Beautiful weather, great tides and obliging fish all have come together at the same time, leaving smiles on the faces of anglers across Tampa Bay. Numerous snook and redfish are on the prowl to fatten up before winter.
Big snook are available at most spots. The areas that produce early in the year are active now. Cooling water temperatures and a sun setting have triggered fish to move into these locations.
The bait of choice would be live greenbacks. They are finally easy to obtain. Several weeks ago they were scarce, but now they are seemingly everywhere. It is not necessary to fill live wells to the brim. Although, a few extra for chum are nice to have on hand.
Most area grass flats will hold bait until things start to get cold. The cormorants on the flats point to the location of bait schools.
On a recent trip, we were horribly under gunned when several giant snook came down the shoreline. Even with stout rods and strong braided line, we were powerless to stop them before they could burry themselves in the thickest part of the mangrove root system. We were able to stop a few and get some great photos before carefully releasing the giants.
Redfish are really cooperating with anglers. They can be found in the same areas as snook and around oyster mounds or areas with structure on the bottom. Until the water gets cold, they'll stay in the shallows.
- Dave Walker charters out of Tampa and can be reached at (813) 310-6531 or at snookfish.com.
