NO BOAT? TRY WADING

By Capt. Thom Smith
The dog days of summer are upon us and as I've mentioned before, the old saying "fish early and late" should make sense to beat the heat. Another way to beat the heat is wading. Wading is a good way to stay a little cooler and also be a little stealthier in your approach to the fish. Over the years, I've been impressed by the quality and size of the fish that wading can produc. MORE...

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Eventhough you may or may not have a boat, it doesn't matter. Yes, it would be nice to have a boat and find a spot that is away from everyone else, but for the "boatless angler", there are plenty of places to wade around the county.

First of all, the standard equipment for boater or wader should be a hat, polorized sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen. For a wader, a good pair or shoes is a must. I suggest something with a high top on them. Lowcut sneekers and those little beach shoes are OK, but being low cut, they allow sand, shell and other things to get into your shoe and eventually it starts to grind on your ankles and feet, making walking difficult. I like the "Dive Booty's". They usually have a good tough sole that can handle oysters and with the higher top, the grit has a harder time getting into your shoe. What you wear is up to you, but I prefer to wear short as long pants tend to have more resistance in the water and rubber waders are too cumbersome and hot in the summer time.

What you carry with you is also up to you, but I would suggest a stringer and a small container to carry extra leader line, hooks, jig heads and lures, in case you have to re-rig. For waders, there are some items on the market that are like towing a small boat around, but they can be handy. There was one called the "Wade Caddy". It had a cooler, small tackle box, bait bucket, rod holders and an anchor to secure it in a spot. Just remember, this is something you'll have to drag around with you. A pair of needle nose pliers and a pair of scissors or fingernail clippers to cut braided line or trim your knots, rounds out what you need to carry.

As I mentioned, there are alot of areas here locally for waders and I'll mention some that I feel are easily accessible to the water and your vehicle will be reasonably safe while you're off fishing.

1. Palma Sola Bay off of Palma Sola Blvd. You can fish the flat out from the shoreline where it drops off into deeper water on a lower tide. The fish hang out on the edge of the dropoff, waiting for the tide to come back in. Also, in the southeastern corner, there are mangrove islands and oyster bars, but it is fairly muddy.

2. The flats to the south and north of the Manatee Bridge, going over to Anna Maria. The flats to the south extend from the bridge to the mouth of Palma Sola Bay. There are numerous sand holes. The shoreline has oysters and you can fish the edge of the Intercoastal Waterway.

3. DeSoto Memorial and Emerson Point, are both parks that are good areas, but close at dark. DeSoto is on the south side of the Manatee River and it offers a great shoreline that can hold a variety of fish on it's shoreline. Snook, redfish and trout being the most prevelant. On the northside of the river is Emerson Point. You will need to drive through Palmetto and Sneed Island to get there. Emerson gives you at least three directions to fish. South faces the river, to the west there is a large grass flat and what we call the "River Bar", where snook roam during their spawning period. To the north and back to the east is the pristine shoreline back into Terra Ceia Bay.

4. South Skyway Rest Area. On the northside you have Joe's Bay and Joe's Island. This side has loads of oyster bars, sand holes and a long mangrove shoreline. On the southside, Miguel Bay boarders the Interstate, but you barely know it's there. This area has a sandbar you can walk out to and work your way across to a string of islands that have oyster bars and nice sand holes.

Wading can offer alot of fishing opportunities, but remember when wading always do the "Stingray shuffle" and you can wade as far as your legs can carry you, but remember, you still have to wade back.

GOOD FISHING AND STAY SAFE. ALWAYS WATCH THE WEATHER, ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. 

CAPT. THOM SMITH OF FLATS LADY CHARTERS AND ANGLER'S REPAIR. ALSO, "ON THE WATER WITH CAPT. THOM" ON 1490AM EACH SATURDAY MORNING FROM 8:30 - 10:00. Call me local - 745-1490 or toll free 1-877-331-1490 with your questions or Fishing Report. Fishing or rod & reel repair - 941-795-6711 e-mail 
tesmls@infionline.net