Fishing Report July 9th 2008

Team Fish Fighter Fishing Report Tampa Bay FL. July 9th, 2008:
By: Jimmy Jones, The Swamp Thing

It is a shame that the 7-8 times I have been out fishing, no one was there to bother me……WHAT A SHAME! HA! All I can say is I am glad that no one is fishing some of the new fishing holes that I have fallen upon. I am not going to give away my fishing hole but if someone stumbles upon it, I hope they respect the diverse eco-system that the sweet water brings. I have seen or caught the American Alligator, Black-tip sharks, a family of Manatees, schools of Jacks, monster Redfish, Ladyfish, fresh water Garr and last but not lest, the common Snook. It is good to see that people still respect wildlife and the natural habitat that they live next to.

Anyways…to the report, I have caught numerous Snook with the D.O.A white shad tail. My number one rule is to look for activity and have a strong tide. I prefer a strong in-coming tide and look for scattering bait. The small white bait has moved up into back creeks and a lot of anglers are passing these creeks by because they feel that these creeks won’t be very productive. That’s COOKEY-TALK to me; I have been hooking up with nice Snook ranging in the 28-32 inch range. The key again, is bait and a strong tide. Now, if you have a nice bay boat and can hit the beach or passes, I would stay were your at. NOW, if you’re a wade fisherman, kayak angler or have a small flats boat, hit the back creeks.

Not all Snook hang out at passes or big bridges! Remember, the area has had a lot of rain so the water is going to cool off for a short period of time. I like this time because the fish seem to react to the cooler water and it seems I am able to catch 8-10 Snook in a short in a short time. Another productive fishing practice is dock fishing on a high out going tide. I like to skip lures through the dock pilings and jig the lure slowly through the dock. Just make sure that you are using a heavier rod and reel so you can pull the fish out with out getting wrapped around the dock. The lures that have been productive for me have been D.O.A shad tails in white, the Terror-eyez lure in white and a white jerk bait. These have been my go to lures. Good Luck and keep fightn’ fish!

Both Snook were caught on a D.O.A white shad tail.