Sauté the celery in butter and combined all other ingredients except crab. Gently fold in crab meat maintaining its lumpy texture. Shape crab mixture into cakes and sauté over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes per side. Add remaining butter and sauté remaining cakes. You can also bake them on a baking sheet and bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden, flipping cakes over once during cooking.
Captain Woody’s Redfish Recipe (Works for any flaky flesh fish)
4 fillets of Redfish3 larger eggs lightly beaten
1 cup butter3 cups fine dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons peanut oil½ cup slivered almonds
2 lemons quartered3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped garlic1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
Start with two clean Redfish fillets. In an oven safe skillet, (I use cast iron) melt one stick of butter and about three tablespoons of crushed garlic. Set the burner to low medium Wash and dry the fillets then dredge them in flour. Next dip the fillets in an egg wash and then in toasted breadcrumbs. Place the fish in the skillet and cook slowly, approximately 15 to 20 minutes, taking care not to burn the underside of the fillets. Remove the skillet and spoon the remainder of the butter and garlic onto the fillets. In a separate saucepan melt ½ stick of butter, ½ teaspoon of sugar, and your choice of chopped nuts, (almonds, pecans, pine etc.) and heat until just warm. Next spoon this mixture over the fillets and place in the oven, on broil, taking care not to burn the tops, approximately 12 minutes (Keep an eye on them). Remove from the oven and skillet, add two tablespoons of white raisins, remaining butter/nut mixture and serve immediately with lemon wedges, yellow rice, green peas or black beans, toasted Cuban bread & butter and iced tea.
Understanding tides, knowing what causes them, and comprehending how they work can definitely affect your productivity. Moving water dramatically affects feeding patterns in fish and especially in areas with strong tidal flows.
The bite in Tampa Bay for example is practically non-existent on slack tides. However, let the water begin flowing and hang onto you rod and reel because the bites about to turn on. It’s actually fairly simply, the tides move, the tidal currents flow, the bait swims and the fish feed.
Snook One more month and the season opens again on September 1, 2009. There are plenty of Snook lurking around piece of structure and open grass flat throughout Tampa Bay. Pick a good incoming high tide and check out you favorite grass line, broken bottom grass flat and the mangrove shorelines.
The best live bait is a greenback about 3.5 to 5 inches long and to get them means throwing that dreaded cast net. If you’re catching bait on the flats check bait size before you load up that net. If they are still small you might want to use a ¼ inch net instead of the 3/8 inch. No one likes a Christmas tree first thing in the morning. You don’t need to use greenbacks Snook also eat things like pinfish, shrimp, threadfins, grunts and artificial lures.
One of my “walk-the-dog” topwater favorites is a lure manufactured by High Roller Lure Company (www.highrollerlures.com). The 4.25″ High RollerTM is one of the most versatile topwater lures I’ve fished. Originally designed for Largemouth Bass in freshwater it’s characterized by its long casting ability and highly active back and forth jumping motion; I’ve found it deadly for a variety of elusive and exciting saltwater fish, specifically: Snook, Redfish, and Spotted Sea Trout. High Roller manufactures a variety of lures from stick baits to poppers and they all work equally well in saltwater applications.
Here’s a tip/secret for nighttime anglers looking for really large Snook. Use the large 7.5 inch RipRollersTM around bridges, structure and hang on. Originally, designed for Peacock Bass fishing this lure is a surefire big Snook lure. But don’t tell anybody else.
Redfish We’re seeing some nice Redfish pushing into shallower water looking for food on incoming tides. Find a large school of mullet and you’ll normally find a few Redfish. Green backs, small pinfish, shrimp, and for those that like pitching soft plastics are excellent baits for a few Redfish.
Sea Trout I’ve caught more big Trout this summer since before the last big Red Tide fiasco a few years ago when it seemed like they had disappeared for the bay. Well they’re back, and bigger than ever. Find a deepwater grass flat free-line a greenback or shrimp over some and its Trout for dinner. Paradise Poppers bobbers with a medium split-shot about 8″ above a 2/0 circle hook and work the cork by popping it, letting it set a moment, then popping it again.
Don’t be surprise if fishing deep water if you catch Mackerel, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Jacks, Sharks and of course Trout. Topwater popping plugs like High Roller’s ChugRollerTM is a great Trout lure or soft plastic jerkbaits over any deep broken bottom grass can offer artificial anglers some nice action.
Mackerel, Sharks, Cobia, and Tarpon Big Mack’s are everywhere in Tampa Bay. You must fish a moving tide and they’re feeding on anything that swims. Hang a chum block over the side, rig up using 60 # Seaguar leader and long shank hooks, hook a large greenback or threadfin at the joint near the pectoral fin, cast it out and hang on. If you want a few sharks try cutting chunks of Threadfins or Greenbacks tossing them out in the current… the sharks will come.
We’re catching some really big Mackerel with many measuring 30″ and weighing 5 to 6 lbs. Remember, that big Snook secret? It works on big Mackerel and Sharks. Take a fairly calm day, toss out a few chum baits to get them working and work the HighRollerTM 7.5 or 6.5 inch RipRollerTM across the surface. There is nothing as exciting as having a 5 or six foot shark take it on the surface. (use 90 to 120 # Tyger Leader/wire leader and bend down the barbs).
Cobia: I’ve been seeing a few Cobias around the bay most are cruising markers and cans or following large rays or manatees around the flats. When Mackerel fishing with a chum block keep you eyes open as Cobia’s like to hang around you boat. If you net your bait keep a few smaller pinfish and use them for the Cobia.
Tarpon: Plenty of Tarpon at the Skyway, Egmont and on the beaches. Large Greenbacks, Threadfins, or a crab should do the trick. Some are also showing up around the bridges at night. Don’t be surprised is you bait get eaten by a large shark as plenty of them also cruise the bridges during the evening hours.
The Tampa Bay waters are full of fish and offer excellent Snook, Redfish and Trout action starting at the north end of the Bay down to the Skyway. Some North Tampa Bay hotspots are Safety Harbor, Mobly Bay, Rocky Point, Rocky Creek, and Double Branch. If you fish the north end the Courtney Campbell Causeway Ramp is a decent boat launch but has limited parking especially on weekends. Central bay areas include Picnic Island, Coffee Pot Bayou, Weedon Island, Fourth Street, Cypress Flats, and Culbreath Isle Flats and you can launch at either the Causeway or Salty Sol Boat ramp located on West Gandy Blvd on the Tampa side of the Gandy Bridge. Good producing locations on the southeast shore with boat ramps located at Williams Park and Simmons Park include the Alafia and Little Manatee River, Apollo Beach Flats, the Kitchen, Simmons Park, big and little Cockroach Bay, Piney Point, Bishops Harbor, and Joe Bay. On the St. Petersburg side check out Pinellas Point, The Skyway Fishing Pier, Tarpon Key, Indian Key, Tierra Verde/Fort Desoto and Boca Ciega Bay all the way into Bradenton and Sarasota.
Because the fishing pressure continues to climb throughout Florida and because it’s a wonderful pastime for friends and families it’s import that we protect the assets that give us pleasure. Many of us enjoy eating a good fish dinner so don’t hesitate to take enough for a meal. However, filling your freezer with fillets is not in the best interest of protecting our fish.
Unless properly frozen fish have a short shelf life usually 2 to 6 months depending on fat content and how it’s frozen. Otherwise it quickly becomes freezer burned destined only for the garbage. It doesn’t matter how good your freezer, nothing saves a piece of fish if the package’s air tight seal is lost. The omega-3 fats are highly unstable and when exposed to air oxidize quickly, leaving that recognizable, rancid, fishy, smell and taste. Whenever you take fish from your freezer and the seal appears broken, give it the smell test.
Remember, if it’s not in the freezer you have an excellent reason to go fishing, “like we really need one”.
Early mornings, light wind and a small ripple on the water are excellent times to fish topwater lures for Snook, Redfish and Trout. Like hundreds of anglers one of my favorite topwater’s is the MirrOlure and it’s made right here in Largo, Florida. As a company committed to offering the highest quality, they continually improve and manufacture state of the art lures which results in millions of fish caught in both fresh and saltwater. One of my favorites is the Top Dog series and a favorite of everyone the 7M. Always on the cutting edge they’ve recently created three additional fish catchers: the MirrOMullet Surface Walker, Suspending MirrODine, & MirrOMinnow, I have used these new lures with exceptional results on Snook, Redfish and Trout.
Use a “walk-the-dog” or twitch technique, across a grassy flat in 2 to 3 feet of water and hold on to your fishing rod. Snook strikes for example are usually so violent they frequently push the lure right out of the water, so wait until you feel the fish before setting the hook. Redfish on the other hand make a swirling strike and occasionally miss on the first attempt. If you’re “walking the dog” slow it down but never stop it. Countless times I’ve seen someone stop the lure only to see the Redfish turn away and lose interest. Conversely if you keep the lure moving the Red keeps striking. Again, wait until you feel the fish to set the hook.
Here’s a little something about hook setting. We’ve watched bass professionals wrench back on their rods to set the hook. Some reasons given for this type of hook set is quick reaction times result in good hookups, getting the stretch out their monofilament line and forcing the hook point (usually rigged weedless by embedding it into the soft plastic lure) out of the plastic lure and into the fish.
Today with many anglers switching to braided line and open J-hooks aggressive, haul back and set the hook techniques are unnecessary. Because braid has little or no stretch and no memory just getting the slack out of the line forces the hook set. With braided line like when you see or feel a strike quickly lift the rod to remove any slack line and reel the hook does the rest. “Slack Line is Not Your Friend” and I’ve seen thousands of anglers miss a strike because of it.
One final point on hook setting involves circle hooks that have been around for centuries. Over the last 10 to 20 years and with a move toward environmentally friendly fishing “Circle Hooks” increased in popularity with recreational anglers. They’ve proved to be the most fool proof way of hooking fish that produces the least damage. Hook sets normally occur in the outside edge of the mouth and seldom if ever throat or gut-hooks a fish. Circle hooks are automatic, just lift your rod, take up any slack line, (which should not be there) and it’s a hookup. Try to set the hook yourself by pulling before you feel the fish and guess what? The fish wins.
Snook: (Season Opens March 1st – April 30th). Unless we have an extended winter season keeping the water temperatures down the Snook should be out and about looking for food. As the water temperatures rise they move into summertime patterns. Greenbacks will begin showing up again and live bait anglers will be getting out that dreaded cast net. Look for Snook to pattern along outside edges and points along mangrove islands and shorelines especially where tidal flows move bait. Our miles of grass flats with sandy potholes also offer excellent ambush locations. Live bait, suspending lures, topwater’s and soft plastics always produce.
Redfish: There’s nothing more exciting to a Redfish angler than easing onto a shallow grass flat and seeing fish tails waving in the air. Identify which direction they are feeding and approach quietly. Natures provided Redfish with exceptional eyesight and hearing and can almost hear you change your mind. With quit and low profile mandatory serious anglers often slip over the side wading to within casting distance. With perfectly placed cast try picking off the outside fish never casting directly into the school.
In every report I write about mullet schools and it bears repeating when locating feeding Redfish. Redfish follow schooling mullet eating the baits they stir up so, fishing these mullet schools usually produces. Live bait, suspending lures, top water and soft plastics always yield good Redfish catches. While some anglers use the dead stick method with cut ladyfish, mullet or chunks of crab.
Spotted Sea Trout:March will continue producing good catches on incoming or outgoing tides. I cannot emphasize the excitement of using topwater lures on calm early morning flats. Trout love the MirrOlure’s 7M series, 5M series, Top Dog and new MirrOMullet. Twitch or “walk-the-dog” and pause the lure momentarily after each series. The anticipation is un-nerving.
For die-hard live baits users, live shrimp, greenbacks, or pinf ish under a Paradise Popper from Old Bayside, find a good broken bottom grass flat and you’ll catch trout. Its four fish per person, per day, with a slot limit of 15 to 20 inches. You can have one fish over 20 in the southern region. On moving tides check the flats around Weedon Island, 4th Street, Culbreath Bayou, Cockroach Bay, Bishops Harbor, Simmons Park, Joe Island also Ft. Desoto, Tarpon Key, Indian Key, Boca Ciega Bay, and Pinellas Point flats are good bets.
Cobia, Mackerel, Sharks: As the bait shows up these should follow. Check markers and cans holding bait and be ready to toss something in the path of a circling Cobia. Not picky about food Cobia will readily take large shrimp, small crabs and pin fish or toss them an artificial jerk bait or plastic eel. Mackerel with eat greenbacks, threadfins, silver spoons and Gotca lures.
Well folks it’s definitely here… summer time heat and warm water fishing. This year fishing in Tampa Bay’s been awesome. But remember July brings hot humid days and very warm water. Not only can it be challenging to find fish willing to eat but this hot weather’s equally hard on anglers venturing out during the heat of the day. Early mornings, late afternoons and nighttime trips can make this month more bearable. We can expect water temperatures to climb into the high eighties and low nineties especially on shallow water flats and backcountry. Fish everywhere will be looking for relief so plan your fishing trips toward areas offering some cool water reprieves. Deeper cuts and troughs around the grass flats, islands, shade around the mangrove shores, passes, creeks and deeper holes throughout the bay.
Let’s Go Fishing in Tampa Bay:
Tampa Bay offers excellent angling for over 200 species of fish. Tampa Bay starts at the extreme north end all the way down to the Skyway Bridge. Pick a good day with a respectable incoming or outgoing tide and catch fish. Many places are fishable from land for shore anglers or accessible to those who like to wade. For those with boats or Kayaks there are many public and private boat ramps located throughout the bay area.
Snook (Snook Season Closed) It’s seems like the Snook are everywhere throughout the bay. Pick a likely spot, hookup a medium sized greenie; toss it toward a mangrove line and its fish on. Good reports are coming in from the north end down past the Skyway. Weedon Island is a favorite spot for many anglers and gets plenty of pressure from Snook anglers. If you’re tired of the same old scenery venture away from you favorite spots and find new areas.
If Snook is all you want to catch there are plenty around but when you catch one take a look at its mouth and you’ll see why I’m suggesting targeting something different. Their mouths are in terrible shape from being hooked and released. So, you might want to think about giving them a rest during the closed season and try one of the other 200 plus species throughout Tampa Bay.
Redfish(No closed season, one fish per person per day, within the 18” to 27” slot limit) Redfish are popping up all over the bay and pushing into shallower water as the tide climbs. There is no shortage of large mullet schools and Redfish aren’t far behind. Green backs, small pinfish, shrimp and for those that like pitching soft plastics and topwater’s around the mangroves you can expect some great action on high in coming tides. If you’re lucky to find a school moving around a shoreline, setup and wait they will move back and forth when feeding. Chasing them only causes them to scatter.
Sea Trout (Season Open, four fish per person per day, within the 15” to 20” slot limit) Free-line a greenback or shrimp over some deep grass flats and its Trout for dinner. You might try suspending a shrimp under Paradise Popper with a medium split-shot about 8” about a 2/0 circle hook and work the cork by popping it, letting it set a moment, then popping it again if there are fish in the area it won’t take long before you hooked up. Topwater popping plugs or soft plastic jerkbaits over any broken bottom grass flat can offer artificial anglers some nice action.
Mackerel, Sharks, Cobia, and Tarpon I can’t say enough about the big Mackerel showing up all over the bay. They’re all over the bay feeding on Anchovies, and Threadfins. Hang a chum block over the side through out some cut chunks of Threadfins or Greenbacks and get ready. I’m getting reports of big fish ranging in the four to seven pound range caught using a long shank 2/0 hooks and fifty pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader. Cobia: I’ve been seeing a few Cobias around the bay most are cruising markers or following large rays or manatees around the flats. When Mackerel fishing with a chum block keep you eyes open as Cobia’s like to hang around you boat. If you net your bait keep a few smaller pinfish and use them for the Cobia. Tarpon: Plenty of Tarpon at the Skyway and on the beaches. Large Greenbacks, Threadfins, or a crab should do the trick. If you’re casting to them use a rod and reel combo that allow for a longer distance cast.
