Fishing is going strong throughout the southeast with people fishing and catching everywhere. That’s a good thing. Enjoying the outdoors and especially a little fishing is fun anytime, but especially now when most of us would like a distraction from things going on in the world. Fishing is an outstanding way to break away from things that concern you. When you’re near the water waiting for a fish to bite, it’s easier to feel better and it usually takes your mind off your problems at least for awhile.

Fishing is a great way to put some of life’s tribulations on hold and a good way to put a tasty meal on the table. People fish for different reasons some for the fun of catching, a few others for dinner, and many for both.

In the past few years the concept of catch and release has become very prominent throughout the fishing world. Catch and release is a great idea because you’re actually recycling fish and people seem to relish the thought of putting them back alive. You catch a fish, then you give someone else a chance to catch that fish. That’s a pretty good deal, and it’s evident that catch and release has improved our fisheries.

However, there are always those who take everything to the extreme. Certain groups and anglers feel that every fish caught should be released. It’s important to remember that catch and release is an option. If you want to put em’ back, that’s great, if you want to keep a few for dinner that’s also ok. There’s nothing wrong with keeping a few fish for the table but there’s no advantage to loading the freezer. Fish always taste better when their fresh, but once they become freezer burned they ruined. When fish are kept in the freezer they loose that wonderful fresh fish taste and wind up in the garbage.

Progressive fish management regulations, mostly slot limits and closed seasons, have created outstanding fisheries throughout the country. Slot limits are simply limits where fish within a certain size “slot” must be released.

The fish are biting. So, if you want to put your catch back, good for you. But if you want to keep a few, don’t hesitate to enjoy a fresh fish dinner.

This article is owned by Capt. Woody Gore and is copyright protected. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by Capt. Gore. wgore@ix.netcom.com

Everything eats shrimp even… anglers.

Regardless of the species you’re trying to catch on any fishing trip you won’t go wrong by having a few dozen shrimp along. And if you’re like me, being extremely fond of these tasty little rascals what I don’t use I always take them home and enjoy a little shrimp cocktail.

When it comes to live bait fishing, every angler has their own preference. However, almost unanimously all will agree that nothing rates higher than the every present shrimp. Simply put… everything in Florida waters eats shrimp. Consequently, if you’re searching for something that catches fish all year… it’s a live shrimp. This highly adaptable bait catches everything from pinfish to tarpon.

Pressure of work got you stressed and you need to relax, just go fishing. If you’re looking to forget the world’s problems or feel like taking the kids out for some afternoon rod and reel fun, shrimp would be a great way to do it.

Free-line on a hook, under a popping cork or one of my favorites, rigged with a bucktail jig and tipped with the tail section of a fresh shrimp. Fishing this simple rig around the mangroves, flats or structure will usually result in fish.

Inshore: July fishing is hot and humid and extra precaution should be taken when it comes to heat exhaustion. So, keep yourself hydrated with plenty of fluids. Heat exhaustion grabs you when least expected and can be fatal. Whether you’re fishing or boating during the summer drink plenty of fluids, wear a hat, and Sunblock.

Provided you can stand the heat fishing should be great. We can expect water temperatures to climb into the eighties and low nineties so watch your bait if using greenbacks. High water temperature means low oxygen levels especially in shallow water.

Not only the bait suffers, but fish also need oxygen rich water. So when you fish shallow look for areas with good tidal flows and changing water. Throughout the bay you’ll find deeper cuts and washes around and through grass flats, mangrove islands, oyster bars and shady mangrove shores, these are good starting points for many species.

Snook – Depending on tides and lunar phases, snook usually spawn around the full moon. Individual females may spawn every two days releasing over a million eggs per occurrence. For that reason, handle with care, revive quickly and return them gently to the water. Snook fishing is going gangbusters with nice fish caught on both live bait and artificial lures. This should continue through the summer.

Redfish – Redfish are found almost everywhere in the bay area. Search for them around oyster bars and early morning flats. Expect good early morning topwater action along grass flats and mangrove shores. Work both incoming and outgoing tides.

Spotted Sea Trout – Trout fishing been exceptional all year and unless something drastic happens we can expect it to continue all summer. Look for really nice size trout on Tampa Bay grass flats especially deeper edges on outgoing tides.

Cobia – Cobia will be traveling the flats and open water, sometimes as singles or groups and normally always behind large Rays. Keep your eyes peeled, toss your bait close and the battle begins.

Tarpon – Tarpon anglers should check the beaches and bridges. Threadfins, crabs and larger sardines should do nicely. Toss them directly into the path of rolling tarpon and hang on. Bridge Tarpon are always fun. Be ready to cast off your anchor line and buoy and give chase.

Snapper – The bay is loaded with these tasty fish. Although not as big as the offshore guys but they’re big enough to give you a terrific tussle on light tackle. Remember, these are reef species and the new laws require the use of circle hooks when using live or dead baits. Shrimp or cut sardines on a ¼ oz. knocker rig works great.

Mackerel & Bluefish – If you are looking for some great light-tackle action look, no further Tampa Bay is full of threadfins and that means Mackerel and Bluefish. Drift the bait schools or anchor around a marker tossing out a white baits or threadfins, and hang on. Shinny artificial lures like silver spoons also work.

Offshore:
Expecting the weather to remain hot, the winds should stay fairly calm for some warm water offshore action. While temperatures will often affect the near-shore bite cooler offshore temperatures turn fish on.

If it’s a snapper you’re after… it’s a great time to go fishing for these tasty fish. Also expect large Mangrove Snapper action at night from 50 feet on out, especially around the full moon.

Expect good catches of grouper, amber jacks, triggerfish, sharks, sea bass, and dolphin (mahi-mahi). There is also some pompano still hanging around the wrecks and as always goliath’s ready to eat anything you catch.

Inshore: As expected the fishing turned on around the bay area with plenty of great catches being reported. The greenbacks/whitebait has moved onto every grass flat and with some chumming it’s easy to get all you need for a day of fishing.

If you’re chumming bait into cast net range try using any form of cat food (east expensive the better). I use Jack Mackerel (purchased at my local grocery store), mixed with menhaden oil, (purchased at my local tackle shop) and several cups of fish food (purchase at my local feed store). I dump the jack mackerel into a small plastic bucket, mush it up real good, add a cup or two of menhaden oil and several scoops of fish food then mix everything together. When you get to the flat just toss out small amounts and watch the bait come running. Tip: if you purchase a bag of fish food my certain you have something to store it in, do not leave it in the bag. I use a two five-gallon buckets with lids.

Ok, we’ve got our bait… let’s go fishing. Tampa Bay if full of fish and finding those willing to eat is not difficult.

Snook, Redfish and Trout are everywhere around the bay. But if you’re looking for snook, remember they are out of season and must be released until the first day of September. Circle hooks are more fish friendly than conventional j-hooks and usually result in outer-mouth hookups. However, it you’re not paying attention the fish will swallow the bait and hook which almost always results in death. Therefore as soon as you sense the fish has taken the bait, simply ease back on the rod get a good bend in it and when you feel the fish start reeling.

We’ve been catching snook around the mangroves and around structure. However, on a few recent trips I’ve found plenty of fish on the grass flats… fattening up on whitebait.
There are plenty of reds around and you’ll find some schooling fish from Double Branch Creek all the way into Sarasota. I’m finding most of the fish we find will push up to the oyster bars and mangrove line on an incoming tide and feed until the tide turns to go out. We’re catching them on live greenies and artificial lures. Some reel exciting action comes on topwater lures like MirrOlure, High Roller and Thunder Shad lures. As the water deepens you might try a Gulp Shrimp around the oyster bars.

Everyone loves a good trout bite and lately I’ve been finding some huge seatrout around the outside edges of some hearty grass flats, especially when the tide begins falling. The bigger fish tend to move to deeper water and live greenbacks and shrimp free-lined or under a popping cork will do the trick.

Now for some real fun… the giant Spanish mackerel have arrived and they’re ready to eat. Plenty of huge fish are patrolling the beaches along the gulf and quite often you hook up with the occasional kingfish. These speedsters will be moving into the bay offering some awesome drag screaming action on light tackle. These fish hit hard, run long and offer a terrific battle and they are good eating.

I’ve been smoking them for about a year now and they are delicious. You can even do it on a gas grille. Take a couple of lengths of aluminum foil, double it and roll some wood chips into a log inside the foil. Poke a few holes into the foil and place it under the grates on the rear burner. Take another sheet or two of the foil and place it on the grates, put the mackerel fillets skin side down and sprinkle with you favorite seasonings. I use a seafood seasoning and garlic salt. Cook with the rear burner on medium and the front two burners off. Sometimes I’ll turn the front two on about a minute or two before the fish are done. It doesn’t take long to cook about 20 to 30 minutes but watch them; you don’t want to dry them out too much. When done serve warm and eat away from the blood line. It’s as good as smoked mullet and if inclined it make some terrific smoked fish spread.

Mangrove snapper (gray snapper) have begun their typical summer push into inshore waters of Tampa Bay. Anglers are reporting good catches around any area with structure, rock piles, and area bridges such as the Sunshine Skyway and Gandy Bridge. The full moon should really heat up the action as fish prepare to spawn.

Offshore: The recreational harvest of gag grouper and red snapper from all Gulf of Mexico waters off Florida was from closed Feb. 1 through March 31. It might be interesting to see if this closure will help rebuild the population of this important species. It seems that closed seasons and bag limits seem to change monthly, so be certain to check the latest information at: myfwc.com/RulesandRegs/SaltwaterRules_index.htm

Typically the winds lie down in during the summer and making for calmer more pleasant offshore fishing. And with the water warming up in June the grouper and snapper fishery should be extremely active, around hard bottom or structure, from near shore waters out to about 100-160 feet. Either live bait or dead bait will do the trick but remember you must use circle hooks and have a Venting Tool and de-hooker. Team Marine USA still builds the worlds safest and most fish friendly venting tool. Check them out at: www.teammarineusa.us

The red snapper season opens in Federal and Florida waters June 1. The offshore snapper bite should be excellent. You can also expect good catches of mangrove snapper and structure and bait, are the key to catching these tasty fish.

There are plenty of artificial reefs and wrecks located just off the coast. You will find a list of them at: www.myfwc.com/docs/Conservation/REEFS.pdf#search=”reef”
There’s a good gag grouper, snapper, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, bonito and the occasional yellowtail located around these reefs. Anytime you’re fishing a hard bottom reef and doing any chumming keep you eyes open for a nice cobia and late season kingfish. Permit will usually show up on the near shore wrecks and will hit silver dollar size crabs.
For those adventurous blue-water types, there are plenty of summer marlin and Wahoo out near the Gulf Stream.

If you’re interested in booking a trip, please visit my website: CaptainWoodyGore.Com or call at: 813-477-3814. Fishing Florida for over 50 years, I offer professionally guided fishing and teaching charters around Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota, and Tarpon Springs. If you want to catch fish, have a memorable adventure or perhaps learning some new fishing tips give me a call. I specialize in group and multi-boat charters. Tell me what you need and leave the rest to me.

Expect good things to happen this month as the water continues to warm in the gulf, bays and backcountry. And if spring’s any indication, the fishing for the rest of the year should be awesome. Everything is eating and we’re catching plenty of fish. The redfish, snook and trout bite should continue with the big mackerel filling in the gaps. You also might get the opportunity to hook into a nice cobia on the flats. Snapper should be strong throughout the bay… so check the artificial reels.

You can expect the snook bite to continue particularly as the water gets warmer. Fishing tidal grass flat’s, passes, or cuts from upper Tampa Bay all the way to Sarasota will prove productive. When entering an area don’t stop on top of the fish, a few hundred feet away is plenty and fish your way in closer if needed. If you’re a live baiter, remember snook and scaled sardines are a perfect match. MirrOLure Top Dog lures also prove very productive and offer plenty of topwater excitement.

Spotted Sea Trout or Speckled Trout fishing continues to improve especially as the bait begins showing up on the flats. Look for lush grass flats with deep and shallow areas and plenty of sandy potholes. Try the DOA artificial shrimp under a popping cork… it works great.

Redfish are here and should begin settling in for the summer. Check your favorite oyster bars, cuts and broken bottom grass flats. The last of an outgoing tide should raise those black dotted flags as the fish begin to move out of the mangroves onto the shallow flats. Wading is often the best answer to a stealthy approach in shallow water but either way try to keep a low profile as you approach schooling reds. If the school gets spooked, just wait they usually will not move far and circle around especially if they’re feeding. Greenbacks and silver dollar size pinfish work well as live bait. Here’s a tip: If you’re using live bait and have some dead ones, cut them up and throw them around the boat. If Redfish are in the area the scent could bring them to within casting distance. Remember, a redfish can hear you change your mind… so being quite is the number one key to success.

Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing (813) 477-3817

We have four seasons in Florida – Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer and Christmas. But thanks goodness it’s almost summertime and fishing’s looking great for April.

I’ve had an awesome last three months catching nice spotted sea trout using shrimp and artificial lures. It’s always nice not having to throw the net for awhile. We had some really great days with trout measuring in the low to mid 20” range along with a few redfish, bluefish, some pompano and sheepshead.

Coming in April snook can be found around docks, bridges, mangrove islands, oyster bars or any other ambush spot. You often hear me talk about topwater action well this is a great month to a good topwater lure punched out of the water by a big snook. It’s also a great time to fish docks and bridge fenders at night. Any good lipped lure tossed at a lighted structure and ripped through the light line will produce everything from snook, redfish, trout or the occasional grouper.

Expect the trout fishing on any decent grass flat to be strong through the rest of the summer. Jigs with a plastic tails or shrimp free-lined or under a popping cork with do the trick. And don’t be surprised if you don’t pull up a nice pompano off some the sandy flats edges or in the beach surf.

Redfish are a staple of the area and you can expect to catch plenty from now right through the summer. Live baits or artificial it’s all fun tussling with these fighting dynamos. Targeting areas along the flats, edges of breaks and oyster bars should produce some nice fish.

Snapper, sharks, mackerel, bluefish should begin showing during the month of April especially when the large schools of threadfins show up.

Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing 813-477-3817. If you want to catch fish, have a memorable adventure or perhaps learning some new fishing tips give me a call. I also specialize in group or multi-boat charters. Tell me what you need and leave the rest to me. Fishing Florida for over 50 years I offer professionally guided fishing and teaching charters around Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota, and Tarpon Springs. If you’re interested in booking a trip, please visit his website CaptainWoodyGore.Com or call at: 813-477-3814.

March can be a tough time to catch fish since it’s basically a transition period for cold fronts that result in fluctuating temperatures. However, informed anglers will use their skills to increase the March fishing action.

During this unsettled period, the majority of fish are still found relatively deep particularly around rivers, inland flats, bays and coves. Although the situation can be complicated, it’s not impossible to put the odds in your favor. You must consider a variety of factors when locating fish during this changeover time.

Chasing fish for years, I spend the majority of time in March poking around broken bottom grass flats. Broken bottom is simply a grass flat with plenty of sand or shell pot holes. Another ideal location which offers a feeding zone is a shallow bay or cove located off a grass flat, but near a deeper channel. Then should the temperatures drop, it offers a safe sanctuary from the cold. Fish like snook are usually still in transition from deep water and these are great areas during March.

Occasionally, we get to enjoy some milder weather as spring approaches, the sun out, the winds are calm, and the fish begin moving onto the flats. For best results, try fishing at the top of a falling high tide concentrating your efforts on areas of nervous water, oyster bars and structure; looking for sandy pot holes holding snook or reds pushing water. Start out by easing along the shore and with a little luck you’ll be able to flip a jig into a pot hole or cut off a slow-moving redfish.

If you’re starting out and looking to purchase the right inshore tackle, don’t go too heavy when making your choice. Keep it simple and choose a light or medium spinning reel, 15 pound braided line, fluorocarbon leader and a matching 6 ½ to 7 ½ ft. light to medium-action rod. Next, rig up with a white, new penny, or green/white soft plastic jerk shad or shrimp body threaded onto a 1/8 or 1/4 oz. jighead.

Fish this combination fished with a slow retrieve or twitching action around and over pot holes or oyster bars will certainly attract attention and a strike. Other than that, if you prefer watching a hungry fish crush a topwater lure, you can certainly find this heart stopping action on shallow water grass flats. Recently, I acquired a new bait from a company named Thunder Baits Unlimited, Inc and have fished them recently on several redfish trips. They manufacture several diving and topwaters baits. The action on their Saltwater Model 601 is unbelievable. With a slow retrieve the bait leisurely wobbles back and forth one to three inches under the surface and leaves an incredible wake for the fish to follow. I had great success fishing this lure and we’ve caught redfish, snook and some really nice trout. With topwater lures the heart pounding strikes are awesome, but the anticipation is unnerving.

Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing 813-477-3817. If you want to catch fish, have a memorable adventure or perhaps learning some new fishing tips give me a call. I also specialize in group or multi-boat charters. Tell me what you need and leave the rest to me. Fishing Florida for over 50 years I offer professionally guided fishing and teaching charters around Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota, and Tarpon Springs. If you’re interested in booking a trip, please visit his website CaptainWoodyGore.Com or call at: 813-477-3814.

Snook: – There are greenbacks at the Skyway. Net some and there’s a good chance you can find a snook willing to eat them. I’ve been finding them back around docks in deeper water with muddy bottoms. I’ve also had several good days tossing diving or suspending lures around inshore canals, creeks and rivers.

Redfish – If you’re looking for bait the skyway is loaded with greenbacks and you normally don’t have to chum. Just throw into the shadow line and you’re usually done in one throw. I had several good Redfish days on the north and south end of the bay. Live or dead bait under a cork and you should get a good bite going.

Spotted Sea Trout- The trout bites been on fire all winter and should continue through February. There are some really big fish hanging around shallow water pot holes. And on negative winter tide, wading is the best bet with a tote full of good size shrimp. A good incoming or outgoing tide is usually the trick as they seem to eat better on moving water. Don’t be surprised when trout fishing with jigs if you catch several pompano. We’ve landed several nice fish this winter.

Cobia & Sharks – Last week I saw a few cobia cruising the warm water discharges near power plants and actually found a couple on the flats around the manatees. One was swimming under the big mammal and you could hardly see it. It seems there are always plenty of sharks, jacks, and ladyfish hanging around the power plants and they offer some first-class wintertime action.

Sheepshead - If you’re after these tasty fish the key places are bridges, pilings, docks, oysters and rock plies. Rig up with a #1 hook, small weight and a piece of shrimp, oyster or mussel, scrape the pilings and you’re in the game. Be ready… there are some really nice fish coming from around the bridges. “Give Me a Call & Lets Go Fishing”

Snook – You can still catch a few but if the water temperatures are lower than normal you need to look to muddy bottom inshore canals, creeks and rivers, deepwater docks. Occasionally you’ll find them on the sunny side a bank lying in the sun but you can usually forget about getting one to eat. Try targeting other species during the winter and give the snook a break, after all they normally trying to survive cold water temperatures.

Redfish – You can usually find redfish during the winter and sometime cut bait or artificial lures are your best bet. Again look around docks during the cooler months.

Spotted Sea Trout – Plenty of trout showing up and they are legal from January until November. Grass flats with moving water is the best, however some rivers and deep water channels hold smaller summer trout. Shrimp always produces but its more fun using soft plastics or topwater lures.

Mackerel, Cobia, Sharks – The power plants are the place to look for cobia and sharks during the winter months. But be alert as other species frequent the warm water discharges. During the winter months on the flats we still get the occasional mackerel and plenty of bluefish, ladyfish and jacks.

BE PREPARED… IT’S COMING

Falling temperatures mean cold water and granted ours is not what the neighbors to the north experience nevertheless things do change and fishing is one of them. Cold north winds, cold fronts and cold water should force changes in our thinking when it comes to catching wintertime fish. Winter also gives us other things to consider like staying warm. Nevertheless, do not let it keep you indoors, be prepared, get out there and fish.

As water temperatures drop, metabolisms weaken followed by generally slow sluggish behavior patterns. Since this change equates to less movement, less food is required. What does all this mean to you as an angler… as temperatures fall, metabolisms slow and fish become content to remain relatively immobile, preserving heat, energy, and eating only when necessary? Therefore, you must slow down you fishing techniques especially with artificial lures.

Cooling waters serve as preparation for migration. It triggers survival instincts sending them looking for refuge in deep bays, estuaries, marinas, harbors, canals, and rivers. Structure, not to be confused with cover, is any natural change in the bottom that might hold warmer water temperatures. Examples include creeks, humps, depressions, holes, springs, washouts, submerged riverbeds, sandbars, oyster beds, channels, and drop-offs. Cover, on the other hand is best described as anything natural or manmade. It’s interpreted as anything a fish or bait can use to conceal itself and consist of stick-ups, stumps, rocks, bridges, pilings, docks, weeds, fallen trees or limbs, boats, and boathouses. Now we know where they go – catching them is another story.

For generations, anglers where intrigued with the idea of outsmarting fish using artificial lures. During the winter and especially with the scarceness of natural baits, is a great time to use artificial’s. With artificial’s you get a different perspective and you can expect endless hours of fishing pleasu

Tossing artificial lures requires anglers to develop competence and it does not come overnight but involves practice and patience. Since it means developing the ability to deceive fish into eating unfamiliar shapes, sizes and colors it also involves learning where and when to look for certain species as temperatures begin falling.

Presentation is often construed to mean accurate casting. However, older lure anglers agree that while it plays a vital role there is more to it than pitching a lure into the water. It entails numerous things unrelated to casting, like types of lures, colors, sizes, shapes, noise, hard bodied or soft. Some float while others dive, sink or suspend at various depths. Most are designed to emulate a natural food source depending on how you work it.

In today’s world of high-tech fishing, there are hundreds of situations involving fish behavior that exist and learning them all could take a lifetime. For that reason, just start with some basics then figure out the rest by doing what we love…Fishing.

Better – Brighter – Longer Lasting

What is an LED? As lighting technology improves almost everyone has seen or will see this small bright light. Actually they are an electronic light source created from a light-emitting-diode, and so the name LED. Invented in the early 20th century and introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962 these early devices emitted a low-intensity red light, but modern LED’s are now available across the color spectrum and capable of producing a very high brilliance. Applications of LED’s are widely diverse often used as new equipment or as low-energy replacements for traditional lighting.

Without getting into how they’re actually manufactured, let’s say it’s simple but complex. Although small they produce a bright light source with advantages over traditional lighting. Some of these advantages include longer life, improved brightness, smaller size lower amperage draw, and instant-on capability.

To work properly in the marine environment LED’s are hermetically sealed for protection against the environment and other corrosive elements. To ensure long life, the most reliable sealing method is encapsulating the circuit board and LED diodes in a material that is impervious to outside industrial, road and marine environments.

The most common application for LED’s in the boating industry is trailer lighting. However, boat manufacturers around the world are quickly jumping on the LED band wagon. Primarily because of improved intensity, color combinations and low operating amperage draws.

Boat and utility trailers for example, take a tremendous amount of abuse. They are continually exposed to elements including fresh and salt water, rough roads and rougher boat ramps. Therefore, to produce a long-life light source like LED’s means that greater care must be taken during their design and manufacture. While this translates to a higher principal cost it also means lower replacement costs over the life of the trailer. With some research you can find an excellent LED trailer lighting kit priced somewhere between $50 and $75 dollars.

On a personal not and because I trailer my rig over 200 days each year, at night and in heavy stop and go traffic I switched to LED lighting a couple of years ago. I like the added brightness and feel that when towing, especially in stop and go traffic the vehicles behind me can see the brighter lights.

This article is owned by Capt. Woody Gore and is copyright protected. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by Capt. Gore. wgore@ix.netcom.com