Eupro - Up The River In Tampa Bay!

They are still chewing in the rivers. Redfish, sheephead, trout and black drum continue to feed, but the snook bite has unquestionably been effected by January's fish kill. We are catching rat reds in abundance up the rivers. They are feeding mainly on shrimp both live and frozen. For best results try deadsticking bait or a slow retrieve along the bottom. Fish mangrove edges and deep holes. reds averaging 16 to 20 inches. Look for bigger redfish on the flats around Ft. Desoto and the Upper Bay. The sheephead are holding up in holes with structure. Look for rock, crushed shell or oyster bottom. Bait of choice: shrimp or fiddler crabs if you can find them. Sheephead although toothy, have small mouths. So, I recomend using a 1/0 Eupro j hook and 25lb. Eupro GT flourocarbon leader with split shot for maximum hook-set. The sheepies still aren't schooled up like they were this time last year, but you can catch them if you know where to look. Speckle trout are being caught mainly on jigs or live shrimp. Once again, fish the deep holes. Black drum are being picked off with some regularity when targeting reds and sheepies. Most fish being caught are in the puppy drum catagorey 18 to 25 inches with an occasoinal fish over 25 inches. So, get out there and get-er-done or book a trip and I'll show you how. Till next time have a safe and quality day on the water. Capt. Sean Hagen "Fishing like a pro" with EUPRO! www.fishingwithshamrock.com Shady Shamrock fishing report.