Yeah, it has been awhile....
The fishing from November through January has been downright awful. There were very few days in November when the wind wasn't howling, and then from December-on it just got too cold to fish. The solution pointed to warmer climes, so Mary and I lit out for sunny Florida.
On a recommendation from the Salt Strong Facebook page, we headed to St. Petersburg, and stayed at the SkyBeach Resort, right on Tampa Bay. I'd give the hotel about a B. Room was okay. The on site restaurant (Luma) was fantastic. Nice Tiki bar. Marina with boat lifts. Only problem was the hotel prohibited fishing there. Major drawback.
First stop on day 1 was at St. Pete Outfitters to gear up and get some intel. Great inventory of spin and fly fishing gear.
Another great shop was Gator Jims, located close to the hotel.
The staff at St. Pete Outfitters pointed us to Ft. De Soto State Park. A short drive from the hotel which offered ample DIY wade opportunities. We spent most of the week fishing the Arrowhead Picnic Fishing Area located at the northern part of the park. A large basin protected by a seawall, guys who fish there regularly said it normally fished well. Conditions the week we fished it, however, were less than ideal. The arctic weather which drove us out of Cape Charles had pushed down to most of Florida. While air temps gradually rose into the high 60s to low 70s, water temps didn't move north of 60 degrees.
So the fishing was slow, but we still managed to feel the tug a few times. Slowly bouncing a paddle tail off the bottom produced some bites. Chartreuse and New Penny colors worked well. A couple of Flounder, some Trout, and a Ladyfish. Saw some Snook, but couldn't get them to eat.
DIYing it is fun, but you really need to get out with a guide when fishing new water. So I spent a half day with Capt. Matt Luttmann of Inshore Action Fishing Charters. We did reasonably well; caught about 15-20 Specks that went between 15 and 20" fishing drop offs and around boat docks.
Given the spontaneity of our decision to bug out, I'd give the trip a B+. Definitely needed to get on the board, and get the blog going again. A few more days of warm weather and the fishing would have improved dramatically. But, timing is everything.
Temps in Cape Charles have moved out of the frigid zone, but still too cold to wet a line. Hoping that as we move into March we'll see temps more conducive to getting on the water.
Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing.
