Tampa Bay Area; Haven't a clue..

So I grew up fishing off Long Island on my dad's 24' Searay, and we would fish everywhere from East Rockaway, LI to Shrewsberry Rocks, NJ, and catch everything we could. I always had a blast.

I recently moved to the Tampa Bay FL area, after having lived (without boating or fishing in 15 yrs.), in the Pacific NW. Now that I'm here, and have a boat (16' Bayliner Bowrider), I want to fish again.

Growing up, my brother (9 yrs older) and my dad took care of everything, like choosing the gear, bait, lures, etc., and also things like knot tying and what-not. So here I am, staring at the water, feeling incredibly inefficient in my dreams of catching some fun.

I was at a garage sale, and for $10 picked up 12 rods, and about 8 reels (mostly Zebco closed spool types), and would like to get them wet. I think I'll need to get a new rod or two, as most of these have missing eyes or are in less then great condition. There were 2 good(?) reels (Daiwa 4000c and Diawa 7000c) on custom rods.

My goal is to stay in the Intercoastal, and near the inlets and bridges, and fish with my wife and daughter (7yo).

My question is, where do I start? I need the real basics, from setting a line, types of bait/lures, and general fishing knowledge. Is there a book or video anyone knows of that is geared towards ICW fishing? Or does anyone in my area (Pinellas Co.) give lessons or know where I can started? Also, are the 2 Diawa reels worth using for my goals? They need a good cleaning, but they seem to work just fine.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Re: Tampa Bay Area; Haven't a clue..

Hey Beefer, welcome to the Tampa area. I'm a native, born and raised in this area. Fishing is not as easy as it once was around here, but if you know some basics you can catch a wide variety of fish. I could tell you about my experiences catching grouper, reds, speckled trout, mackerel, snapper, the list goes on. Capt Mel is very well known in this area and does a fishing show on the radio, and has a great web site. I suggest you start looking right here.
http://capmel.com/
And I'm sure his advise would be to join one of the local fish clubs (many are listed on his site).

Re: Tampa Bay Area; Haven't a clue..

Here's some info on artificial reefs in the area:

http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/reef/default.htm

Re: Tampa Bay Area; Haven't a clue..

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zeromain?id=1

good site also

Re: Tampa Bay Area; Haven't a clue..

Perfect! Thanks guys. I'm hoping to try my luck next weekend, I'll let you all know how it goes!

Re: Tampa Bay Area; Haven't a clue..

Some of the best fishing around here is in the Tarpon Springs area. I have lived here since the mid 50's, and have seen so many good spots get developed and then off limits. Anyway, there is a huge public ramp off Alt 19 near the power plant with some great grass flats for trout and reds. If you venture a little further out there is mackerel and cobia fishing.
I have been a great fan of the gold Penn series of fishing reels. Not too expensive and very long life with simple maintenance.
It used to be if we saw someone fishing with a plastic shrimp we would make fun of them. Nowadays, the DOA shrimp has caught me as much fish as all my live bait trips.
I now live a little north of you and am now finding out about some spots in the flats around here. It's all a process, but fishermen are real good about trying to help.
Also, the bait shops that sell live shrimp and other baits are real good as well.
Welcome to the area and pm me if you want to know a little more.
Rick