Since the freezing temperatures the first two weeks of January, water and air temps have come back to normal range. And so has the fishing action.
Trout and scattered redfish has been our major target the last two weeks. We found good numbers of trout in St Joseph Sound and Dunedin. Bobby and Dax came aboard Salt Aire on Saturday and caught most of their trout on artificial baits, drifting around the spoil islands. Some were also caught with a bobber and a live shrimp setup. The biggest was 21inches and was part of a dozen trout caught that day. We saw a few redfish but did not have an opportunity to catch them.
A few days later, I visited Clearwater Harbor. Most of the areas fished had lots of trout. Some of the shallow skinny water had very few redfish. I was hoping to see a lot more reds at those locations, but in winter, they move around and scatter about. Two reds sitting in 1-1/2 foot of water kept me occupied for 45 minutes. Several different artificial plastic baits and a couple of top water plugs didn't make any difference. They were not interested.
The Bait House on Clearwater Beach reports that several guides also found some scattered redfish but the bite was slow and the fish were not very interested.
Our winter trout fishing is outstanding with 24+ inch fish a possibility. Redfish will show up in the shallows and will feed more aggressively as waters warm. Don't hesitate, get out and find some winter fish.
Capt Gary Burch
AllCatchCharters.com
727 458-6335
