Tampa Bay Day 3

[Mark]

Our final day in Tampa provided the best weather of our three-day trip. Sunny skies and lower winds gave us an excellent day on the water.

Here are Terry and John heading out with our guide:

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Once again dolphins were nearby:

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Also several manatees kept us company. You can barely see the snout of one in this photo:

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They stay close, often spouting air from their snouts which is quite a disconcerting sound when they do that behind your kayaks and you can't see them.

Many pelicans did their crash dive antics repeatedly near us. I couldn't capture them in that act but I got this one flying by:

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Terry and John saw sharks but I never saw one, which is probably a good thing from my standpoint.

The fishing was similar to previous days with speckled trout making up the majority of our catches. Here's one I caught today:

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They're beautiful fish. This one was about the average size of our catches with some over the 15 inch legal size.

John was battling a 17 inch trout in this photo:

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We each also hooked ladyfish today as we did during the previous days of our trip. Here's our guide Neil Taylor with one:

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Indeed ladyfish were the hardest pulling fish I caught in Tampa.

A new species for me today was a Jack Cravelle. Sorry no photo. It was just a little guy not much larger than my hand. But I believe Terry and John each caught one or more "Jacks" on previous days.

Some of you know that Terry (Raptor) is an outstanding troller for stripers. Here he is today wearing his Snaggedline shirt:

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This was a casting trip and I knew Terry was anxious to trail a line behind his boat. So on our way back to the launch today he did just that. True to form he caught a ladyfish and Spanish Mackerel by trolling.

Those were the last catches of our trip.

We arrived back in Baltimore at 9:00 p.m. tonight, tired but very pleased. Our next outing, most likely for Severn pickerel, will certainly be a cold one by comparison. I'm sure we'll be thinking of those warm Tampa temperatures when we launch from Jonas or Tucker Street.

[J. Rentch]

Great report Mark, glad you guys had a good time and got some new species. See you on the water soon!

[Cowpokey]

Looks like a great trip, thanks for sharing your adventure

[EMSer]

Glad you all got nice weather to end on a high note. Sounds like you had a great time. DO you bring your own rods, or did your guide provide everything?

Thanks for the report!

[Mark]

Glad you all got nice weather to end on a high note. Sounds like you had a great time. DO you bring your own rods, or did your guide provide everything?

Thanks for the report!

The guide supplies the rods and lures.

You can bring your own but it's easier from a packing and logistical standpoint to use his tackle. Plus he knows what works.

I brought my own forceps and fish grips. And we each brought our VHF radios.

[J.A. Veil]

As Mark said, Neil Taylor of Strike Three Kayak Fishing (he is a former professional baseball umpire and has lots of stories) provides everything you need except for a Florida fishing license. This is my third year of fishing with him. I used to bring my own rod and reel and small tackle box, but soon realized that his equipment was high quality and he knows what works in his spots.

The trip this week was my sixth kayak fishing trip to Tampa this year for a total of 20 fishing days. I hope I can continue this tradition.

Here are Mark and Terry paddling along:

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Here is one of me fighting my first ladyfish of the day.

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I ended the three days with 87 speckled trout (at least four were large enough to join us at the dinner table), a few strong and acrobatic ladyfish, as well as some black sea bass, flounder, pinfish, lizardfish, and jacks. The other guys added gag grouper and Spanish mackerel to the trip list.

[J. Rentch]

Really looks like fun


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[Mark]

Notice that we are paddling.

For you confirmed pedal pushers, and I'm one, expect a little upper body soreness as the trip progresses. For you trollers, the constant casting can also test muscles not accustomed to prolonged repetitive activity. It's good to carry Advil or its equivalent in your dry bag.

I slept like a rock each night.

[EMSer]

Notice that we are paddling.

For you confirmed pedal pushers, and I'm one, expect a little upper body soreness as the trip progresses. For you trollers, the constant casting can also test muscles not accustomed to prolonged repetitive activity. It's good to carry Advil or its equivalent in your dry bag.

I slept like a rock each night.

I had noticed that you all were paddling. It's great to work all the muscle groups once in a while!