As weather begins to moderate in mid February, the big winter seatrout should go on a strong feed, especially on days when temperatures head north of seventy degrees. Should these warmer days coincide with strong tide phases, fishing can get downright spectacular. After this weekend, the current forecast calls for a week of sunny days and no rain and the tides are strong. Bottom line...big trout limits are a realistic expectation from February 14th through the 21st assuming that the weather man is right. Also, as the month progresses, larger redfish should start to re-populate our area. At this time of year, fish can be a little finicky but one real burst of warm weather in late February / Early March can throw the switch and get them feeding heavily as well.
This Thursday evening, the 7th of April, at 6:30 PM, I will be giving a seminar on Near Shore Spring Fishing Opportunities for the Inshore Angler at the West Marine Store in Clearwater, Florida on Gulf to Bay Boulevard. Every spring, when the bait gathers off of our local beaches, a variety of species gather within a few miles of shore to take advantage of this feeding opportunity. The most common predator is the Spanish Mackerel, although kingfish, spinner sharks and others may make an appearance. These trips can be fast paced, drag burning experiences and locating these fish is often quite easy. If you are interested in the techniques used to catch these fish, please join me this Thursday. As always, West Marine will provide pizza and drinks at no charge. To be elidgible to win a West Marine gift certificate, bring a picture of a recent "best catch". I look forward to seeing you.
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© 2016 Captain Stewart Ames, Gone Fishing Charters, Tampa, FL