Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By DOUG HEMMER
Published February 21, 2005

Spring is just around the corner, and game fish have begun moving from their winter homes in the residential canals to the flats during incoming tide. If the water temperature stays in the 60s, look for this to continue.

Trips the past week produced redfish and large trout in 2 feet or less. At sunrise, we worked the shallow edges of the flats using a topwater plug. Most larger trout stay here at night because the water is too shallow for dolphin to feed.

Using a slow "walk the dog" action, we landed trout up to 24 inches. Some mornings had redfish tailing in the same area. A few reds struck a surface plug, but most wanted a motor oil jerk bait worked slowly across the bottom.

As the tide got higher, the reds and trout moved closer to the mangroves. The glasslike water created when mangroves block the wind allows fish to see the surface, which makes them spooky. Most strikes were in areas with a good ripple on the water.

Bring large shrimp and small pinfish when using artificial lures. When you come across fish in glass-like water, a live bait left on the bottom will outproduce a moving lure.

Release trout larger than 23 inches. They are breeder females that supply our area with an outstanding fishery.

--Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 347-1389.

[Last modified February 21, 2005, 01:33:09]