South Shore Tampa Bay Fishing Forecast
April 2010
April is here and spring is just now arriving. The big question is what about Snook. Well, by mid April I think we will all know just how bad the winter of 2010 was. I will speculate that we will catch snook and we will catch lots of snook, but that does not mean the cold did not take it’s toll. What I mean is, if we go out and catch 25 snook on any given day. That’s a good day. Last year we could go out a catch 30 Snook and that was a good day. Will any one be able to tell that the cold winter affected the catch ratio. I think not. I will target snook only if they are available but, this year I will pay particular attention in the handeling and releasing of this prize catch. I think and hope we and the snook will be fine.
Red fish and trout should be up on the flats and I expect the bite to be off the wall. I would look for grass beds in the 3 foot ranges. The Southshore flats should will hold a few schools of Redfish but only if we stop buzzing the flats just to get to another spot. If you can, please run off the flats so that we can get the redfish schooled up. Look for the reds in the schools of mullet that roam the area.
Schools of Big black have made there appearance in March albeit spotty. As the water warms I would expect these fish to be more consistent in the early part of April. By mid April I would expect these fish to move on.
The other big question this year is White bait. We will just have to wait and see. Look for the big bait pods to arrive in late March and early April the Mackerel, Tarpon and Kings will not be far behind.
This time of year I like to mix it up by targeting Snook in the passes and Redfish and trout on the flats. White bait will be my bait of choice.
Capt Danny Guarino a life long resident of the Tampa area and full time fishing guide on Tampa Bay. 813-956-2010 Capt Danny co-host the Outdoor Fishing Adventures Radio show on ESPN 1040 Tampa Bay each Saturday Morning.
Capt Danny Guarino
813-956-2010
