Fishing Reports

OFFSHORE

Offshore fishing has been good for grouper diggers. Consistent catches of quality fish are coming from depths ranging from 40-to 65-feet of water. Frozen baits like cigar minnow, squid, and Spanish sardines, when you can get them, are working well on gags. However, live baits like pinfish, grunts, squirrelfish, and fresh cut baits are also working well. Mangrove snapper fishing slowed a bit, but anglers fishing rock piles just outside the mouth of Tampa Bay near Egmont Key are finding a few mangos in the 3-pound class taking scaled sardines.

Spanish mackerel that seemed to disappear for a few days during the cold spell a week or so ago are back, but have thinned out. Macks ranging from a pound to 4-pounds or so are being caught on Diamond Jigs and silver spoons off the beaches. Winds out of the south and southeast that are predicted for the weekend could squelch the possibility of catching them this weekend. Higher winds will likely stir up coastal waters, pushing macks offshore. Bonito have also been in the catch on nearshore reefs and wrecks.

INSHORE

Southern waters in Sarasota have been productive for anglers this week. Capt. Jim Klopfer out of CB Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key reported good catches of bluefish, Spanish mackerel, trout, pompano, jacks and ladyfish in south Sarasota Bay on live shrimp, Cotee Jigs, and Exude soft plastic baits. Capt. Rick Grassett put his clients on a variety of fish on Sarasota Bay. Using Clouser Minnow flies, CAL Jigs with jerk worms and shad tails, and DOA Deadly Combos, Grassett’s anglers catch mirrored Klopfer’s and also included flounder and even saw some monster Spanish mackerel in the 7-to 8-pound range.

Dr. Harvey Partridge and I caught snook, trout, and redfish in the potholes in Terra Ceia Bay and lower Tampa Bay while fishing with me around the holidays. Using CAL Jigs with shad tails snook to 28-inches and redfish to 23-inches gave us good action on the incoming tide.

Anglers in the south region of the state are looking forward to the reopening of spotted seatrout season January 1. Guys working Clearwater Bay to Dunedin caught and released good numbers of trout in the 2-to 3-pound class on live shrimp and Series III TT MirrOlures. Productive trout waters in the North Region, north of Fred Howard Park produced trout to 5-pounds, but the top speckled trout waters have to be ranging well to the north on the Nature Coast between Homosassa and Crystal River. According to Capt. William Toney of www.homosassainshorefishing.com, the water temperature has taken the winter plunge, but great fishing can still be found especially on the warmer days. Progress Energy's hot water outflow is a good spot for a variety of species like redfish, trout, black drum, ladyfish, jacks and cobia. Live shrimp will catch plenty of fish but D.O.A. CAL Jigs with Shad tails on a quarter-ounce chartreuse jig head and MirrOLure TT series lures are working well. Be very careful of manatees in the area, as they are really showing up in good numbers there to enjoy the warmer waters of the power plant and the springs. He says Kings Bay in Crystal River has some good trout, jack, and ladyfish action early in the morning before the manatee divers come out. The south side of Mason Creek is holding plenty of redfish. Toney said the best way to catch them is on a fly rod using a crab pattern with dark colors tied with a little crystal flash. On the nearshore rock piles northwest of marker #2 out of Homosassa, Toney recommends that you look for sheepshead. He rigs a 2/0 Eagle Claw hook and quarter-ounce split shot with live shrimp to get the bite. High outgoing tide out of the Homosassa area will be early morning this weekend and water will remain generally low water though out the day there. For details on fishing and manatee tours in the area go to www.visitcitrus.com.