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  • Tampa Bay specs

    I flew into Tampa last evening. It was cold this morning for Florida (air temp was upper 30s; water temp 50s). I met guide Neil Taylor of Strike Three Kayak Fishing for breakfast. He told me we would fish today in a shallow mangrove-lined creek that feeds into the head of Tampa Bay.

    001.jpg

    We launched about 9:30. We had a leisurely paddle for 30 minutes until we reached the area near the creek mouth where it widened out into a bowl shape. We cast 1/8-oz jigheads with gold and root beer colored 12 Fathoms Slam-Rs for the next four hours.

    004.jpg

    Once the sun was up, the air warmed nicely. The wind was light today too, making it a very pleasant day on the water.

    In some areas the speckled trout bite was red hot -- you could hook up or get bumped on every cast. We caught a few in the 16" to 17" range, but most were smaller. But all the trout fought very well on our light tackle spinning rigs. I caught about 60 specs during the day, and if we had stayed in the most productive area I could have caught over 100 trout very easily. We left the hot spot to try some other spots hoping for large trout. We never did find the big ones, and came back to the original hot zone several times to keep getting pullage. All trout were released.

    002.jpg 003.jpg 005.jpg

    The air temp is supposed to get cooler tonight as another front passes through. It will warm back up again on Sun and Mon. I hope the bite remains strong for the other three days.
    John Veil
    Annapolis
    Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

    Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

  • #2
    Looks good John.

    Please leave a few for others!
    Mark
    Pasadena, MD


    Slate Hobie Revolution 13
    Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
    Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

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    • #3
      Very nice! Ill be in tampa next Monday and Tuesday. Hope the fishies treat me as well as they did you.
      Ryan
      Blue 2016 Hobie Outback
      Chesapeake Bay Kayak Anglers, Inc

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      • #4
        Mark - We will check out some other spots tomorrow. There should be some fish ready to bite in the next few days.

        Ryan - I think I saw that you will fish with a guide. It definitely pays to have local experience in a new area. We covered a lot of water today but found nearly all the fish in a one-acre area. Without local knowledge, I could easily have had a skunk.


        Here are few more photos that Neil sent me this evening.

        011.jpg 014.jpg 015.jpg 016.jpg
        John Veil
        Annapolis
        Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

        Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

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        • #5
          That's alota specs, John! Nice work.

          Originally posted by J.A. Veil View Post

          Ryan - I think I saw that you will fish with a guide. It definitely pays to have local experience in a new area.
          Gotta agree with this! +1 Good luck, Ryan!

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          • #6
            Good luck today, John.
            Mark
            Pasadena, MD


            Slate Hobie Revolution 13
            Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
            Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

            Comment


            • #7
              " I caught about 60 specs during the day, and if we had stayed in the most productive area I could have caught over 100 trout very easily. "

              i wouldn't be able to get the smile off my face, no matter the size of the specks. Keep the pics coming
              14.5 ft Sand colored Malibu X-Factor "the promise"
              2010 Hobie Outback "the Gift Horse II"

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              • #8
                Nice going John! Interesting that the water temperature was in the 50s and they were biting that Good. I understood from others that trout bite drops of temps go under 60. Was there a good amount of under water vegetation in that productive spot?
                -Mustafa
                ابو مسقوف AbuMasgouf (Aboo-Mas-goof ): Fish Roast Papa
                2016 Hobie Outback
                2012 Hobie Revolution 13
                "Be humble to whomever you learn from and whomever you teach."-- Imam al-Sadiq (as)

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                • #9
                  Nice, looks like great backwater fishing.

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                  • #10
                    Here is a report on Day 2. I woke this morning to 20+ mph winds and very cold air (I felt like I was back in MD). Neil called and said we would launch at 11:00 am at a community park in Palm Harbor. It was still cold when we launched, but the area we fished was partly sheltered from the wind. We tried throwing jigheads and plastics but had no luck. Neil had purchased some live shrimp. We paddled into a canal behind some nice homes and fished their docks. We anchored up a cast length away from the pilings and threw shrimp on a small hook with 1 or 2 split shots to get it to the bottom. I expected that we would slowly retrieve the shrimp, but Neil told me to let it sit near a piling or under the dock. Sometimes I left it alone for 10-15 mins at a time and kept a tight line waiting for the nibble.

                    The bite was definitely slow today, but we avoided a skunk. I managed two sheepshead, 3 redfish, 1 black drum, and 2 ladyfish -- all were small. My hands and feet were cold when we finished up after 5 hours in the cool air.

                    001.jpg 002.jpg 003.jpg 004.jpg
                    John Veil
                    Annapolis
                    Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

                    Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

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                    • #11
                      Nice work, John. I took your advice and will be fishing with Neil in March.
                      LL Bean (Perception) Manatee DLX Angler 9.5'
                      Hobie Pro Angler 12

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                      • #12
                        You'll be glad you did.
                        Mark
                        Pasadena, MD


                        Slate Hobie Revolution 13
                        Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
                        Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Congrats on all the specks on day 1 and nice variety on day 2! I'm gonna ask you to show me these areas on a map. I'm looking at Tampa as a possible retirement area and my condo will need immediate access to the good kayak fishing!
                          2013 Yellow Hobie Outback
                          Kayak Fishing Blog - Cymbula Piscator

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                          • #14
                            Glad to hear you guys had good luck with Neil ... great guy and a GREAT resource.
                            "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after"
                            ~ Henry David Thoreau ~

                            Hobie Revolution (2)
                            Emotion Mojo Angler

                            Member - Florida Outdoor Writers Association
                            Paddle Fishing Articles
                            Paddle_Fishing@Yahoo.com

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                            • #15
                              I kinda like it when the conditions dictate a change in tactics- and there is nothing like live bait to keep off a skunk..nice variety of species...
                              "Lady Luck" 2016 Red Hibiscus Hobie Outback, Lowrance Hook2-7TS
                              2018 Seagrass Green Hobie Compass, Humminbird 798 ci HD SI
                              "Wet Dream" 2011 yellow Ocean Prowler 13
                              Charter member of Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

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