With our first season’s cold fronts and summer officially behind us, kayak fishing remains hot and steady here in Tampa Bay. Negative low tides in the morning will produce great opportunities for kayak anglers in Tampa Bay to access and fish areas otherwise impossible to reach by other means.
Tactics have changed some, but here’s what to expect:
Snook: In Tampa Bay snook will begin to leave their summer haunts along the beaches and passes and head towards their back country refuges where they will stay throughout the winter. This means targeting them almost exclusively on the flats, where they will remain to gorge themselves on the still readily available bait, until finally being forced into warmer waters of canals, creeks, rivers, marinas, etc. This will make them much more easily accessible to the kayak angler here in Tampa Bay. Snook fishing will slow down as the weather cools off more as they are a subtropical species of fish that are quite sensitive to the cooler water temps.
Redfish: Large schools of breeder sized “bull reds” (fish typically of 30″ or ten pounds or greater) will remain on the flats of Tampa Bay gorging themselves before they eventually leave with the start of winter. Likewise, resident fish not yet part of the breeding population will remain here year round (specifically through the winter) and readily available to the kayak fishermen in Tampa Bay. The negative lowtides of winter will allow for some great opportunities to catch serious numbers of redfish trapped in potholes, troughs and tidal pools created by the extreme low water levels… double digit days are not uncommon.
Trout: With winter brings the best trout fishing Tampa Bay will see all year. Large “gator” size trout, over 5 pounds, will move into the area in force. These fish are highly sought after by inshore fishing enthusiasts in Tampa Bay, and are readily available to all kayak fishermen.
Pelagic Species: Spanish Mackeral, Bluefish, and King Mackeral will all be readily available to kayak fishermen in Tampa Bay along all of the areas beaches. These fish will be passing through the area during their migration south, and though the window for opportunity for them is fairly small, concentrations of these species will remain available for several months.
For any questions, booking information, or any and all other inquisitions or comments you can reach me best by phone @ (727) 742-4736 or by e-mail; tampabaykayakcharters@gmail.com
Thanks for reading and tight lines!
