foot and limit your own future?       It is even more crucial now as I had clients catch legal size snook this past week:  All fish were returned to remain part of our fishery and future.   My clients caught a few legal size fish.   All were more than happy to release “our future.”   Honestly, why not just eat something else?   Coming up on five years since the awful weather event, we do not have a fishery anywhere close to what we had in 2009, and won’t for many years yet.    Be a part of the solution:  Bring back our fishery of snook at the most rapid rate possible, let them all go.

 

 

 

 

Neil Taylor
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