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Outdoors
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 6, 2002
December is a month of transition in the Tampa Bay area. The fall migrations of kingfish, Spanish mackerel and cobia typically wind down and the winter pattern establishes itself. Weather plays the key role in determining how good the fishing will be and what species will be available.
Some years, including 2001, the water temperature remains in the 70s and there is outstanding kingfish and mackerel action through the holiday season. Most of the time, however, cold fronts send the pelagics on their way south by the end of November.
Water temperature is critical this month. The inshore and the offshore species are greatly affected by it. For the winter you will find that fishing is best during the warmest periods and slowest when it gets chilly. This is the case in most places, but because our area is on the northernmost end of the temperate zone, our fish are even more impacted by the cold.
Snook are not found in any quantity north of Crystal River, and even mangroves won't grow any farther north. They both have a threshold for cold tolerance that is regularly exceeded farther north in the winter.
In our area, snook usually can withstand the cold but are occasionally killed when the water dips below 56 degrees. More often, they simply move into deep-water channels, brackish water lakes, rivers and residential canals. Their metabolism slows to the point where they essentially hibernate for the winter, actively feeding only during the warmest sunny days. Speckled trout and redfish thrive in the winter months and become the primary target of many inshore anglers.
The largest trout of the year move in to the shallow flats in December and provide great catch-and-release action. (Trout season is closed south of Howard Park, 1.14 miles south of the Pinellas/Pasco line for the months of November and December).
The biggest specks will be found in 2 to 4 feet of water in mild weather conditions and will gather in deep holes and in warm water power plant outfalls after the fronts pass and the temperature drops.
December also is the month that schools of scaled sardines usually disappear, forcing inshore fishermen to switch to artificial baits. Redfish are somewhat impervious to cold water and, unlike most fish, go right on feeding no matter how cold it gets.
December is one of the best months to target "tailing" redfish on the flats. Low tide is pretty much the only time you will find reds with their noses in the grass and their tails sticking out of the water.
This month, the lowest tides will be within a few days of the new moon, which occurred Wednesday, and the full moon, which will occur on Dec. 19.
To get at the tailers, you will need an extremely shallow draft boat or a pair of waders. Quite often, they are found working around in grass that still is protruding from the surface.
Historically, December has been a great month for grouper fishing. Gags prefer the low- to mid-range temperatures, 62 to 75 degrees. But as with a number of local species, gag grouper disappear when the water temperature drops below 60 degrees.
Amberjack fishing usually is very good in December. These big members of the jack family gather in large schools over the deeper wrecks and ledges through the month. Since the water is deep, it is less affected by atmospheric temperature fluctuations. Charter fishermen often rely on amberjack to fill in for the grouper on many frosty cold mornings.
Fog can be a problem for boaters in December. If the water gets extremely cold and the air warms again quickly, the gulf can be a dangerous place to navigate. Since this fog is caused by the difference in air and water temperature, it is common to have clear skies near land and thick fog offshore all day long.
When navigating under foggy conditions, move around at idle speed and listen for others. Traveling slow will keep you from hitting something or someone and will reduce damage if you happen to run aground or bump a marker.