geoff :
Hi , I'm going to be staying in Apollo Beach for a week or so near the end of the month. Is the beach at the end of the park near the power station good for beach fishing. Any advice about baits etc and what I may catch would be great thanks
.
There are two very important variables : water temperature (+69 º) and available baitfish.
The outflow of the power plant solves the first variable ,that of water temps , leaving only baitfish as a motivator for the predators. So far , there has not been much of a showing of bait , other than occassional 'greenies' (thread fin herring), but nothing consistant yet.
About a week ago , small spanish mackeral were hitting small lures and sabiki's in the 69 º Bay waters , but an advancing cold front (which is here even now ) turned them off , and the fishing has slowed down.
Almost all species here will feed on shrimp , most feed on pinfish , greenies, sand fleas, or cut baits (whiting , pompano , sheepshead, flounder , bluefish ,speckled sea trout, spanish mackeral, redfish, and drum )
Other hardbaits used here are small artificials , small spoons , sabiki rigs, and "Gotcha's" (spanish mackeral , and if much warmer waters~> kingfish)
I haven't mentioned snook because the season is closed on them , and red snapper. They are strictly catch and release fishing only.
Warmer water means better fishing conditions , and the arrival of baitfish called "whitebait". So the closer you can get to the power plant outflow , the better the fishing.
Fishwander