Tarpon season may be winding down, but tarpon won't be leaving quietly.
During last weekend's Junior Finale Day of the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup, 8-year-old Chase Wilsey needed 45 minutes to subdue his winning 139-pounder. Timmy Deacon's 129-pounder and Luke Haines' 117-pound silver-armored bruiser rounded out the top three. Each was caught on dead shad fished on bottom along Manatee County beaches.
Red Tide that won't seem to go away and thunderstorms with westerly winds hampered fishing on the gulf beaches.
Until conditions improve, the bays and backwaters can be productive. There have been some silverkings around each of the major bridges leading to Tampa and north of the Courtney Campbell Parkway. Schools of glass minnows have drawn some tarpon into the Manatee River, and others have been seen in Bayboro Harbor.
After three grueling months of tarpon fishing, a tasty alternative may be the mangrove snapper and grouper that have settled along the edges of the channel leading into Tampa Bay and near Port Manatee.
- Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.
