No Shoveling Snow for Local Anglers

By Jonie Maschek

We are having so called winter weather and it makes for great fishing with the reds jumping and daring anglers to catch them.

Anyone who has listened to the weather reports up North knows we are just having nippy weather here. I'm so happy that I don't have to shovel snow. I hear a lot of rumbling about anglers coming down here to fish and freeze to death. Come on now, I have lived up North and this weather is great. If they were still up there they couldn't fish until spring. Unless there are a few that go ice fishing.

The mornings may be a little cool, but the afternoons can become very warm and somedays hot. Be ever mindful of the sunshine and don't stay out too long if you are not use to this weather. If you plan to stay on the waterways all day be prepared to shed some of those heavy clothes. Always have a pair of sunglasses available. Polaroid preferred, as they keep the glare away from your eyes. With these glasses you can see in the water a lot better, too.

Now cobia prefer warm water and if you ask an angler where the cobia are they would answer, "In the warm waters around TECO." Colder weather or not catches of cobia are being made out of the warm water flow and are found in the rivers and Bay.

This is spawning season for snook and they are also out of season, but they are fun to catch and release. Anglers can't legally catch the fighting jumping fish with a black stripe from its gill to its tail. Snook become dormant when the water temperature drops below 60 degrees. In February they become a legal catch again.

At extremely low tides, I have noticed that little islands are emerging in the Little Manatee River and Tampa Bay. Take a camera along and snap pictures of theses low spots or sandbars and you will know where the sandbars are if you are not familiar with the waterways. Some boats I have seen stuck for hours waiting for high tide to move on.

Florida is the bass capital of the world and for those who travel the bass trails, many tournaments will take place in Florida this month. The Kissimmee Chain is the favorite spot for large mouth bass; Lake Okeechobee is the state's largest lake, the most popular for tournaments. Bass can be boated in the freshwaters of the upper Little Manatee River.

The most popular catch this week has been the redfish, which is a spot fish. Some tell me that they have as much fun catching reds as they do snook. Others think that the only great fish in the waterways is the snook and they don't fish until they come back again in season. I think that if you love to fish you will catch whatever is out there.

When a football game become dull and you lose interest in the game, try cleaning out your tackle box until some action starts again. You might even check your pole lines to make sure they are not frayed and need replacing.

Each year a new lure, come out and those who use it swear that it works. I recall about eight years ago a "Mr. Wiffle' hit the market. Now Mr. Wiffle is not a gentleman, but a tide water lure. Each time you would talk to Dick Wordern or Gary Tanner, they had a tale to tell you about how they caught fish every time they dropped a line, with "Mr. Wiffle." I wonder what ever happened to him? I haven't seen a Mr. Wiffle in years!

I continue to write about safety on the waterways. This week four lives were lost in local waters and none had on their life jackets. Our sympathy to the families.

Look up information for a boaters safety course in your area. The local Coast Guard auxiliary holds classes several times a year. Call the Marine Patrol and they can help you.

It takes months for one to become an expert on the waterways and then one never knows what could happen at sea. The weather could turn against you, your vessel may not be up to par, you could become ill. In other words before venturing out use a check list and be sure to leave a plan of intention of where you are going to fish.

I pray for our fishing buddy, Frank Tichey, that he will soon be on his way to recover from a recent accident. Hang in there Frank, you can make it!

You can now see "Fish Tales" liar's bench from the Little Manatee River. Have you spotted it yet?