Where and When

Fort Desoto

The adage is that one can find fish just about anywhere if you're willing to look hard enough and do your homework --- and that much of Tampa Bay, for instance, holds redfish.

I used to believe this verbatim, which is why I spent most of my first year here fishing the lower and upper bay --- Picnic Island, Weedon Island, 4th street, Legion Flats, Rocky Creek, etc --- all with limited success. All of the above spots hold fish, but some places are better for sight fishing than others. Fort Desoto is one of those places.

To sight fish out of a kayak, you need clear water, skinny tides and a food source. Fort Desoto offers all three year round. Most of Tampa Bay does not. The water simply is not clear enough or shallow enough to yield consistent sight fishing. The exception, of course, is winter, when tides are at their lowest and the water's gin clear just about everywhere.

Because it's close to the gulf, Desoto offers lower tides and cleaner water -- and turtle grass. All three elements work together to produce quality sight fishing. The lower and the clearer the water, the easier the fish are to see. Turtle grass offers protection from predators and a variety of crabs and shrimp. Find a flat with productive turtle grass and you'll usually see tailing redfish just about any month of the year.

The best time to go in the spring and summer is late evening/afternoon on a new/full moon with a chance for tailers on the last of the outgoing and the first of the incoming. The later in the day you can time the tidal swing, the better chance you'll have to see tails.

Don't make the same mistake I did and fish close to home because it's convenient. Find the best spot that suits your type of fishing and make the drive. It will be worth it.