# Worth The Wade



## Kozlow (Oct 25, 2002)

By FRANK SARGEANT [email protected] 


A boat makes things easier almost anywhere anglers want to go. But for those who don't want the responsibility of monthly payments, repairs, storage, launching, loading and cleanup, there are many locations around the Tampa Bay area where access is good and fishing can be great. 
That premise inspired the recent PARK-WADE-FISH promotion by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Convention & Visitors Bureau, which hosted writers from around the country for several days of chasing trout, redfish and snook without a boat. 

The anglers visited several well-known wading venues where public access is easy - and where fishing in knee- deep water can be outstanding. Groundwork for the event was done by angler and public relations executive Bill AuCoin, who lives in the Weedon Island area. 

``People who come here from outside the area have no idea that you can catch really nice fish in water so shallow,'' AuCoin said. ``Most of the people with boats wind up fishing in water shallow enough to wade, even the guides, so we thought we'd just try to make this side of our tourism picture a little more evident.'' 

The big problem with wading, said guide Ben Otto of Palm Harbor, is gaining water access. 

``The fish are in the shallows maybe eight months a year or more, but some places you'd have to walk a couple miles of mud flats or deeper water to get at them,'' he said. ``So the trick is to find the areas where there's public parking and shore, in the better habitat areas.'' 

One of the top areas suggested by local guides is Honeymoon Island State Park, off the west end of Dunedin Causeway. 

``The park has several miles of direct Gulf beach, which is great fishing in late spring and summer for big snook,'' Honeymoon Island assistant manager Don Bergeron said. ``And then most of the back of the island is grass flats and mangrove country that's good for snook, too, and for trout and redfish.'' 

Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs is another good spot for waders; there are productive grass flats on both sides of the causeway leading to the park. Waters on the north side are open to trout fishing, while those on the south are closed through December. The park is the north/south dividing line for the regulatory regions. 

Weedon Island, with its great output of snook and reds, attracts boating anglers from all around Tampa Bay. It's actually a string of islands, with creeks full of oysters and potholes plus a lot of mangroves. Most of the preserve is a no-motor zone, which prevents powerboats from spooking the fish. It's located south of Gandy Boulevard near the Derby Lane dog track. 

Fort DeSoto Park in Tierra Verde is another big-time producer for wade anglers. The west end is noted for turning out lunker trout and snook, while the east end is a great spot for big reds, particularly in late summer and fall. The park has a 500-foot-long pier on the Gulf, and a 1,000-foot pier on Tampa Bay. Both are noted spots for catching Spanish mackerel by the dozens. 

Wherever you wade-fish, the basic outfit for most anglers should be a 7-foot spinning outfit, 10-pound-test microfiber line with 2 feet of clear 25- pound-test mono leader, and an assortment of lures that might include the DOA plastic shrimp, Tsunami swimbaits, MirrOlure 5M or Top Pup topwater lures, and an assortment of jigs. The Float-N-Jig from Love's Lures is a good rig for the flats; a small cork provides a surface attractor, and the light jig is hard for trout to turn down.


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## eamakatu (May 2, 2004)

*good article*

Thanks Kozlow for the article on Tampa/St Pete fishing. I'm moving to St Pete in the near future. I'm trying to figure out where in St Pete to buy a house so I can be near good shoreline/wade fishing. I don't like to drive for more than 10 minutes to get to the fishing locations since I fish just about every day. Any suggestions?


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## Kozlow (Oct 25, 2002)

Hey Sandcasting any tips on prime living spaces over there. eamakatu I am on the East Coast but someone will be along with some info on were might be your best bet on that 10 min drive to the fish.


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