Warm weather and slightly warmer water temperatures have activated snook on the flats of Tampa Bay. Recent afternoon high tides allowed for some early-season linesider action. Greenbacks were the bait of choice. All fish were caught using circle hooks under a float. A fish rarely will be "gut hooked" when circle hooks are used. Not only are they more friendly on the resource, but few fish will unintentionally escape. Twenty-pound test leader material was sufficient but required periodic retying of knots. In clear water, the additional costs using fluorocarbon are justified. For most applications, mono does the trick.
Speckled trout are moving out of the holes and onto the grass flats. Soft plastic jigs or live shrimp under a float produce nice catches of "keeper" trout. Drift the grass beds and fan cast. Fight them slow and easy. Trout have delicate skin in the mouth area, allowing the hook to tear out. Trout not destined for the cooler should be handled delicately and never with a rag.
Trout are perfect to target on trips with children. Trout are fairly easy to catch and using light tackle will enhance the overall experience.
- Captain Dave Walker charters out of Tampa and can be reached at 813 310-6531 or at www.snookfish.com
