Day 1
We fished the flats north of the Gandy Bridge in search of big Reds and Trout. The Red bite was slow with us only hooking an upper-slot that ended up spitting out the hook boat side. As the tide began to peak and then slowly turn, Trout made a showing and kept us busy for a while. Soon after, the wind began to pick up and so we decided to call it a day when we passed one of my favorite spots for Flounder and decided to have him give it a shot. Cast, pop, BAM! Flounder on! Nice 22” Tampa Bay doormat to end the day. Not bad, needless to say, Mr. Robinson was happy and couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
Day 2
I decided to change the pace a little and show him the backwater side of fishing. Double branch in Upper Tampa Bay sounded like the perfect place. The action was fast with a nice, early morning, mid-slot Redfish to start the day. The fun didn’t stop there, 2nd cast produced a nice Trout. Sweet! We were on the water literally minutes and already one species away from completing a slam. So naturally I decided to have us move to spot#2 a place I call Snook heaven. After a quick lesson in cold water Snook tactics, fish on! A whopping 33” linesider that showed Dustin what a kayak sleigh ride was all about. Slam completed.
The fun wasn’t over yet as we spent the next few hours catching mid-upper slot Redfish, Sheephead and Black Drum. As the trip came to an end, I asked him if he wanted to try one last cast to end the day. Before the D.O.A. gold glitter shad had a chance to hit bottom, Dustin felt a huge tug, set the hook and grinned from ear to ear as he reeled in a 27” Gator Trout!
Not a bad 2 day vacation for Mr. Robinson from Ohio. He will definitely have several stories to bring home and plenty of pictures to prove them. LOL. Tight Lines!!
Derick Burgos
Cell: 813-447-4732
