Great time to explore
The Ft. Desoto area of Tampa Bay is one of my favorite areas to fish. Numerous Mangrove Islands, lush grass flats loaded with sandy potholes, hundreds of deep water canals and docks. I particularly focus on these areas in the winter with its low tides and many options to keep out of brisk winter winds. Saturday we were not booked so as we often do on days off and that's go fishing. With clients onboard we never guess, we always use time tested locations. Today was all about throwing artificial lures and trying new locations. The day started with dense fog making navigation a challenge. It's important you have a compass and electronics that allow safe navigation and know how to use them. When in doubt wait till the fog lifts. We searched new potholes adjacent to canals we typical score on with no luck. Next stop we focused on clear water 4-6' on the edge of a lush grass flat that drops off to a main channel 18' deep. Instant action on solid spotted sea trout 14-18". Penny color Gulp shrimp was the lure of choice on a ¼ oz jig head. Fishing soft plastics are great for kids and beginners simply cast, let sink and slowly retrieve skipping and bouncing the bait across the bottom. You can also cover lots of water and locate trout quickly with this method. We all are guilty of hitting the same hot spots over and over again, take time and mix it up.
Happy Holidays
Capt. Steven
