Chapman Outdoors | Warm weather keeps captains busy on water

Winter is coming. It may not be this week or next, but eventually it's going to get cold right?

The lack of cold has kept water temperatures at prime ranges for fishing. Historically we should be seeing water temperatures in the 60s, and with it much more difficult fishing. The water temperature at Port Manatee reached 73.9 degrees Christmas Day. On Christmas Day last year it reached 68.5 degrees. In 2013 it was 66.3 and in 2012 it was 65.3 degrees.

For local captains who haven't stopped fishing or booking charters, this weather has been a blessing. December is a time of year when most captains are fishing less as bait takes a hiatus and flats fishing is difficult. Some begin to fish for mullet, others get necessary maintenance done to boats and tackle. But those who are still fishing have noticed fishing right now is unseasonably good, and there are no signs of that stopping.

"The snook bite has been like April," says Capt. Todd Romine. "The fish are aggressive, and with the big tides right now fish on the flats have been really active. They are responding to chum with the mentality to eat."

After bouncing jigs for pompano early in the week, Romine decided to fish the flats with the warm weather on Christmas Eve. After loading up his live well in a few cast net throws with scaled sardines, he was off to fish in at spots he would normally fish during the spring and fall between the Manatee River and Sarasota Bay.

"Bait is everywhere it would be in the spring, and that includes the flats. On the higher water Thursday we landed about 60 snook, a bunch of big trout between 19 and 24-inches, and about a dozen redfish. It was stupid good."

He was back at it yesterday, once again loading up with bait before heading to Sarasota Bay. Romine found the fish were still hungry.

"With the big full moon negative low tide we fished deep holes, and when chumming the fish really came to us," he said. "The quality of fish was good and they were still aggressive. The snook were up to 30 inches and the trout were up to 26 inches."

Romine knows the weather won't stay this way forever, but as long as it does he will continue fishing.

"There's not a lot of people fishing right now, so the fish aren't getting pressured. I'm going to keep fishing as long as the fishing is good," he said. "That will probably be until we get a good hard cold front and then it could all change."

Then it will be time for yearly maintenance, something he has no problem waiting a little longer for.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Chapman Outdoors | Warm weather keeps captains busy on water ."