Amazing what a difference a week makes. Warm sunny days with water temperatures approaching 70 on beautiful Tampa Bay abruptly ended Monday. Several cold fronts passing through Florida this week with evenings low temperatures in the mid to lower 40's will cool the shallow waters rapidly. And while the snook bite will shut down look for the trout bite to be outstanding. Trout have made a remarkable recovery from the devastating red tide of 2005. Spotted sea trout are flourishing throughout the region. Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Charlotte harbor are thick with this tasty member of the drum family. Spotted sea trout or Cynoscion nebulosus have voracious appetites. Distictively beautiful with numerous round black spots, silvery belly with dark gray or green above. Two prominent canine teeth that look like fangs embedded in a yellow mouth.
Trout flourish in clean water; St. Joseph Sound just off Clearwater, Florida is a haven for large gator trout. Trout can be taken several ways all very effective. Live white baits, live shrimp are great baits, if you prefer lures soft plastics can not be beat. DOA Glo shrimp is a personal favorite; Exude Mister Twisters are another good choice. MirrOlure's MirrOdine suspending twitch bait is hard to beat especially for larger trout. Last month I was tossing a DOA with Chris my mate tossing a MirrOdine. I caught 3 for his 2 but he consistently had larger fish for the same area. Live baits can be fished with a float or free lined, add a small spilt shot when fishing deeper drop offs. The golden rule is simple the colder the water is the slower you need to work your lures. In almost all instances trout will hit your lure when it falls so be ready to gently set the hook as they have soft mouths. Sea trout have a slim coat that is easily damaged if handled. The less you come in contact with the fish the better. We ventured to our Weedon Island trout holes Wednesday and immediately were on the fish. Over the next 4 hours we enjoyed almost non stop action. No larger trout were taken with the average being 14-17 inches. Several times we had to stop fishing as Dolphins invaded the surroundings area looking for a trout lunch.
Capt. Steven
On The mark Charters
