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As the Christian family of Tampa found out recently, sheepshead and speckled trout action remain hot in lower Tampa Bay.
Working a rock pile in 10 feet of water close to the Sunshine Skyway bridge, the family of four pulled in numerous sheepshead, some weighing almost 5 pounds.
Small crabs and mussels were the baits of choice, and small extra-sharp No. 1 red hooks were a key in hooking these notorious bait stealers. Once the convict fish began their rampage on the bait, anglers just lifted their rod tip, hooking the fish effortlessly.
After the sheepshead skirmish slowed, it was off to the shallow grass flats that line the man-made channels in the bay for speckled trout. Targeting trout in 3-4 feet was the most productive. Several keeper trout were caught and many juvenile fish were released unharmed.
Motor-oil slug tails combined with light 1/16-ounce jig heads were irresistible to the trout. Many were caught at the edges of grass and sand where the two types of terrain meet.
Probably the most revealing catch was a huge Spanish mackerel on the flats. Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 60s and soon the Spanish action will pick up. And that means kingfish can't be far behind.
- Captain Rick Frazier runs Lucky Dawg Charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at 727 510-4376 or e-mail captainrick@luckydawg.com