It's warm… it's cold… it's warm… it's cold again! Whew, I am ready for winter to end, and I'm pretty sure the fish feel the same way. I sure am glad that I get to spend as much time on the water as I do because I am able to find fish. This year, being able to spend a lot of time on the water is a necessity to staying with the fish because of the constant fluctuation in the weather. This time of year, especially with the continually changing temperatures, the fish are constantly on the move. One day they are in the Bay, and the next, they have moved 5 miles up the River. Recently we've encountered a slow start to the day, but before the day ended we had an awesome catch.

Changes have just started, and we will see a lot more over the next few weeks. Hopefully the water temperature will increase. The water temperature was warming up to a good temperature when the weather turned cold again causing it to drop. Even though the weather and the water temperature are constantly changing, fishing has still been good. The redfish bite has been awesome the past few weeks. Occasionally, it takes more work to find fish that want to bite, but it is doable.

There are a lot of fish around. Most of the huge schools of fish in the Bay have been harder to catch than the smaller schools. That is mostly because the big schools of fish have been in such shallow water. Sometimes, they are in such shallow water that I wonder if they even have enough water to swim in. Those fish are tough to catch because they are in hard areas to get to where the water is super clear. On the other hand, there are many small schools of fish in deeper water, and usually they will bite.

Fish are around structure this time of year. You can find redfish, snapper, drum, sheepshead, flounder, grouper, and many others. Shrimp works best as bait for this type of fishing. Finding fish around structure is just really done by trial and error. Areas that have good water flow, bait, and warm temperatures are good to try. Please visit www.castawaychartersinc.com and book your trip today!

Fish Species: Redfish, trout, snook, drum, sheepshead, snapper, and many more
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Redfish with 81 spots!
Redfish with 81 spots!


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About The Author: Captain TJ Stewart

Company: Cast Away Charters, Inc.

Area Reporting: Tampa Bay

Bio: Capt. TJ Stewart has the knowledge and intuition to find and hook the big ones – the battle will be up to you. Imagine the thrill and the power felt when a two hundred pound tarpon breaches the surface of the sky blue waters of Tampa Bay attempting to cast away the hook from his mouth. The adventure can be yours with the help of a professional fishing guide who knows where to find the fish and how to make them strike.

941-737-5985
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain TJ Stewart