Best Tampa fishing of December

Best fishing of December. How is that possible? Well wintertime in Florida is a little different than the rest of the US. As cold fronts blast other parts of the united states Tampa Bay, Florida has some great weather and even better fishing.Cold fronts will dictate fishing through the end of the year

I can’t believe that we are in the last month of the year. December of 2017 is upon us and while this is one of my favorite months to fish it will be controlled by weather.

December cold fronts dictate Tampa fishing

As cold fronts become more frequent and harsh fishing is dictated more by weather. Changing Barometer is the key to catching fish and with cold fronts hitting us every week planning your trips around them is the biggest factor between fishing and catching. Changing Barometer is a great time to fish as this creates the fish to feed better. North winds and bluebird skies typically is a recipe for a slow day. Picking your days around this will be key to catching fish.

Planning your fishing trips around weather

Want the best Tampa fishing of December? When you plan around the weather you can expect that. Awesome Snook fishing around the rivers,docks, and creeks this time of year. Snook start to move into the protected areas. These areas provide warmth for them to survive throughout the winter. During this time you can expect some awesome Snook fishing but you will need to fish around the weather.

Where to find bait when fishing in Tampa Bay?

Greenbacks are key but can be work as bait moves to deeper water. Good places to look are around the towers, markers and any other structure in deeper water. Key things for catching bait in the winter are a heavy cast net and plenty of chum. Bait typically moves to deeper water and tends to hold to structure. My preference on nets is a Black Pearl 12 foot net to ensure for fast sink rates. Catching bait is the first and most important key to fishing in Tampa Bay during the winter time.

Whats biting when fishing Tampa Bay?

Trout, Sheepshead,Redfish, and Snook are some of our main targeted and make for great fishing in Tampa. Lets give you a report on each species…

Trout fishing has also taken off as water temperatures drop. The grass flats on the South Shore has been very productive with both artificial and live baits. You will find plenty of success with a little planning this time of year.

Snook as mentioned above are great during December. As long as we can catch Greenbacks in the net you will find Snook biting. Once the baits disappears so do the Snook. Rule of thumb for Snook fishing is they hang around until the 2nd week of January.

Sheepshead are great as we hit the peak if winter. This is during the times of January into February. Sheepshead have their yearly spawn and become very plentiful. They also make for some great eating and seasons are open during this time of year.

Redfish are also good during the winter months in Tampa Bay. mall schools group up on the flats during winter time fishing in Tampa. They are a blast to target but can be easily spooked off with the clear water during this time of year.