Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By KENNY HYATT
Published September 6, 2006

The opening of snook season has Tampa Bay alive and buzzing with boats. The fish have been plentiful as their annual march back into their fall and winter haunts nears. High water has had snook well up in the bushes, making larger fish a little more difficult to land, but look for better tides to ease the fishing a bit. Anglers around the docks in the Gandy bridge area have had success at night pitching artificial jigs to the lights while others have spent nights fishing the docks and shore lines with live bait such as pilchards and shrimp.

Daytime snook fishing has been excellant on the big tide movements in the middle of the day, but bait mortality has been a huge problem with high water temperature in the shallow flats, so seek a little deeper water to help the pilchards in your well. Good numbers of snook have been caught in deeper troughs adjacent to shallow water in the Weedon Island area and the Fourth Street area of the bay. When the fish seem to turn picky, downsize your leader and hook and lighten your drag a touch. Don't forget, the size limit for snook has changed this season. Fish are now measured with a pinched tail slot limit of 27-34 inches and the limit is one fish per person per day.

For extra action, look to shade under bridges for super snapper fishing. Small pilchards and a light leader are all that is needed for a few fillets. Cast your baits to the pilings and let it sit. The action should be good, and it is about to get a lot better.

Kenny Hyatt fishes out of Tampa Bay and can be reached at (813) 256-3122.

[Last modified September 6, 2006, 05:22:03]