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Fishing News Flash

Snook Seminar this Evening

I will be giving a seminar on Summer Snook Fishing TONIGHT, thursday May 12th @ 5:30PM, at the West Marine Store at 2010 North Tyrone Blvd., St Pete, Floirda 33710. Discussion will center around tackle and rigging, baits and presentation as well as where these fish can be found. I look forward to seeing you.

Big Reds in the Neighborhood

Large 32 inch Tampa Redfish Tampa fishing charters pursuing redfish this spring have encountered a strange mix of fish. Six weeks ago, there was an abundance of 16 to 18 inch fish and catching 25 of these fish on a trip was not uncommon. These small fish hadn't been around for the last few years so it was good to see them. In March, when larger slot fish typically start to show, they did not. Instead, over slot fish in the 28 to 32 inch category did, but these fish tended to be somewhat scattered. A typical Tampa fishing charter would yeild one or two of these large fish, mixed in with a handful of "rats" (smaller redfish). These bruiser redfish are still available and, with a little bit of luck, a better volume of slot fish will move in on the next big tide phase, starting at the end of April.

Kingfish are Here

As anticipated, the kingfish have shown up on the heels of the large schools of Spanish mackerel that have been in residence for close to a month. Anchoring over areas of hard bottom and chumming aggressively is an approach being used by many Tampa fishing guides. Just a few days ago, kingfish began appearing mixed in with the mackerel. Most of these initial fish have been smaller than twenty pounds but numbers and size of fish should improve in the near term. Large seatrout action has also returned and, as is often the case in April, some of the biggest fish of the year are being caught right now. Two Tampa fishing charters in the past week yielded several fish in the 24 to 25 inch class. Redfishing has been a little spotty but could get hot at any time.