The fishing this past week was a definite improvement from what we’ve seen so far this month. Rising water temperatures and good tidal flow are to thank for the good trout fishing that many anglers experienced all week.
From Fort De Soto to Tarpon Springs trout fishing is like it should be right now. Drift fishing 3 to 6 foot grass flats can locate schools of trout ranging in size from 13 to 16 inches. The cleaner the water you can find the better. You’ll fair best at finding the schools of fish. Using soft plastics rigged on either quarter or eighth of an ounce jig heads will allow you to cover the water necessary to locate the schools.
If you’re specifically targeting large trout you may want to position yourself a bit shallower. We were able to catch quite a few trout over 20 inches fishing in the same depth of water that we usually target redfish in, anywhere from 1 to 3 feet. Fan cast shallow running twitch baits like the Mirr-o-Lure Mirro-dine along pothole edges and areas where sandy shorelines extend into the water and are then met with grass. This distinct line offers a perfect ambush point for big trout.
Redfish numbers are on the rise and it seems that the most logical looking areas are holding some numbers of reds if not a small school. Clean water was hard to come by last weekend with all the wind. Most no-motor zone flats were too exposed and dirty to fish. However, lee-side shorelines did offer some cleaner water and a few redfish. Targeting long docks with plenty of grass around them proved to be a good pattern. Live select shrimp under a small float casted close to the dock will let you know pretty quickly if there’s any redfish around.
Until next week, get bent!
Tyson Wallerstein can be reached at capt.tyson@hotmail. com. To get a fish photo in the paper, send the photo along with your name, when and where it was caught to editorial@TBNweekly.com or mail it to Tampa Bay Newspapers, 9911 Seminole Blvd., Seminole, FL 33772.
![[Image]](/content_images/021413_out-03.jpg)
![[Image]](/content_images/070312_pco-01z_front.jpg)
