What’s happenin’ in the upper stretches of Tampa Bay?
It is still hot. The water is still murky. There have not been the great rains of early September to jumpstart a great bite BUT for September, the action has been pretty decent.
Redfish are in good numbers in specific locations and completely missing in others. The opportunity has been very early with the bite shutting down by 9AM, something that will extend farther into the day as September wears on.
Pompano are just not good up the Bay this year. It just hasn’t been that good but certain days you can pick off a couple of them. I have seen photos of great numbers caught in Manatee County, but north of Gandy it has been pretty lame. The Upper Bay is actually probably not the best choice to go for them but you can try. Use the Silly Willy in bright yellow and add a pink teaser. But variations of yellow/pink and white are all acceptable. In the teaser, it is best if there is some “flash” tied in.
What’s worse yet? Drum. August. Fail. September: Fail. They are somewhere but not where we normally get them.
Speckled trout may make their return this month. Some are already being caught but with the cooling waters of October, don’t be surprised if massive numbers of this species work their way past every bridge in the Bay. Great trout fishing will be had region-wide. It may be a little early for this part of the Bay, but it’s coming!
Ladyfish and Jacks. They are all over the upper Bay and eating anything and everything they see. Throw small paddle tails like the 12 Fathom mullet on light jigheads and swim it aggressively. But you could throw a bare jighead and catch them if you wanted to. Add in an invasion of bluefish and Upper Tampa Bay has some “action” to bend a rod with these secondary (or tertiary) species
A few flounder are being caught but not as great as they were two years ago at this time. They just didn’t want to come all the way up the Bay in any kind of numbers. They must be part of the pompano union.
Snook season reopened this month. Do us all a favor and don’t keep any. You want something to eat, take your pick of all the other species. Let the snook alone and be part of a healing process, one that is underway but years away from being complete. The state is patting themselves on the back with what they call the condition of snook. Snook are not in great shape and we are one freeze away from major problems for the next 20 years.
As always: Be careful out there!
September 22 Kayak Fishing Skool
6:30 to 7:45PM Bill Jackson Shop for Adventure (Pinellas Park)
Efficiency: Be better in everything you do
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”
- The Neil Blog… - July 26, 2023
- The Catfish - July 26, 2023
- update - July 22, 2023
