Hello everyone. May 2010 was a great month for fishing in the Tampa Bay area! Tarpon, Redfish, Spotted Trout, Spanish Mackerel and Grouper were biting well through-out the month. Mackerel and Grouper were nice by-catches while fishing for Tarpon around the bridges of the bay. A large Cobia was also caught this month by my good friend, Art, while visiting from California.

Tarpon were feeding mostly on Threadfin Hearing and Pass Crabs, drifting with the current, near the bridge structure. The strong tides during the new moon phase had the best bite for Tarpon. When the current slacked up a bit, the Grouper came up to feed. Pulling the Grouper off the bottom and out of their rocky holes was a bit of a challenge when using spinning gear. Therefore, give the fish a little slack line, within a few minutes the fish will swim out of the rocks and the fight will resume. Sharks were also out in abundance on the shallow flats. If you would enjoy catching sharks and watching them take your bait near the boat, reserve a fishing trip this summer.

Capt. Paul Hajash (727) 251-2623

www.tampa-florida-fishing.com

www.flyfishingflorida.com