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In our "Information, Please" section last month (see page 5) that Angling Report subscriber Pat Mullin wanted to know more about fly fishing there during the month of February. For some help, we turned to occasional correspondent Frank Sargeant, who lives in nearby Lakeland, Florida, and whose published works include a book called Frank Sargeant’s Secret Spots, Tampa Bay to Cedar Key ($14.95 post-paid from Larsen’s Outdoor Publishing, (*)). In a fax note, Sargeant had this to say about fly fishing near Tarpon Springs in the dead of winter:
"February is a tough time to fly fish here, but you might have some success that time of year near the inflow and the outlet of Tarpon Springs power plant. You’ll need a sinking line to get at the trout and permit, but not the jacks and ladyfish, which can be enticed on top with glass minnow and shrimp imitations. You can access the plant from parks at both the intake side on the north end, and the outlet side on the south end. Chest waders are useful on the north side. I recommend calling Duke’s Marina for up-to-the-minute information on what’s happening at the plant.
"Another thing to try is renting a boat and easing up the Anclote River. Redfish tend to hand around rocky holes in the lower river during the winter, and you can look for winter snook and tarpon around the creek outfalls. Small cockroach streamers are not a bad choice, and poppers may draw up the snook if it’s warm and calm. Just be careful navigating the Anclote. It is very rocky and shallow in many areas."