Shorter Redfish Abundant in Local Creeks

Captain Lynn Amburn of FishTank Charters said on a recent trip his clients caught a lot of undersized redfish (under the 18-to-27 inch slot limit), as well as smaller trout, whiting, sheepshead and ladyfish, fishing Rocky Creek (north of the Courtney Campbell Causeway) and Allen's Creek.

Amburn said his anglers were doing what he calls “dock hopping,” going from dock to dock pitching 3/16- and 1/4-ounce jigs tipped with pieces of shrimp.

“What we're doing with these fish, because they're holding to structure, we're pitching the bait under the dock and letting it sit until something comes up and grabs it,” said Amburn, who grew up in Town 'N Country.

Amburn said he breaks live shrimp in half for bait. But that didn't help him find keeper redfish.

“That's why I ran to Allen's Creek, because I knew there were a lot of little reds and little trout in the end of the bay, and at at those docks I thought we could also get a few keeper sized reds,” Amburn said.

Capt. Amburn can be reached at captamburn@gmail.com or by calling (813) 695-7078.