Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By DAVE WALKER
Published November 20, 2005

This is a transition period for snook and other inshore species. Targeting and consistently catching snook becomes increasingly difficult as winter digs in its heels.

The trend is for fish to move from the shallows to deeper water, especially adjacent to structure. Residential canals offer anglers a safe haven from the seasonal winds and are a hangout for late-season snook. Fishing the docks can be tedious. Perseverance yields fish on even the most difficult of days, and accurate casting is a must. No matter how hard you try, there will be frequent snags. This is a situation in which braided lines are extremely beneficial.

The bait of choice for cool-water dock fishing is live shrimp. Anything that swims will eat a shrimp. When water temperatures fall, the metabolic rate of fish decreases and their nutritional requirements diminish. They will not exert much effort to catch a meal, and greenbacks start to loose their effectiveness. Shrimp move slowly and are easy targets.

There are many species that hang around the docks when it gets chilly. Redfish, sheepshead, flounder, black drum and an occasional snook are the most prevalent. The smaller black drum that frequent the canal systems are closely related to redfish. Prepare them the way you would a red. They are a regulated species, so check the regulations first.

Dave Walker charters out of Tampa and can be reached at (813) 310-6531 or at snookfish.com

[Last modified November 20, 2005, 00:55:14]