We are in the middle of winter on the Suncoast. Water temperatures have returned to normal in lower Tampa Bay — that is, in the mid-60s. That’s a long way from the plummeting temperatures of just over a week ago that left fish stunned or dying.
Even though the temperature is warmer now, fish have been slow to respond. Where the cold put fish in shock, it’s also made them slow to return to their normal winter haunts. Typically, schooling trout will be in 4 to 6 feet of water in mid-winter, but many fish are hanging in water much deeper than normal, with the exception of some big trout.
The larger specks are finding shallow potholes on southern shorelines more to their liking from mid-day throughout the afternoon if it‘s sunny. Once the shallows warm enough to make these fish feel hungry, they go on the prowl, looking for food.
The remaining baitfish inside shallow bays are mostly mullet and a few killifish — nothing like what was there several weeks ago. The freeze killed a lot of baitfish that were in the back bays. While you may find some scaled sardines on deep grass flats, these baits just aren’t getting the job done right now.
But shrimp are the main winter food source for trout and other game fish, and there seems to be a good supply of shrimp on most flats. I like the DOA Shrimp in a combination of colored glitter and night glow. The darker “carbonated series” of colors have been extremely effective as well.
Sheepshead are fattening up as we approach the spawn between this Saturday’s full moon and the full moon next month. Spawning rituals can make these fish hungry. Regardless, make presentations for all fish painfully slow. Once started, a feeding frenzy is the only thing that will get these fish feeding aggressively. Capt. Ray Markham (941) 723-2655 E-mail: flatback@tampabay.rr.com
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1995 - 2009 Mel-Fin Corp. All rights reserved.