# Weedon Island/Gandy



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Dolphin video (if it works)



https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10224675221301692&id=1645650153&m_entstream_source=timeline


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

The dolphins know to follow the boats around and catch released fish... Same with the cormorants


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Sometimes I follow the dolphins. Around Ft. Desoto they point to the trout. Here not so much. They were so thick that nothing of size dared to be near.


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## Tod Hagan (May 12, 2020)

Same problem in Indian river lagoon with dolphin.


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## JT Flatsfishing (Apr 20, 2020)

Interesting perspective about that area. 
Once I was volunteering with Angler Action at the pediatric cancer foundation's tournament in St. Pete. I was chatting with a prominent captain in our area and I was complaining about how Weedon Island is worse than I4 and 275. Sometimes it feels like scallop season out there on the weekends with boats literally spot locked and anchored all on top of one another. I told him I hated it (I do). 

He said that the more boats that are out there, the better the bite is. He said those fish are so programmed to react to chumming that they associate boat traffic with eating. More boats = more eating fish = more fish caught. 

As our state becomes more populated and more people are out on the water, fish behavior changes. Kind of a no-brainer, but interesting. Parallels with Monte Burke's article in the new BTT Journal about changes in the tarpon migration due to pressure and changes in habitat.


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## TurboBonefish (Jun 12, 2021)

In Oak Hill the beggars will come right up to the gunnel, they put signs up everywhere to not feed them.


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## maismo12 (May 11, 2021)

This Weedon Island / Riviera Bay area is where I usually target through the week - during the weekend it can be pretty tough with all of the boat traffic - fish are very weary of anything. Live bait is probably the trick on the weekends.

Sheepshead are everywhere right now out there - seen some really nice sheeps swimming on the flats but I am usually throwing a fly.. live shrimp would do the trick but I don't usually fish for meat so I haven't really bothered with them. Have also seen little groups of snook in some of the deeper pockets of mangrove cuts during low tide, that usually like to eat anything you toss at em.

Dock lights in the area are holding some decent snook at night lately, even saw (what I estimated) a ~30in tarpon swim past one of the lights. Should be really good when it's cooler.

Jacks like to bang bait on the seawalls in Riviera Bay at high tide, if I get bored and can't get anything else, I usually troll around looking for them. If it's low tide, I like to look for birds in the bay swooping on bait, fish will be there. Jacks usually as of late. You can find em, but lately you'll be competing with Dolphins lol.

Dolphins are everywhere in Riviera Bay / Weedon Island right now - glad to see them around after the red tide event in July. They just like to chase out all the fish haha. At least they put on a show most of the time.


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

I caught this over slot red at Weedon a couple weeks ago. Did the ole careful revival thing. She swam away 10 feet and got thumped by a dolphin with a lil baby.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I may have to give Gandy another try. We went out of EG Simmons on Thursday, and never had a single nibble. No pins, cats, puffers...... nothing! Fished from cockroach to Apollo and never saw a sign of predators. FWC lady was at the docks taking surveys, and said she hears that most often now. Been fishing that area for well over a decade and I've never seen it like this before.


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## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

firecat1981 said:


> I may have to give Gandy another try. We went out of EG Simmons on Thursday, and never had a single nibble. No pins, cats, puffers...... nothing! Fished from cockroach to Apollo and never saw a sign of predators. FWC lady was at the docks taking surveys, and said she hears that most often now. Been fishing that area for well over a decade and I've never seen it like this before.


It’s been a weird year for sure. Piney Point ruined all of summer, hopefully things reset??


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Megalops said:


> It’s been a weird year for sure. Piney Point ruined all of summer, hopefully things reset??


I told the FWC lady that I'd be ok if they shut down the big 3 inshore species for a few years. She told me everyone in her office was very surprised when they announced opening things back up. She said the numbers don't support it. 

I rarely keep fish, and wouldn't eat anything out of Tampa Bay these days. I'm in it to relax and for the sport. I'd be ok if the entire Bay went catch and release for a few years, it might chase off some of the covid craze guys.


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