Neil Taylor: Upper Tampa Bay

What’s happenin’ in the upper stretches of the Bay?

It’s getting to be summertime.   The action is still pretty good up the Bay but we are seeing more and more algae every day.   Redfish are still being targeted and caught even though their feeding has been kind of poor a lot of the time.  My guess is that nighttime may see better feeding for reds.    Trout are not a great target but there are some there.  You can bet, trout won’t be that good again up here until November.

Black drum are back in the mix again.   That will be regular action for me the next three months.   Last year’s average size fish was around 60 pounds with many that were caught in the 80 pound category.

Pompano action is good but should be about to explode.   We had catches of 10 and 7 fish in the past couple of weeks.  The average size is very good.   I have seen good schools of very small pompano in other areas, a sign that 2018 will hopefully be another great year.

The action should remain strong in the top of the Bay for another four weeks.  Then:  Summertime changes.  Will it be good through the start of July like other years?   Will the early heat of 2017 slow things down and make the areas closer to the Gulf a better option?   Time will tell.   It has been HOT.   Afternoon storms started two days ago. In my opinion, good for fishing, heavy rains can affect the fishing in the top of the Bay.

Would you like to get better at fishing?   Look at The Kayak Fishing Academy.   There will be quarterly sessions.   Feel free to inquire by email or phone call.    I give a four hour session on fishing and kayak fishing that would be valuable for people who do any kind of fishing.  The host site is Bill Jackson Shop for Adventure in Pinellas Park.  June 25 and October 1 are the two dates set for the Academy.    This is a great crash course in fishing whether you do it from a kayak or not.

Kayak Fishing Skool is this week:   Thursday the 25^th.     “Pompano and Black drum”, very big targets in the next three months, if you don’t know how to catch them come on in to the store on Thursday.

See ya the next time around.    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
Co-host: Outdoor Fishing Adventures, 8 to 9AM Sundays on 1040 “The Team” ESPN Radio

Stay alert and make a difference:

Keep an eye out and make the phone calls.    Illegal nets found in Upper Tampa Bay have been confiscated thanks to the tips from citizens.    Working with the field staff, I personally know that they have a great response rate on the calls I make.    Too many people do not make the attempt because they did not get a response in the past.      Trust me, they do the best they can and they do respond as quickly as possible.

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.  If you see a poacher:  Make a phone call.

At the request of my contemporaries, “keeping the message alive”:    If you catch a snook:  don’t take it out of the water for eight minutes taking pictures.    Don’t “get a weight” of the fish.    Enjoy the species if you cross paths, but take extra steps to make sure those fish remain in the living population.     A huge contingency of the best respected fishing guides on the Gulf coast opposed their decision to reopen to harvest, made sincere pleads over and over to get the decision reversed but were ignored.  Do your part and try to give this species a chance to return to prominence regardless of their faulty data and poor decision making.  A released snook not harvested preserves the future of our species, one that could face stresses like algae blooms and another freeze.