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A Mixed Bag Weekend

Sunday morning, Tim and I collected mud crabs from St. Pete Beach, fiddler crabs and shrimp from Gulf to Bay Bait and Tackle, and mussels and clams from Publix. We were determined to catch some big sheepshead. Weather conditions were perfect, upper 70’s with a light breeze and an incoming tide.

We did manage one big sheepie, along with a whole bunch of little ones. Also joining the party were:

-Mangrove Snapper
-Gag Grouper
-Lane Snapper
-Whiting
-A Bonnethead Shark
-Black Sea Bass

Action remained fairly steady throughout the day, but the big sheepshead remained elusive. We left the Blind Pass Marina area late in the afternoon, and it seemed every piling was covered with 10 to 15 inch sheepshead.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

4 Responses to “A Mixed Bag Weekend”

  1. ksangler Says:
    January 10th, 2009 at 11:32 am

    I was just in this area over Christmas. Wish I had found the website before the trip. We fished three or four different locations while there, but couldn’t get past the pinfish and the other bait stealers to catch decent fish. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated as we will be back next Christmas.

  2. Steve Says:
    January 12th, 2009 at 5:10 pm

    KSangler,

    Thanks for the comment! Yeah, the pinfish can be a real pain- even more so during the summer. Keep an eye on http://www.tampafishing.net for more reports throughout the year, and give me a hollar before you come down next Christmas- I’ll let you know what’s biting, and where.

    Steve

  3. Dick Bettler Says:
    February 10th, 2010 at 9:48 pm

    Steve, we will be in Anna Maria starting the 1st of March. Would like to fish for Sheepshead at that time. Any suggestions as to where to pick up fiddler crabs, buy or catch. Would not mind any suggestions on terminal tackle as well.

    Dick

  4. Steve Says:
    February 11th, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    Dick,

    My choice for terminal tackle is usually about a foot of 20 lb florocarbon leader with a #2 Owner laser sharpened hook. Depending on the current, a half ounce of lead should do. I am a big fan of buying fiddlers, rather than catching them. If you want to harvest your own bait, consider ‘mud’ crabs or tube worms. March should be a great month for sheepshead- let me know how you do!

    Steve