Hurricane Hermine drops rain, puts damper on fishing
In the wake of Hurricane Hermine it is expected that post-storm fishing will be slightly challenging.
My best guess is to start where you left off prior to Hermine and work your way from there. It will be interesting if the numerous schools of redfish that are throughout our region have moved or if they stayed close to where they were. I’m also anxiously waiting to see where the bait or “shiners” went. Will they still be on the flats or did the fresh water pouring out of the Manatee River push them out into the Gulf? Ultimately, I think we anglers are going to have our work cut out for us.
During Hurricane Hermine the “die hard” fishers found success by fishing very close to shore. In fact, during the flood tides they actually were fishing on shore in some places you might recognize. Supposedly, fishing on Marina Drive from Hurricane Hanks north to the Shell gas station produced a great snook bite. The water depth was about 2 feet deep, which is great for sight-casting. You just have to yield to the passing cars.
Further down Marina Drive to the north, I heard a school of redfish was swimming back and forth between the Ugly Grouper and Duffy’s. The kayak fishers capitalized on this bite as they were able to paddle right down the road to the school of fish. Reports say the school was mostly over-slot fish and gold spoons were the lure of choice.
Lastly, the S-curve down by the Manatee Public beach was host to the kick off of mullet season. A school of mullet an acre in size managed to hold up traffic for nearly a half an hour until they found their way back into the Gulf.
Now that Hermine is long gone, I guess we’ll have to go back to fishing in our old spots such as Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. But remember, the next time we have another monsoon-like rainstorm over Anna Maria, to keep your eyes glued to the road while driving. You never know when you might find a new spot to fish.
