Tampa Fishing Charters | Tampa Fishing Guides

<p>Without white bait, I knew it was going to be an artificials day. We started in some grass near a spring, but the grass had bloomed and the pot holes were not there. Not to mention that the over cast skies and low tide made it even harder to see them. We picked a few trout here and there and then moved on.

A few miles north, we found some cleaner water and more salt and pepper style pot holes. This spot had some keeper fish on it. Our baits were jigs, Mirro-deans, and mini Zara spooks. I tried going back into the rivers and canals looking for snook but the tide was so low and that made it difficult. So we kept traveling north.

By this time, the tide started coming and we found some fish in the 3 to 5 ft range. Here we caught trout, lady fish, Spanish mackerel, flounder and blue fish all on jigs. As the water moved up on the flat, so did we and that is where our 3 to 4 lb trout came from. My friends from SC had a blast. Having guided up there for 5 years, I understood why they were so excited about our trout. In Charleston, they catch redfish like how we catch trout on the west coast of FL. I love catching snook, but trout make for great days this time of year.