Lower Tampa Bay

By Neil Taylor, www.strikethreekayakfishing.com

The lower Bay area continues to produce incredibly steady action.   What was already “good” action for speckled trout, the numbers of fish around the south shore is impressive.   Flounder action has exploded with not just big numbers but a glut of fish in the 14 to 17-inch range.   A few around 20 inches have also been caught.   The 12 Fathom SlamR on a 1/8 to 3/16-ounce jighead is a flounder catching machine.   Slow and steady, ridden along bumping the bottom, fat flounder will pounce on the lure when it goes over their nose.   The flounder are very aggressive and have been following lures, something that is not always the case.    Notorious for dropping lures, let it flutter back down when they let go.   You will be amazed how many flounder you will catch that strike a lure until they are finally hooked.

Redfish:  I haven’t even seen one down there.   This is a crisis.    Who is talking about it?   I am.    So many guys don’t want to hurt their charter business and put their head in the sand.   I’ll talk about it.   Redfish are in serious trouble.   The FWC?   They are the ones who manage our resources but I wouldn’t count on them to do the right things.    They haven’t in years.     Sad but true:  Their failures with snook are still and issue but now there are problems throughout the fishery.  

The Skyway Pier are very strong for mackerel.    The Silly Willy/Teaser rig is the best kept secret for hooking and catching a lot of mackerel in a short period of time.    And it is much easier than slinging and cranking those spoons.  Landing technique:  It takes some practice but if you lean over the side, reel up all the slack and then launch the fish upward swiftly, the mackerel will come over the rail.    Take care not to dangle fish on the surface for very long or you will be hooking pelicans.   The Skyway piers have nets available for helping injured birds.

Lure selection:   The 3-inch mullet is the best lure to throw to redfish and you can use your favorite colors.   Greengo, rootbeer gold glitter and Shimmer Gold have been great choices.  Keep the 4.5 inch Buzz Tail Shad handy, if redfish are not in a Mullet mood, try the Buzzer.   Trout and flounder are a Buzz Tail or SlamR gig.   

Trout action got interesting down in the southshore region.   The action on 18 to 19 inch fish is strong.   Move around to try to locate even bigger fish but there are plenty of lower slot fish in this area.

Sharks have invaded the Bay.   This will be an exceptional year for blacktip sharks.   The deeper troughs hold a lot of sharks in the summer months and this year will have more than usual.   Blacktips will eat lures but can be easily caught using whole, live baits like oversize pinfish.    In other areas, they were eating silver trout that were being reeled in.   Be cautious when handling a hooked shark.   They can contort and bend and will try to defend themselves when they are being handled.    A long-handled dehooking tool is a good investment.

If you encounter snook, leave them alone or at least commit to not harvesting them regardless of the regulations.   An influx of new fish arriving from other areas means a slightly better chance of encountering this species.   I witnessed people keeping fish out of water for more than three minutes.   A tough species, this just shouldn’t happen.  Keep them in the water before you get a picture and handle them with extra care.  Every fish is vital to the future.

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.  The fishery survives the pressure of poaching, a lot of anglers and just continues to be a great location to go.  

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

Neil is published.    “Kayak Fishing” is completely instructional.    “Fishing Tampa Bay” is very helpful to those who are going to try it out around here.    $15 or both for $25.     A slight fee for postage and we can have them right out to