Tampa Bay Area Fishing Report

Captain Jason Prieto
Steady Action Fishing Charters www.steadyactionfishingcharters.com
For charter information call: 813-727-9890

January Offers Up a Good Mix!

January offers very diverse fishing, with a little planning and luck from the weather you can have some really good fishing days. Trout season opens for the south region. Sheepshead are getting ready for their spawn and are staging up around any type of structure. Bonnet Head Sharks and Cobia move in around the warmer water on the power plants, and huge Black Drum move in from the gulf milling the flats by the hundreds. Best of all you don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch fish.

Trout are by far the highlight of the month and this time of year is one of my favorite to fish with artificial baits. Although live shrimp under a popping cork or free lined under hooked up to a 1/0 Daiichi bleeding hook is a great rig, I really enjoy and prefer to use artificial baits. Soft plastics are a great bait to use and are really easy to use for novice anglers. 3 inch Zman Minnow Z baits are great and have a paddle tail which causes a vibration and attracts the fish. Simply match this with a 1/8 or ¼ ounce Jig head and a little bit of practice will be a deadly Trout combination. Deeper potholes, troughs, creeks and oyster points are good areas to target for Trout and remember bigger Trout are usually alone.

Sheepshead are not far behind Trout as the most sought-after fish for this month. Sheepshead are one of the most underrated fish as they are overlooked by most anglers but if you find some spots that hold big sheepshead and use the right set rig when targeting them you will have one the best eating and fighting fish at the end of your line.  Finding areas that hold fish is fairly easy. Just about every dock, wreck, bridge and rock pile will hold fish. Catching them can be a bit tricky. My favorite bait for sheepshead is a small shrimp with#1 or #2 Daicchi circle hook. Adding the adequate amount of weight to get the bait will help get the bait to the bottom. (I normally use split shots) Everything after that is a waiting game and using a very slow hook set. Once the fish is hooked the suttle bite turns into a great battle.

Cobia and Bonnet Head sharks are another great species to target. Sight casting the outer flats is a great technique this year as water is crystal clear. Select Shrimp or a pinfish under a popping cork is my favorite bait when targeting either and if you’re anchored up using a chum bag to draw them in will help tremendously. During the very cold days of winter, targeting the warmer waters around the power plants will be a great place to start. You will also find Redfish, Jack Crevelle, pompano and many more. Whatever you decide to target with some good weather and preparation you will be having some good fishing days. Tight Lines!

Capt. Jason Prieto
www.steadyactionfishingcharters.com
captjasonp@aol.com
813-727-9890