Clearwater Florida fishing

[Bardcard]

Heading to Clearwater later this week and wanted to see if any of you guys had any input on either freshwater or saltwater fishing in this area. Have done some looking online, but firsthand is always better. Was going to take a few reels if there is anything worth doing close to there. Will be there for a few weeks.
Thanks

[sweetwater]

There's always fish to be caught about anywhere in Florida regardless of the time of the year. Here's a link to a local fishing reports forum in the Clearwater area that might be helpful. Good luck. http://forums.floridasportsman.com/f...ishing-Reports

[walleyemaniac]

Fishing on Lake Istokpoga(I think that's how ya spell it)???????? Using gold shiners under bobbers and catching 5 pound largemouth like they were bluegill on the nest. Was so **** fun!!!!! If memory serves, and it usually doesn't, that was around late december or january that they schooled up like that near the sawgrass. Maybe 2 hours or more from Clearwater. Watch out for them **** gators!!!!

[jrrose03]

if youre looking for some saltwater action... theres always pier 60.. which is a pay to fish. theres also a fishing pier at the end of the marina in the same lot as crabby bills resteraunt... just be careful there because its alot of rock, very easy to break off... and also pay attention to the tide change and current through that area. if you want a charter.. the double eagle always does good on the grunts..and fairly cheap... or if you want a charter the boys at the wizard are always pretty good at putting you on the fish....in my experience anyways. i go down every year around august so its usually tough grouper fishing but tons of grunts, trout, sailfin cats, with the occasional snook. if you talk to the older guy bald headed that works the shop at the end of pier 60 im sure he'll be more than happy to let you know whats been running down there around the piers and boats.. hope this helps!! and good luck

[timmbur22]

If you wanna have some fun on the cheap, may I suggest going down to Ft. Desoto Park, just below St. Pete and rent a canoe. They also have two piers and beach options. Don't know what it's like in the winter, but it's definitely worth checking out, especially if you're on a budget. Neat place too........check it out:



http://fortdesoto.com/

[Moveon]

My dad caught some sea trout down there off the beach at Clearwater Beach Flordia. He was fishing on the beach near the pier. We stayed at the Kola Breeze Motel that winter in 1957 or 1958. It was the winter that Castrol Took over Cuba as I remember driving though Miami, Florida on the way back home and all hell was breaking lose with the Cubans living there.

I use to catch small fish that reminded me of Bluegills off a boat dock that was on the Bay between Clearwater and Clearwater beach.

They were catching Sharks off the pier and they caught a lot of those catfish with the big top fins on them. One guy accidentally stepped on a catfish and the fin went through his shoe in into his foot.

They caught sheep head off the end of the pier. I heard that they were good eating. They like to feed along the pier's pilings where the barnacles grew along the top of the water line.

The tide moved a lot of water at the North End of the Island and you have to be careful when the tide was going back out or coming in. Water would vanish and there would be dry land for a ways and then when the tide came back in the water would rush over the dry land. I was only 8 years old at that time but I remember the fiddler crabs that came out at low tide.

And of course the sea walls along the bay on the island have lots of Blue Crabs that can be caught easily with some squid tied to some fishing line and dragged along the edge of the barnicles that grow on the sea wall. Just drag the squid along the sea wall until a crab swims out to grab hold of the squid and try to feed on it. Gently lift the squid to the surface and take a long tip net and dip up the crab. We caught plenty of Blue Crab using this method. Makes for some really good eating. I did the same thing back in 1990 when we were at Pirates Cove Campground on Myrtle Beach North Carolina. Only the Blue Crabs seemed to be bigger down in Clearwater Beach Florida in 1957/58.

We went back to Clearwater Beach Florida and spend the entire summer down there one time after that winter trip. The kids and wife will enjoy the white sandy beaches and there is plenty of sea life along the beach to keep the kids entertained if they enjoy that type of things. And there are plenty of sea shells along the beach to pick up. But you have to get up early to beat other sea shell gathers to the shells. After a storm you never know what you will find along the beach down there. I found a small group of baby octopi in some seaweed that had washed up onto the beach one morning after a storm.

I have been down there on Clearwater Beach since that time but can't remember doing any fishing. I was there with my wife for some reason. Either that or I was down there in 1971 with a couple of frat brothers. We went down there after one time to go bike riding on the highway that goes out to Key West. We were camping out in a KOA facility down in Key West Florida and went though Clearwater Beach on the way back home. I think. My memory is foggy on that the last trip. I just know that I was down there driving around the area for a short time and everything looks so different that I remembered it from the 1957 trip.

[Bardcard]

Thanks everyone for their input. I'm gonna put a couple of rods in the vehicle and see what happens.
Will have to get there first. Supposed to leave tomorrow early, but will have to see how Atlanta is by then. Just talked to AAA and they said I-75 is still closed in spots. May have to delay one day.
Will let everyone know if I catch anything spectacular.

Bardcard

[F16ENGMGR]

I know it's miserable up north but I'd sure wait until the weekend at least. Remember there's disabled/abandoned vehicles everywhere along 75 & 285. Central FL near 80 Saturday. Bring it on....

[fisherman14]

Heading to Clearwater later this week and wanted to see if any of you guys had any input on either freshwater or saltwater fishing in this area. Have done some looking online, but firsthand is always better. Was going to take a few reels if there is anything worth doing close to there. Will be there for a few weeks.
Thanks

Clearwater Is a great saltwater fishing place. if you are going to Clearwater I recommend taking a little drive over to Indian rocks beach and going down to johns pass bored walk and their is a draw bridge right next to it. go under it (the side closest to the bored walk) and taking a cast net and netting some bait (greenbacks) and fishing under that bridge. that's were I love to fish when im down there lots of mackerel trout snapper flounder if I were you
Id make the trip



Andrew

[timmbur22]

http://www.floridasportsman.com/2012...a-bay-bridges/