Florida Fishing Reports for Anna Maria
Island, Palmetto, and the Lower Tampa Bay - submitted May 7, 2009.
The weather has finally heated up and the fishing
is even hotter here on the Tampa Bay!
We have been
jumping Tarpon, catching Snook in good numbers, and
catching plenty of trout. This week the morning incoming has slowed the
Snook bite so we
mixed it up a little bit. We have been targeting Tarpon at the Skyway
when the wind will cooperate and Trout in the flats in the morning;
then targeting Snook in the afternoon once the tide starts to dump out.
Our morning Tarpon bite is on we have been jumping at least one Tarpon
per trip at the Skyway using Menhaden. Fortunately we have had a couple
of good
mornings with this slow incoming we were able to drift the skyway
hooking up getting beautiful jumps out of 80lb class fish.
This week’s trout
fishing has been very exciting as well. We continue to drift
the deeper flats off the outer sand bars in the lower Tampa Bay
catching 40
to 50 Trout in the 15 to 22” range. To our surprise this week we hooked
up on a 120lb class tarpon on 15lb Power Pro while Trout fishing. We
pulled the anchor and set off on the chase while this beast was
spooling line off the reel. Needless to say the Tarpon had the
advantage and won. We got 5 beautiful jumps out of her and on the last
jump broke the leader.
Our Snook fishing continues to be hot on the out
going tide. We are
catching good numbers of fish in Terra Cia, Miguel Bay, and Palma Sola
Bay. We are
targeting these fish, chumming, and the action is on. We have averaged
20 to 25 Snook with the short time we have left from the morning trips
burning up what’s left of the bait before we return. Most of the Snook
have been in the 23” to 28” range and one Snook that measured at 35”.
