Tampa Bay Thanksgiving Week

We spent Thanksgiving in Tampa Bay with my in laws and I got a pass to do some fishing. I found Peter Poletti of Mako Kayak Fishing on the web and got set up for the Tuesday before Turkey day. Peter was very responsive and professional, and I felt like I got lucky – no time to shop around.
www.MakoKayakFishing.com

Met at Weedon Island State Preserve at 7:00 and went through safety stuff. The water was about 5’ in the deepest spot, glass calm, 72 degrees.

We tried topwater plugs for nothing first, then paddled through the mangroves out to larger Tampa Bay. More topwater plugging for a few short strikes, but still nothing. We startled a couple of Snook which were hiding in the mangroves, who in turn startled me. Also saw a couple small stingrays.

We saw mullet jumping everywhere, which was unnerving, but they’re vegetarian, and Peter was amazingly stoic, focused on reading the water. Mullet apparently share the same habitat as redfish, which is one of the species we were hoping for.
After about an hour and a half, Peter switched me to a 6” jerk bait, and I got a small flounder.

Not long after that we figured out that spotted sea trout would be the target species, and I hooked 6 or so, landing 3. This one is about median average. They ran sideways, belying their size, until they saw the boat, and then ran away from it.
We fished until 2:00 and paddled back through the mangroves. Saw a dolphin on the way back.
Overall, a great day. The weather cooperated and Peter’s your man if you’re in the area.

Also fished from the shore on a "pass" which is a channel between the Gulf and the Intercoastal Waterway. On Wednesday morning, I had the most exciting two hours of fishing in my life, and I didn't land anything.
I had two good hokups, much larger than anything I got on the yak, but they came unbuttoned. Then my brother in law got spooled. After I got broke off again, he hooked up using a heavier rig, and after a 20 minute fight, he landed a 12-15lb Bonito, which we invited home for dinner. I was standing on the rocks close to the water and I could see bait jumping, bigger fish (probably several species) following, birds, all heading straight for us.
My brother in law landed a snook (approx 20") the next morning.

Florida fishing is pretty wild. I stopped into two tackle shops, and I could see that the fishing thing is a much bigger industry there. Both shops offered custom rod building, and were very well stocked with everything from crappie jigs to marlin rigs.

I'll be back!

Sweet man, those FL people have it made huh? Reminds me of fishing the flats in TX but the water in TX is much clearer there.

Was the reserve a no motor reserve? I hear they have a few of those there, sounds like kayak fishing paradise.

Nice Report and thanks,

 Like I said before, if I ever went tp Florida, I would most Likely not come back ..... Danglin

Was the reserve a no motor reserve?

It's a cultural and ecological preserve, but there seemed to be a huge no wake zone off shore. We saw a couple of power boaters, nothing to mention...

Did you boat any fish at all? Or is that your brother-in-law in the pix?  I've always wanted to go to Florida to fish for Warsaw grouper.

Howard

Did you boat any fish at all? Or is that your brother-in-law in the pix?  I've always wanted to go to Florida to fish for Warsaw grouper.

Howard

It's me in the pics. I boated a couple more trout, the one in the picture is about the middle of six that I hooked. Here's the Bonito.