Well, March was a month for the winds as cold fronts kept coming and winter would not let go. While fishing was great, in between the fronts, it still made for some nasty days on the water. When I think about April, I think about consistent weather and great fishing. The two rarely go together, but at certain times, in the fall and spring, you can see some absolutely perfect days to be an outdoorsman and April is that kind of month.
We have had a ton of cold fronts and some cold weather this winter, which typically means that fishing explodes in the spring. Fish start moving onto the flats and bait starts to move into the bay. The old saying holds true, where there is bait, the fish are not far behind. One species that really likes springtime is Snook. The snook start their journey from their winter homes and typically are very hungry. Snook are suckers for greenbacks and will rarely pass one up, this time of year. Look to see good numbers of fish around the potholes, mangroves lines and creeks that feed into Tampa Bay. Some of my favorite areas to find Snook are places like Cockroach Bay, Bishops Harbor and the Kitchen, just to name a few. My tackle of choice is the same I use for all other inshore species, but I will step up my leader material to 30 lb. to help protect against the rough mouths that the Snook have. This will help when you hook the big one! While Snook are in season, I still urge everyone to practice catch and release. Snook are on their way to a successful recovery, but have not fully rebounded and every fish that is released is valuable to the stocks. Most slot fish are females! Just food for thought.
If you want to bring some fish home, I can’t think of a better tasting fish than Trout. With Trout currently being so plentiful, why not target them. If you are a novice fisherman and just getting into fishing, Trout is a great fish to target. With the slot being 15 to 20 inches and the bag limit set at 4 per person with one over slot fish allowed, it only makes sense to get some trout for the dinner table. Trout are also great fish to target, when throwing artificial baits.
They are great for the novice angler to build confidence when learning to use artificial baits. Some of my favorite baits are the Zman pearl white jerkZ weedless rig, for shallow water use, and when fishing open areas, you can’t go wrong with the MirOlure MirOdine 17MR. When practicing catch and release with Trout, don’t forget the use a de-hooker to ensure for a safe release.
Redfish start to make a big push this month following the spring mullet run. Look for big schools of reds to show up in the bay and mill around the flats looking for just about any bait either live or dead. Fishing around oyster bars, potholes and troughs will prove to be successful, as fish use these areas to move to and from the flats with the tides. On low tides, find those deeper potholes on the flats and you will typically find fish close by. Using the right tackle will make a difference when targeting any of the species mentioned above. My preferred tackle for my charters is Fins Ohero Adrenaline Braid tied to Ohero Fluorocarbon 30# leader and a 1/0 Daiichi or Trident circle hook; this is simple but effective and will put more fish on the boat.
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Captain Jason Prieto is a native resident of Tampa and has fished its surrounding waters for the past 20 years. He is owner and operator of Steady Action Fishing Charters. To book a charter, you can reach him at 813-727-9890 or . Catch him on the Tampa Fishing Outfitters Radio Show on Sunday Morning from 8 to 9AM on 1040 Sports Talk the Team.
