inshore fishing Archives - Boaters Catalog

A short history of bait fish in the Tampa Bay area.

Posted on July 20, 2020 at 1:31 pm by Charles Walker / Bait in the Tampa Bay Area, Fishing

In 1970 the fishing in the eastern Gulf was fantastic. The mullet were prolific all over the Tampa Bay area. Kingfish were large and numerous in the spring and fall and there were so many grouper in shallow water that they were considered a nuisance fish during kingfish season. There were such large schools of Spanish sardines, scaled sardines, threadfin herring, and menhaden that you could seemingly walk on them from one side of Tampa Bay to the other……

Crabs

Posted on July 19, 2020 at 4:17 pm by Charles Walker / Bait in the Tampa Bay Area

Crabs are great bait for many species in Florida waters. We have Blue Crabs, Calico Crabs(that many people call Pass Crabs), Fiddler Crabs, and Sand Fleas(I think they are crabs, if not, they should be). Of course, there are many more varieties of crabs in Florida(I’ve had a lot of old crabs on the boat) but these are the most commonly used for bait….

Pompano Fishing in the Tampa Bay Area

Posted on July 19, 2020 at 2:12 pm by Charles Walker / Fishing, Game fish in the Gulf of Mexico

There are many ways to fish for pompano and you have a good chance of catching them if you just use some common sense and have a little knowledge about their habits. If you have a shallow draft skiff, you can find pompano schools fairly easily. Run along the beaches, close to the swash channel, on full plane and have someone watch your wake for pompano “skipping”. They have a tendency to jump out of the water when frightened and skip along the surface on their side. ….

Jewfish (Goliath Grouper)

Posted on July 19, 2020 at 1:27 pm by Charles Walker / Fishing, Game fish in the Gulf of Mexico

There is no such thing as sea monsters, but there are indeed critters of monstrous proportions that live in the sea. We feature one such denizen of the deep here – easily the largest fish (other than sharks) regularly found in Florida Suncoast waters. Although jewfish have been closed to harvest for several years now, fishermen and divers still encounter them on a fairly regular basis…..

Spotted Seatrout

Posted on July 18, 2020 at 3:27 pm by Charles Walker / Fishing, Game fish in the Gulf of Mexico

Ask any long-term Suncoast fisherman what the most reliable gamefish catch is in this area and 9 times out of 10, the answer will be trout. Spotted Seatrout are the most abundant of the inshore big three: Snook, Redfish and Trout, and are consistently taken by pros and beginners alike….

The Sheepshead

Posted on July 18, 2020 at 3:18 pm by Charles Walker / Fishing, Game fish in the Gulf of Mexico

Those jailhouse stripes adorning our featured subject mark his character well. Meet the sheepshead – truly a bait thief of the first order. Old-timers will tell you that in order to hook a sheepie, you need to set the hook “just before he breathes on your bait.” Maybe that’s taking things to extremes, but frustration can definitely abound when you encounter a bunch of these delicious critters…..

Snook

Posted on July 15, 2020 at 3:24 pm by Charles Walker / Fishing, Game fish in the Gulf of Mexico

Here’s a little flight of fancy for you dyed-in-the-wool bass fishermen out there: Wouldn’t it be great if there was a fish that had a largemouth’s mean disposition, a smallmouth’s strength, was faster than both and grew about four times as large? By the way, did I mention that it loves to hang out around structure like bass…….

Red Drum

Posted on July 15, 2020 at 3:16 pm by Charles Walker / Fishing, Game fish in the Gulf of Mexico

The last misty remnants of the pre-dawn fog cling to the water, as the mirror smooth surface reflects a postcard-perfect sunrise. The only sound is the occasional crunch of your guide’s push pole contacting oysters in the soft mud of the marsh. As you stand on the forward casting platform of the flats boat,….

Mangrove Snapper

Posted on July 15, 2020 at 2:47 pm by Charles Walker / Fishing, Game fish in the Gulf of Mexico

The wake from the flats boat laps gently among the red mangrove prop roots as you and your guide round a bend in the channel. The boat slows as you approach an oyster bar protruding out into the gin-clear water, creating an undercut ledge some 10-12 feet in depth. Anchoring upcurrent from the promising-looking hole, you drift weightless live bait into the swirling waters, watching as your line dips under the rocky embankment….

Jack Crevalle

Posted on July 15, 2020 at 1:21 pm by Charles Walker / Fishing, Game fish in the Gulf of Mexico

Pound for pound inch for inch tooth for tooth the toughest, fightin’est, downright meanest Suncoast inshore gamefish is the Crevalle jack, or as he is more simply known jack. This ball of fire brings the total package – vicious strikes, searing, drag-scorching runs ……

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inshore fishing

A short history of bait fish in the Tampa Bay area.

Crabs

Pompano Fishing in the Tampa Bay Area

Jewfish (Goliath Grouper)

Spotted Seatrout

The Sheepshead

Snook

Red Drum

Mangrove Snapper

Jack Crevalle

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