Category: Fishing Reports

The big snook of summer have made their way to the beaches and fishing has heated up. From Anclote Key to Clearwater Beach, some of the largest snook of the year are waiting to be caught. Although finding these fish is easier than catching them, following a few simple rules will heighten your chances of putting one of these trophies in your boat. First, snook are somewhat of a nocturnal fish, so fishing for them in the lower light periods of dawn and dusk can often times be more productive. The other key is moving water, preferable a strong outgoing tide. If you really want to stack the odds in your favor, look for when a strong outgoing tide coincides with a low light period and you should hit pay dirt. These big fish like big bait, so gather up a good arsenal of large whitebait, grass grunts, ladyfish and shad (if you can find them). The only ingredient left is a little patience. If you’re in the right place with the right bait at the right time, be prepared to sit for a half hour to an hour. Fish will likely turn on at some point. When they do, you may be in for some fast paced action for 15 minutes or so before these fish decide that the feeding period is over. Redfishing in May was nothing short of spectacular. Typical fish counts were a dozen to twenty fish on days with the stronger tides. The majority of these fish measured twenty two to twenty six inches although a few over slot fish were caught. Most of these fish were caught up in against the mangroves on the higher tides. Whitebait, both whole and cut, has been the bait of choice. Two presentations proved most effective. In areas where fish were spread out, a “bobbered” whitebait was floated down a mangrove line or across a flat. This approach was effective as it covered a fair amount of territory. With the right wind, you might have a bait travel thirty feet right down the mangroves. Eventually, it would drift in front of a “fishy” location and be eaten. A side benefit to this approach is that an occasional snook will make an appearance to eat one these “floated” baits. Once fish were located in any kind of concentration however, split-shotted cut whitebait was used. Cut baits will typically out fish a live bait in this scenario as it’s easy for the fish to catch up to this bait. Also, pinfish pick at these baits as they sit on the bottom, drawing a lot of attention to the area for any redfish that might be in close proximity. Quality redfishing should continue through June. On the weaker tides, an occasional visit to proven docks is worth the effort. Always split shot your baits in this situation for added casting accuracy as well as to hold your bait in the spot you throw it. A free swimming bait and / or strong current can turn a great cast with an un-weighted bait into just another snag. The large seatrout fishing of our winter months has just about concluded. An occasional stray gator shows up but, for the most part, these big trout have gotten a lot more scarce. Smaller fish are, and will be, available in good numbers all summer on the flats, but catching the big boys will be difficult…best to concentrate on the great snook and redfishing we have now. If you’re desperate for a big trout, you might find a few hold outs in the outside swash channels. For those of you looking to pull on something large, tarpon have moved into our area, although only occasional schools have been sighted running the beaches. The word is that Bellair and Sand Key Bridges are starting to hold some fish. If you are intent on hooking into a silver king in the next few weeks, plan on heading south to The Skyway Bridge or Boca Grande to maximize your odds. Both areas are reporting excellent numbers of fish right now. Also, as our weather warms, shark fishing should continue to improve as well. Night fishing with larger cut or whole baits is a highly effective method of hooking up with these powerful, toothy fish. For those of you interested in getting out on the water, there are still some excellent tide days available in June. They are the following: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 16th, 17th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Call 727 421-5291 if you want to secure one of these day. Good luck and good fishing.

After the last cold fronts came and went in early April, spring fishing heated up. Trout action remained strong, highlighted by some exceptionally large fish. More large trout were caught this past month than in any April in recent memory. As whitebait showed up, the trout clearly showed a preference for this type of meal. Baits "bobbered" about a foot off the bottom seemed to trigger the most strikes. Many of these fish came off of the spoil island areas however some of the oversized gators hit baits being floated for redfish on the flats. Look for the remaining large trout to move to the beaches in May before their final farewell to their summer haunts. Un-weighted whitebait will probably be the best way to catch these May fish. Schooling redfish are clearly "back in the neighborhood" now. Numerous trips produced in excess of 15 redfish. Almost all of these highly productive days were when the big tides pushed way up into the bushes. Schooling reds like to get up in the mangroves in search of one of their favorite dinners…crabs. Also, there is also an argument to be made that these fish like moving way in to stay out of reach of their primary predator, the dolphin. Whatever the reason, finding a group of reds back in the sticks during a high tide is redfishing at its best. Whitebait is a preferred bait for this type of fishing however once fish are located, a variety of baits can trigger strikes. Having excess whitebait does allow you to chum areas heavily however and may help pull these fish out of the mangroves and get them in a frenzied, eating mood. Bobbered, free lined and split shotted baits can all work in this scenario. Finding these schooling reds is hard work in that it just takes time on the water to locate them. If you find a group of fish though, chances are, they’ll be in that same area for at least a few days. With water temperatures now locked in the mid to high seventies, snook are a good possibility on every charter. Moving tides are always better, and outgoing is best. Fish are now everywhere from the mangrove shorelines to the beaches. As a general rule, beach fish tend to eat a little more aggressively so it’s always nice to find a group of fish on the "outside". Although snook will eat cut baits on occasion (yes, it’s true), there’s no doubt that whitebait, both pilchards and threadfins, are the most available bait of choice. Grunts and ladyfish are great bonus baits if you can find them. For the most part, all of these baits should be fished with no weight on a hook that is properly sized to the bait. In particularly deep areas or areas with strong tidal flow, split shots may be appropriate. For those of you still looking for your first larger snook, rest assured that when you hook it, you’ll know. Your drag is guaranteed to scream and, with a little luck, you’ll see some "air born activity" as well. Snook are just plain exciting to catch. For those of you interested in fishing near shore waters, reports are that both of our migratory mackerel…the spanish and the king…are back. For a little excitement, head out with a bait well full of whitebait and a medium action spinning rod, find some hard bottom and chum aggressively. Enjoy some potential fast action from the spanish mackerel and challenge yourself not to get spooled should a healthy kingfish decide to eat one of your offerings. Fishing is hot right now so look for a good tide day and get out there and pull on some fish.

March is always a transition month and this March was no different. Several warming trends were abruptly ended by significant temperature drops which dashed hopes of getting a decent snook bite going this past month. April’s temperatures will moderate, however, and the result should be some consistent snook action. Whitebait has been available for several weeks now and with a warm first week in April, seventy degree plus water should be here to stay. Dormant snook will come to life and begin to eat. Look for them along mangrove shorelines that receive a healthy dose of morning sun, as well as in the deeper canal and creek mouthes. Intent on ingesting lots of protein in advance of thier summer spawn, these snook will feed very aggressively. "Fly lining" un-weighted whitebaits on a #1 or #2 circle hook is highly productive. Leave your bail open to both allow your bait to swim freely but also to give a charging snook time to eat the bait and turn with it. After the strike, click your bail over, reel down and hang on. Redfish did begin to school up in March and fishing for these flats bruisers should continue to improve in the coming month as well. Stake out your favorite flat and watch for activity from mullet or the reds themselves. These fish may be very "noise sensitive’ so approach slowly. Once you feel you are in close proximity to a group of fish, chumming with cut or whole whitebait can be an effective means to get these fish both closer to you and in an eating mood. Lightly weighted and bobbered baits will both work on the flats. On the weaker tide days when reds may not push up onto the flats as well, try your favorite docks. Fish may come one or two at a time but you can put together a pretty good day by methodically moving from dock to dock and there’s always the possibility of finding a "mother load" under a given dock. Split shotting cut bait is a great approach here. Seatrout did continue to bite pretty well in March and should be available through this month. Most of these larger fish will be gone by next month though, not returning until late November. Bobbered shrimp will still take their share of fish as will whitebait. On certain mornings, fish may show a distinct preference for one bait over another so come equipped with both if you are targeting trout. Along with the improved snook bite in April, we should see other species re-appearing including spanish mackerel, kingfish, and bonita. Sharks should be right behind them. Late March did provide several good days of cobia fishing. Although no large fish were caught on our near shore flats, fish in the 70 lbs range were sighted and numerous multiple fish days were recorded. There’s nothing quite like watching a cobia peel off a ray and shoot ten yards to inhale a plastic eel in crystal clear, four foot deep water. This fishing will test both your fish spotting and casting ability and is highly rewarding. Spring has finally sprung, so get out on the water and expect good things this month. Good luck.

As February progressed, sea trout fishing got better and better. The second to last week of the month offered up strong tides and consistent, warm weather. Trout responded well to bobbered shrimp and limits of quality fish were common. Most were in the 17 to 22 inch category. Although the action was fairly steady, fish seemed to bite a little better on the moving tides. Also, fish appeared a bit more scattered this year than in years past, likely the result of the intensifying fishing pressure off of the northern Pinellas Coast. It’s no secret that our large sea trout fishery is fantastic, but it seems to draw more anglers from neighboring counties every year. March should offer continued good trout fishing, as long as the water’s not muddied up or a front hasn’t recently moved through. As is typical for February, the redfish started appearing in greater numbers. Numerous charters yielded double digit redfish counts with many keeper fish and an occasional heavyweight over the slot limit. Most of the larger fish came from patiently working historically good redfish flats on the higher tides but several residential docks surrendered reds in the twenty four to twenty five inch category. Shrimp was clearly the preferred bait this last month but various cut baits produced well on some days, as did pinfish. If last year is any indication, March should offer excellent action on larger redfish. To hone your redfish catching skills, look for a shallow flat or bay that doesn’t get much boat traffic. It’s a good assumption that a school of reds is roaming the area…somewhere. Set aside a morning, with an incoming tide, to go study this flat. Look for mullet, bait activity and long legged shore birds feeding. If your flat has all of these things, chances are you’re in the right neighborhood. Slowly and quietly work your way across this flat, casting gold spoons, plugs or a lightly weighted "Gulp" jerk shad. When you hook a fish, anchor as more reds may be out in front of you. Learning where the fish are on a given flat takes time and effort, which is why most weekend anglers don’t consistently catch fish on the flats. Should you unlock the secret of a given flat however, you may have little competition for the fish, catch fish off of this flat year after year, and catch bigger redfish than you ever have. If catching big redfish isn’t enough incentive to get out on the water, we could be just weeks away from the first snook bite. Small schools of whitebait have been sighted locally over the last week and water temperatures have been hovering just shy of seventy degrees…the magic mark for snook. A late February cold front chilled water temps one last time but with a few weeks of warm weather in March, snook fishing could begin. Being among the first anglers to catch whitebait will put you in a great position to tie into one of these prized game fish. So chase down some whitebait and start searching canals, creek mouths, inshore points, as well as warm, dark bottomed, mangrove shorelines as the snook should be on the prowl. With the next full moon approaching, we should have excellent tides to fish from about the 7th through the 13th of March. So get out on the water. Spring fishing is about to heat up. Good luck and good fishing.

January proved to be one, large weather “roller coaster” with temperatures rising and falling throughout the month. This made fishing challenging, to say the least. Normally, local fishermen have settled into catching sea trout consistently in January, but that was not the case over the last month. Although the trout bite would come and go, and there were some good days, it was far from consistent. As a result, targeting redfish remained part of the fishing strategy all month. As in last month’s report, fishing potholes on strong low tides would provide action on some days. If the mornings were cool though, the higher tide, late afternoon bite seemed to produce better. Most of these "high tide" fish were caught around residential docks. Another observation made over the last few weeks was that, when the temperature dipped back into the fifties, the redfish would become much more finicky, refusing artificial baits entirely and eating natural baits like shrimp and cut bait only occasionally. Usually, if you find redfish, you catch redfish, but the bite was slow on cold mornings. As we move into February and our tides start to gain a little strength, look for the redfishing to improve. For the most action, but not necessarily size, work residential docks with shrimp until you find a few docks that produce. Keep these locations to yourself and you may be able to catch fish off of them for a few weeks. If you want to catch the big boys, work proven flats with weighted Gulp 5 inch Jerk Shads or baits such as pinfish, shrimp or cut bait. If the last week in January was any indication, February’s trout fishing should improve. The last few trips of the month started to show a more consistent bite off of the spoil islands and on some of the better flats. Although a “bobbered” live shrimp still rates as the number one bait, your favorite ¼ ounce jig and plastic tail may increase your fish count. Until the trout really bunch up, covering a lot of water may be more important than using the best bait. On a charter a week ago, a school of about twenty trout was spotted. One angler threw jigs, the other live shrimp and pinfish. The jig fisherman quickly landed three fish in succession. The bait angler didn’t get bit. So not only are jigs effective in locating fish, sometimes they are eaten as readily or better than live shrimp. When you are working a jig and catch a fish, throw back to the same spot. If you catch another, anchor up as you have probably located a nice school of fish. As far as jig colors are concerned, darker greens, browns and root beer are popular colors. Chartreuse and pink work on some days as well. Bottom line… use the color that you have the highest level of confidence in. As snook will not be targeted for another six weeks or so, the last inshore species to target right now would be sheephead. In February, near shore rock piles and residential docks can “load up’ with these fish. While running a line of docks recently in search of redfish, two of said docks were holding six to twelve good sized sheephead. Although these fish can be a bit picky at times, an un-weighted shrimp cast close in to the structure is often rewarded with a quick bite. Small crabs are also well received, but not nearly as available at your local bait store. Sheephead will provide you with fine table fare but have your knife sharpener handy as cleaning a pile of sheephead becomes a real workout with a dull knife. So, for the most success in the coming month, cover a lot of area when looking for both redfish and trout. If you’re not getting any action, try a new spot. If you keep moving, you’ll eventually find fish and, as is common this time of year, when you find either redfish or trout, there’s usually more than one around. Have a great month and enjoy the cooler weather. The heat will be back upon us before you know it.