How can you catch fish to bring meat home in Tampa Bay after new gag grouper rules

A new year means a reset for many of Florida fishing regulations, and as a result anglers targeting meat for the table need to change tactics if they want a meal.

“About 70% of the people I take out want to take some meat home for dinner,” said Captain Chase Krutzky, who fishes on the south shore of Tampa Bay.

“Some people specifically request it, but I always confirm it the day before. Some want to do fun fishing for snook, reds and trout, but others want to get meat before anything else. I find out their expectation and go from there.”

For Captain Krutzky, Tampa Bay has always offered a variety of species for a meal. In the summertime, he targets mangrove snapper around the bay’s structures for mangrove snapper.

Those same structures played home for gag grouper toward the end of the year, but with gag grouper now closed, his next target is one that just started getting good.

“Grouper fishing was really good until red tide pushed into the bay. And when it got really cold we didn’t make the runs to where we were catching them so started to change tactics. The week after Christmas, we started to target sheepshead and got a limit on all but one day fishing docks and other areas where oysters and barnacles grow from 4 to 10 feet of water,” he explained.

Sheepshead are not only notorious for their striped convict look, they’re popular for their cold water ability to keep captains lines tight on even the worst weather days, something most need to be able to do when other fishing gets bad.

With the recent cold snap pushing nighttime lows into the 30s around Christmas Day, water temperatures dropped into the 50s and in some places into the 40s. Krutzky said on Friday it was up to 59 degrees when he launched for a trip.

“Once it drops into the 60s, sheepshead starts getting really good. Later in January, the reefs and shipping channel edges will be loaded around Tampa Bay, but for now we fish them a little shallower.”

Targeting sheepshead can be a fun change on light tackle. They not only make great table fare, but they pull hard. Krutzky uses light tackle while fishing around Tampa Bay structures.

“I use about 3 to 4 feet of 20 pound leader with a single split shot and Owner gorilla light hook. For bait fiddler crabs are best if bait shops have them but shrimp work as well. We also get a lot of black drum and small redfish when fishing shallow for sheepshead, so the action is usually pretty good. It’s something different I enjoy doing this time of year,” Krutzky said.

While the new year changes may have you targeting different species, it doesn’t mean it should cancel trips. Bad weather with strong fronts will have dirty Tampa Bay waters grouping sheepshead across a variety of structures.

It’s a unique fishery that requires some patience and a real touch for the slightest of bites that can be rewarding as it is challenging.

Sheepshead must be 12 inches to keep and have a bag limit of eight per day. During March and April there is a vessel limit of 50 fish.