Fishing Report: June 25, 2008

Find out what the fish are biting on, where they are, and when you should head out, with local fishing experts Jimmy Jones.

A connections within the fishing community, to deliver a Fishing Report and Tackle Tips that are beneficial to all fishermen, from the novice to the experienced veteran.
Fishing Report: Tampa Bay FL. June 25, 2008 By: Jimmy Jones, The Swamp Thing

What a week of fishing! I can say that it is the right time to hit area’s that you normally would not fish. This week we fished way up in Oldsmar and Safety Harbor with great rewards. We fished area’s you normally would fish in the winter time but the bait has moved way up into the bay. We were looking for the small hatchling’s schooled up and finger mullet. It paid off, as we saw Snook after Snook blast and ambush bait at points of mangroves and sea walls. We decided to use artificial lures, so we matched the hatch the best we could. Every second cast we either got a hit or hooked up. We had to downgrade our leader because the water was so clear and we had several break offs. Our typical artificial was a ¼ oz. jig with a D.O.A shad tail. The colors we chose were white with a chartreuse tail, silver glitter to match the small mullet and a pearl white color to match the flickering small white bait. The size of the Snook varied from 13-17 inches to a fat girl that was 29 inches. The Snook were healthy and our secret spot was on fire. This spot is not that big of a secret, we just stumbled across it because one, it had swift moving water, two the bait schools were thick and three it held huge schools of mullet. Snook were not the only fish chomping at the schools of bait, jacks and lady fish were on the prowl also. My tip of the week is to not over look the traditional winter spots you normally fish. They might be very productive.

As far as the rest of the upper bay goes, look for the mullet schools for the redfish. Look for oyster bars and if the sun is high fish the mangrove shadows. The Redfish are moving and are not eating as well as we would like. If you find a Redfish or two, try throwing a Berkley Gulp! And dead stick it. Dead sticking just means you throw your bait in the area you caught your first Redfish in and let it sit. Try and pitch them in the sand holes if you are over a thick grassy area. DON’T MOVE IT! If you have live bait like white bait, cut it in half and add a split shot to it, pitch it out and let it sit. They will usually eat it. If Snook is your thing, rig up with 30 pound fluorocarbon rigged with a split shot and drop a pinfish around a bridge. Make sure your using a quality braided line, so you can pull the fish out of the bridge with out getting cut off. Watch out because you might meet up with a cobia because they have been hanging around the bridges. Good Luck and keep fightn’fish!