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Most Recent Entries
- Freshwater fishing still slow
- Crew caught more than 100 redfish
- Mangrove snapper being caught in bay
- Weekly Fishing Report
- Spanish mackerel action as good as it gets
- Don’t always aim for the target
- Lots of variety, action in Sarasota Bay
- Red grouper, mangos found in Gulf
- Schooling bass showing up in Polk County
- Trout, redfish hot by Tarpon Springs
- Key West provides great summer fix
- Spawning redfish invading flats
- Weekly Fishing Report
- Snook statistics paint grim picture
- Location change doesn't require change in tactics
Monthly Archives
Find A Fishing Spot: Saltwater | Freshwater
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By MARK COOK
Although lower humidity and shorter days are lowering water temperatures, fishing on area lakes and rivers has been fair at best over the last week. Panfish are scattered, bass are in transition and specks are just biting here or there. Hopefully within a month things will completely turn around.
The bass bite has been a little crazy, with a few wall-hangers caught on Kissimmee and Toho, but the number of fish has been slow. At least two fish over 10 pounds were caught last week working open-water vegetation with soft plastics. A few reports of schooling fish on Toho came in, but the size was only in the 1- to 3-pound range. Shingle Creek was the top bass producer on Toho. Guides on the chain are waiting to see the water temps get below 80 and then the shiner fishing will get into full swing. Bass sensing waters cooling naturally start gorging on larger oily baits in preparation for the spawn and fall is a great time to shiner-fish. The shiners also will last longer in the cooler weather and stay livelier on your hook, attracting bass.
Kissimmee fish camps reported slow bluegill catches, with less than 15 fish a trip the norm. Speckled perch are cooperating early at daybreak but tend to shut off by 10 a.m. Not too many people targeting the tasty specks, but the few that are are being rewarded with above-average numbers and size for this time of the year. Minnow-tipped jigs around grass lines are doing the most damage.
On a side note, longtime Turkey Creek Bait and Tackle employee Sandy Lunsford was recently diagnosed with cancer and local stores are collecting donations for her treatments. If interested in helping, contact me by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
By BILL MILLER
Jim Warren and friends had a banner day fishing with captain Scott Moore from Anna Maria Sound to Sarasota Bay this week.
Using white bait, Warren and crew caught and released more than 100 oversized redfish. Also included in the day’s catch were numerous big trout and keeper flounder.
Moore expects the redfishing to get even better through September.
Sarasota Bay also produced good catches for captain Rick Grassett. Lots of trout, redfish and mackerel were caught by Grassett’s fly fishing anglers using glass minnow and shrimp pattern flies. The Long Bar and Buttonwood flats were the best spots.
Tarpon were caught this week by anglers throwing live bait and artificials in the MacDill Pocket and around Long Shoal. Calm weather is the key to locating rolling tarpon.
Yellowtail snapper have showed up around springs southwest of Egmont Key in 85 feet. Chumming with glass minnows and cut sardines will bring the snapper to the top. After the snapper are up, float a piece of cut bait on a 1/6- or 1/8-ounce jig head back into the chum line. Light line and small hooks will help get more bites. Big amberjack will sometimes surprise with tackle-busting fights.
Red snapper season will open up Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only from Oct. 1 through Nov. 22.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has ruled that snook season on the west coast will remain closed until Sept. 1, 2011. Snook season on the east coast will open Sept. 17 and run through Dec. 15. It will reopen on the east coast Sept. 1, 2011.
Captain Bill Miller hosts “Hooked on Fishing” on Bright House Sports Network, Channel 47. To book a charter with captain Bill or his son captain Billy, call (813) 363-9927.
By BILLY NOBLES
Trips this week yielded some mangrove snapper up to 4 pounds. I know some of you who primarily fish in the Gulf don’t think that’s too big, but these are coming out of the bay.
I think mangrove snapper are one of the hardest-fighting fish, especially if they’re hooked near structure. They are also one of the best fish for the table.
One of the best ways to catch these fish is to net a live well full of the small whitebaits or scaled sardines. Go to your favorite rock pile and chum to get the fish moving to the top. Snapper are wary, so scale down your hook size and leader. We typically start with a 1/0 hook and 25-pound-test leader, and when the bite slows we scale back further.
The best way to cook snapper is with Panko bread crumbs, peanut oil, cucumber, rice-wine vinegar. Peel your cucumber, and discard the seeds as well. After you have a bowl full, cover with the vinegar and chill it in the fridge. Fry the breaded snapper in the peanut oil. Make a bed of chilled cucumber on your plate and place the hot fish on top. Underwater cameraman Ben Bateman turned me onto this, and it’s now a family favorite.
The offshore bite is still going off, with red snapper in season but only on weekends. There are plenty of amberjack and grouper as well.
Mackerel, trout and sharks continue to prowl the deep-water flats in the bay, and they’re suckers for live sardines. There are quite a few toothy critters out, so be sure to use long-shank hooks.
Catch Billy Nobles and Mike Anderson on the “Reel Animals Fishing Show” on Saturdays from 6:30-7 a.m. on WFLA, Ch. 8, and from 6-9 a.m. on 970 AM, and on Sundays from 7-9 a.m. on 620 AM. To book a charter, call 1-866-GAMEFISH or visit http://www.reelanimalsfishingshow.com.
By JIM LEE
Freshwater
As the weather sweetens, so does the catch ratio. It has been a little windy, but hey, the fish don’t know that. This week, bass anglers did better or fished more; either way, the catches were better. Bluegill anglers, look for the new moon phase next week and go get a bucket full. Moving water will still be the best place to look for bass.
HILLSBOROUGH RIVER: Hong Kong Willie, (813) 770-4794: Creek runoff places are the hot spots for bass. Bluegill and warmouth perch are the easy catches in the river. Bluegill action is increasing, so now is the time to go for panfish. One of the most peaceful fishing experiences is fishing while canoeing down the river.
KISSIMMEE CHAIN: Grape Hammock Fish Camp, (863) 692-1500: Bluegill action has been fair, but will get better next week as the new moon comes in. Bass action this week was better, with lots of bass taken. Bass anglers can expect limits and bass to 8 pounds. Live shiners are best for bigger bass, as a rule.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE: J & S Fish Camp, (772) 597-4455: Bass anglers are taking limits and some fish to 4 pounds. Bluegill are still biting well for most anglers.
LAKE PANASOFFKEE: Pana Vista Lodge, (352) 793-2061: Bass catches were up this week with the better weather. Limits of bass can be caught, with most of them 2 to 3 pounds. Bluegill are still biting and should pick up next week with the new moon.
Saltwater
One crew on a scallop expedition last week did not get limits, as the water was murky and tides strong, laying the grass down flat. With the rains gone, now we have wind. But that won’t last too long. Mackerel are still viable offshore and in the passes. If you can get offshore, red grouper are biting very well. Fish offshore for grouper in 60 to 80 feet of water. Grouper, mangrove snapper and grunt can be caught. The best offshore catches are in 100 to 200 feet, or more. Fish the Sunshine Skyway area for redfish, tarpon and mackerel.
RUSKIN: South Shore Bait & Tackle, (813) 641-2010: Tarpon are being caught at Fort Manatee. Redfish are running rampant, with 30 to 40 fish caught. Mangrove snapper are spotty, with some anglers catching 4-pounders. Sharks are still around the power plant.
UPPER TAMPA BAY: Cody’s Bait & Tackle, (813) 884-3100: Live chubs, shrimp or artificial lures will catch mostly redfish and some resident snook. Redfish are the fish to target. Fish the mouths of the creeks and Channel A. Tarpon are getting harder to come by.
SOUTH PINELLAS: Captain Paul Hawkins, (727) 560-6762: Tarpon can still be caught, but you’d better hurry. Captain Paul is still jumping good-sized fish. Redfish are also very hot. Snook are still on the beaches.
FISHING PIERS: South Pier, (941) 729-0117: Fish the pier for mangrove snapper, trout, redfish, flounder and even a stray tarpon or grouper.
MID-PINELLAS PARTY BOATS: Offshore bottom fishing from Hubbard’s John’s Pass Marina and Kingfish dock, (727) 393-1947: Go offshore for a deep sea fishing extravaganza. Fish the deeper waters for mangrove snapper and gray snapper (grunt). You also might catch porgies and amberjack.
GANDY BAIT & TACKLE: (813) 839-5551: The Gandy Bridge is closed to fishing. However, Gandy Bait and Tackle is the place to go in this area for live bait and tackle. The upper bay is producing mostly redfish.
CLEARWATER TO DUNEDIN: Captain Brian Mathey, (727) 667-8291: The winds were up after the rains, and not many boats have been out. Redfish are the target from the Sunshine Skyway north. Freshwater run-off made it difficult to find fish. Snook are still on the beaches. Fish the passes for mackerel.
KEATON BEACH (PERRY): One More Cast guide service, (850) 584-9145: Not many scallop limits were taken, with the overcast and freshwater run-off clouding the water. Add strong tides that lay the grass down, and scalloping was tough. This was mostly the same for fishing, with not may fish caught. Anglers who did go took three or four trout.
HERNANDO BEACH: Captain Mike Craig, (727) 992-9494: Offshore fishing has been difficult, with the thunderstorms and now the wind. However, the conditions are getting better for the weekend. Red grouper are in the best supply. Gags are in deeper water from 50 to 60 feet of water.
FLY FISHING: Tarpon time is getting shorter. Redfish are the easy catch and will give you a workout on a light fly rod. We are about 30 to 60 days from fantastic fall fishing.
By FRANK SARGEANT
The best bet continues to be Spanish mackerel in and around Tampa Bay and along surrounding beaches. Captain Richard Seward, who has been fishing the area for decades, reports that this is the best mackerel action in memory, both for numbers and size, and plenty of fish are approaching 4 pounds.
The easy way to find Spanish is to get out early and look for them breaking on top. A swirl of terns and gulls usually marks the spot. Ease into these schools and cast a spoon or Gotcha plug and crank it back fast for an instant hookup.
Another sure way to connect is to anchor in the area where fish are breaking — often around spoil islands near the shipping channels or close to the channel buoys — and chum with cut baitfish, particularly threadfins. The scent lures the fish in, and you can catch them on a live threadfin or sardine, nose-hooked and fished on a length of 30-pound-test mono as a bite leader.
Tarpon are still around in the backwaters — anywhere there are glass minnow schools remaining, the fish are likely to be feeding on top. Port Manatee is a good place to start searching, and the waters of Old Tampa Bay north of the bridges and all the way up to Philippi Park are all likely to be holding these fish. The north shore of Old Tampa Bay is also a good area to scout for redfish, particularly around Rocky Creek and Doublebranch.
The hot-weather trout bite continues, mostly over broken grass at depths of more than 6 feet, with jigs and swimbaits the best offerings.
Tribune correspondent Frank Sargeant can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
By RAY MARKHAM
Most years I would be excited about Sept. 1, eagerly anticipating targeting snook during the reopening of the season.
My fishing a couple of weeks prior to the season opener is all about monitoring snook to target a keeper fish. In the past, I’ve rarely kept more than one snook in the year’s time, and the month of September would usually be the time I would do it.
A few stragglers end their spawn by the new or full moon during the month. But since the freezes back in January, snook are scarce from the South Shore area of Tampa Bay to Venice as compared to previous years.
An exceptionally high death rate occurred during the freeze, and because of this an emergency closure has been in effect, and remains until at least 12:01 a.m. Sept. 17.
The Marine Fisheries Commission could extend the closure beyond that date. Other fish on my target list are speckled trout, redfish, flounder, cobia, Spanish mackerel, black seabass, tarpon, grouper, and mangrove snapper.
Mangrove snapper have not been around in good numbers either. When we find them, usually we may find hundreds in a school, but we’ve had to work for them lately. Redfish are beginning to show in larger schools of bigger fish.
Upper slot fish in groups of 10 or more fish at a time are more common. Floating grass makes it difficult to get baits to these fish at times. However, rigging a soft plastic jerk bait like the new 5-inch MirrOlure Soft Mullet, Provoker, or CAL 5.5 Jerk Baits weedless on one of the new extra wide gap Woodie’s Rattl’n hooks will allow working these baits through the thickest weed patches without snagging them.
These new hooks allow for excellent hook ups in fat baits, with or without a hook slot. Targeting snook in September may have been my goal early on, but for me, I’ll be shifting my aim to other species.
Ray Markham runs the Flat Back II out of Terra Ceia, and can be reached for charter at (941) 723-2655.
By RICK GRASSETT
Snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders and a variety of species of fish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay continue to be the best options. Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout and Spanish mackerel on flies during the past week.
A couple of fly anglers tarpon fished in upper Charlotte Harbor with me and although we found plenty of fish, they were too widely scattered to effectively work with a fly. They caught and released Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on a variety of flies while casting to breaking fish feeding in glass minnow schools.
Another angler fishing Sarasota Bay with me caught and released several trout and a snook around Siesta Key docks before dawn on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We moved to deep grass flats near Bishop Point after dawn and caught and released trout and ladyfish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on a sink tip fly line.
Captain Jim Klopfer, of Adventure Charters, reported fast action with trout to 26 inches, bluefish to 3 pounds, Spanish mackerel to 2 pounds, mangrove snapper and flounder to 15 inches on live shrimp and pilchards near ICW markers 3 and 5, Bird Key, Middleground flat and Bishop Point.
This time of year, there usually is good catch-and-release action for snook before dawn. On deep grass flats, predators will “ball” glass minnows into very tight schools. Look for diving terns to find feeding trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more.
Call captain Rick Grassett at (941) 923-7799 or visit http://www.flyfishingflorida.net or http://www.snookfin-addict.com.
By RANDY ROCHELLE
After a breezy weekend, it looks like the seas will stay churned up for the next couple of days and then smooth out near the end of the week. Taking into consideration Gulf water temps, smooth seas will be welcome when making long runs offshore.
The gag grouper has come to a crawl inside of the 80-foot mark. When looking for gags plan on running out to at least the 100-foot mark before making your first drops. While the gag grouper bite may be slowing, the red grouper bite has been picking up. Fishing over areas of hard bottom in 120 to 150 feet due west of Anna Maria has very productive. We have been finding a good mix of red grouper, mangrove and lane snapper and an occasional gag on areas of hard bottom.
The most consistent bite has been mangrove snapper and amberjack. Fishing wrecks out past the 130-foot mark we have been able to get limits of jacks to 40 pounds and a fair number of decent mangos. The biggest drawback to fishing the wrecks for snapper is most of the fish get inhaled before you have a chance to get them five cranks off the bottom. Goliath grouper are thick on just about every wreck in the Gulf and tend to make quick work of just about any fish hooked near the bottom. When wreck fishing, try chumming the snapper up off the bottom before you start fishing for them.
Captain Randy Rochelle runs the “Gotta Go” out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 365-3218 or www.islandercharters.net.
By MARK COOK
With lots of rain the past week, water temperatures dropped 5 to 8 degrees in some spots and helped perk up the bass bite.
Schooling bass, in particular, have shown themselves, and fish up to 6 pounds were reported on top-water baits and fast-fished jerk baits. Joel Capps and his son Howard found a good bass bite Saturday in the Fin and Feather pits of western Polk County. The father-son duo was ripping buzz baits across the hydrilla edges, just keeping the baits out of the grass. Most the fish were in the 10- to 20-inch range, but the action was fast.
The day before, Joel Capps and Ronald Davis fished the same pit and caught several fish, including a 6-pounder, along with several in the 2- to 4-pound range.
A few other phosphate pit reports this week saw schooling fish, as the rain subsided in the late afternoon. Rapala top-water bait and Zoom Flukes did the most damage. The catfish bite also has picked up and the whiskered fish are hanging around moving water and rip rap rocks and other underwater structure. Around rocks, wads of wigglers are catching fish, as are the usual chicken livers.
The southern end of Kissimmee has been an excellent speckled perch destination the last two weeks, with good numbers and excellent size reported by fish camps all over the chain. Minnows and jigs are the baits of choice. The bite shuts down around 10 a.m. but picks back up as the sun starts to set in the evening. Look for lily pads and grass edges to pitch your bait for specks.
For more information, contact Mark Cook at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
By BILL MILLER
Trout and redfish are biting well in the Tarpon Springs area. A few snook are also being caught and released.
The spoil islands continue to be fish magnets and are holding a variety of species, including mangrove snapper, flounder, reds and trout.
Good numbers of trout can be found while drifting the grass flats off Crystal Beach and Fred Howard Park.
Spanish mackerel and blacktip sharks are in the north swash channel of Anclote Key. Anchor and chum for best results.
Fishing in Boca Ciega Bay has been good for reds, trout and a few snook.
Redfish are being found along the Intracoastal Waterway spoil islands, trout over the deep grass and snook, with trout mixed in, around the lighted docks. Try white bait for the reds and trout. Glass minnow flies or live shrimp work best around the lighted docks.
A few Spanish mackerel are biting at the Fort DeSoto Gulf pier and the Skyway fishing piers at daylight. Anglers casting Gotcha plugs or silver spoons are having the best results.
A few pompano are also being caught vertical jigging with pink or yellow pompano jigs with a teaser fly.
Tarpon have been seen rolling in Upper Tampa Bay between the causeway and the Oldsmar power lines. Look for the rolling fish around bait schools. Artificials like the MirrOlure 77M and Baitbusters work very well in this area. Cast around the edges of the bait pods or just in front of rolling fish.
Captain Bill Miller hosts “Hooked on Fishing” on Bright House Sports Network, Channel 47. To book a charter with captain Bill or his son captain Billy, call (813) 363-9927.
By MIKE ANDERSON
With the weather at home this week not being exactly fisherman-friendly, Billy and I were fortunate to be spending three days in Key West filming episodes of our TV show. The fishing and weather down south were awesome, to say the least. We fished Tuesday and Wednesday with captain Alex Canalejo out of Murray’s Marina. On Tuesday, we targeted yellowtail snapper on the nearshore reef. We caught 20 or 30 of them weighing 2 to 5 pounds. A good chum slick and free-lined 3-inch pilchards were the keys to our success.
On Wednesday, the wind died a little and we decided to make a run for the blue water. We ran into a crazy dolphin bite about 20 miles west off Key West. There were a lot of school-sized fish in the 8- to 12-pound range. We caught 15 or 20 fish and got some underwater footage for the show. Again, a live well full of pilchards helped us catch them and keep the school near the boat.
Thursday morning brought higher winds and bigger seas, but that did not deter our new captain. Zach Bentley took us out to some rock piles 8 miles off Key West in 200 feet of water. Drifting with free-lined pilchards produced several nice bonito and a surprise visit by a nice summer sailfish. Captain Billy landed the sail in about 15 minutes with some great jumps and underwater footage that viewers should enjoy. This great fishery is a little more than a seven-hour drive from Tampa, so keep it in mind when you need a summer fishing fix.
Catch Billy Nobles and Mike Anderson on the “Reel Animals Fishing Show” on Saturdays from 6:30-7 a.m. on WFLA, Ch. 8, and from 6-9 a.m. on 970 AM, and on Sundays from 7-9 a.m. on 620 AM. To book a charter, call 1-866-GAMEFISH or visit http://www.reelanimalsfishingshow.com.
By FRANK SARGEANT
A good push of big redfish moved to the outside flats in lower Tampa Bay with the recent full moon, according to local skippers, and those fish should be around for the next two months during the spawning period. The fish weigh 8 pounds or more, and they are likely to be found on flats close to open water, such as around Fort DeSoto’s east end, on the Clam Bar and at the Bulkhead and Rattlesnake areas on the south side. The fish later in the season will move farther inside, prowling the South Shore area up to Port Manatee. Live sardines are the top bait — chum to get the action going — but the fish also take jerkbaits, noisy topwaters and weedless spoons and swimbaits.
Trout continue to bite steadily in deep water — find “green” water where you can just make out grass on the bottom, usually in water 6 feet or deeper, and bounce a jig, swimbait or plastic shrimp across the vegetation. Early in the day, larger fish can be caught over these areas with topwater lures, and you might hook an occasional tarpon with the same offerings. The waters south of the Port Manatee spoil island are good, as are the deep flats of Pinellas Point. There also are miles of good water from Anclote Key north all the way to Crystal River.
Hot water has slowed the inshore grouper bite, but anglers fishing in 60 feet and deeper are finding good numbers of keeper gags to the northwest and red grouper to the southwest. Live pinfish draw the biggest gags, while the reds like cut bait or squid.
Tribune correspondent Frank Sargeant can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
By JIM LEE
Freshwater
Rain, rain and more rain makes for tough fishing conditions. For instance, in the Hillsborough River, the fish you used to find in the deeper channels are now spread out in the creeks and flood-water areas, making them harder to find. Higher water in some lakes means you have to find them in the shallows early. But again, they will be spread out more. Even with this past Tuesday’s full moon, bluegill might be harder to find because of the dirty water. It would be good if you already knew where the beds were, because finding them for the first time in dirty water will be hit or miss.
HILLSBOROUGH RIVER: Hong Kong Willie, (813) 770-4794: With the higher water, find moving water for best results. Creek run-off areas will be hot. Bluegill can still be found while drifting and “dunking” a live worm or cricket. When you hit, back up and fish the area. You also can drift and let a live shiner drift under built-up flotsam.
KISSIMMEE CHAIN: Grape Hammock Fish Camp, (863) 692-1500: Bass action was off a little this week because of the rains. However, when the sun comes out again, bass action will be gangbusters. Bluegill action should have been good, and anglers who went out caught limits.
LORIDA-ISTOKPOGA: Trails End Fishing Resort guide service, (863) 655-0134: Bluegill catches would have been fantastic, but the rain kept a lot of anglers off the lake. Limits are available if you can get to the beds. Live shiners still will catch larger fish when the sun comes out.
LAKE PANASOFFKEE: Pana Vista Lodge, (352) 793-2061: Early risers took good catches of bluegill, with a few shellcracker thrown in. The rain curtailed fishing most of the week, though. When the weather clears, you can catch plenty of yearling bass.
Saltwater
We might get to fish and scallop this weekend and next week if the weather clears. However, you might experience dark, cloudy water. If you can get offshore, grouper fishing is good in 50 to 60 feet off Hernando Beach and in 80 feet to deeper off Clearwater. The best offshore catches are in 200 feet or better. Fish the Sunshine Skyway area for redfish, tarpon and mackerel. All this rain might move the tarpon out a little early. Mangrove snapper catches are good. Snook are on the beaches, and scallops are larger as we approach the end of the season. They are still plentiful in most areas.
10,000 ISLANDS: Captain Cory McMillin, (239) 695-4420: Redfish and snook continue to be taken on the outside edges and in the back country. Goliath grouper are the easy catch, but remember, it is illegal to take them out of the water. Release them carefully. Tarpon have been in the rivers and creeks, but the constant freshwater run-off might move them out early. We won’t know for a couple of weeks.
SARASOTA: Captain Rick Grassett, (941) 350-9790 or (941) 923-7799: Early morning (before daylight) is a great time to catch snook around the lighted docks. Charlotte Harbor had plenty of tarpon last week, but it remains to be seen if they are still here after all the freshwater run-off. Blind-casting in dark water makes it harder to hook up. Snook, trout and redfish can still be taken.
RUSKIN: South Shore Bait & Tackle, (813) 641-2010: Fish the Alafia River for redfish. Pitch live bait under the mangroves for the best results. In a few weeks, the snook will move into this area, too. Mangrove snapper are the steady catch, along with mackerel, which might move out to clearer waters for a few days. Next week will tell us a lot.
WESTERN SHORE AND SKYWAY AREA: Captain Sergio Atanes, (813) 973-7132: The weather has made fishing difficult, but catches were improving at midweek. Live shrimp is the easy bait that always works best. Live shrimp are good to catch mangrove snapper, trout and redfish. Use a small split-shot to keep the shrimp on the bottom for redfish, trout and mangrove snapper.
UPPER TAMPA BAY: Cody’s Bait & Tackle, (813) 884-3100: Live chubs, shrimp or artificial lures will catch redfish. A few snook are still in the area. Release them very carefully, without touching them, to insure they will live to grow bigger.
SOUTH PINELLAS: Captain Paul Hawkins, (727) 560-6762: Tarpon might be available (they were last week), but the next week will tell if they are still around. Redfish are along the mangroves, while snook are on the beaches.
FISHING PIERS: South Pier, (941) 729-0117: Pier fishing offers most of the current species being caught in the bay. Fish the pier for mangrove snapper, trout, redfish, flounder and even a stray tarpon or grouper.
MID-PINELLAS PARTY BOATS: Offshore bottom fishing from Hubbard’s John’s Pass Marina and Kingfish dock, (727) 393-1947: Go offshore for a deep sea fishing extravaganza. Fish the deeper waters for mangrove snapper and gray snapper (grunt). You also might catch porgies and amberjack.
GANDY BAIT & TACKLE: (813) 839-5551: The Gandy Bridge is closed to fishing. However, Gandy Bait and Tackle is the place to go in this area for live bait and tackle. The upper bay is producing mostly tarpon and redfish.
CLEARWATER TO DUNEDIN: Captain Brian Mathey, (727) 667-8291: All the rain this week made it difficult to fish, and when anglers could get out, the freshwater run-off made it tough. Snook are on the beaches at daybreak and redfish are available, but you might have to fish low tide to see them tailing. Fish the passes for mackerel. Set up a chum line and use live bait.
KEATON BEACH (PERRY): One More Cast guide service, (850) 584-9145: Scalloping was off due to the dark water (freshwater run-off). Some limits were taken, some were not. Trout catches were very good between thunderstorms with live pinfish under Cajun Thunder floats. Trout to 23 inches are still being caught.
HERNANDO BEACH: Captain Mike Craig, (727)-992-9494: Cooler waters will prevail for a few days, making grouper fishing much better. Red grouper are in good supply offshore. Gags are in deeper water. It won’t be long before the gags will be coming back into 40 and 50 feet of water as fall approaches.
FLY FISHING: Tarpon, redfish, snook and mackerel are targets. The weekend looks good as the wind and rain subside.
By FRED EVERSON
The best reports this week were of a hot offshore bite on mangrove snapper. It is indeed the season for big snapper, but if you went fishing this week, I hope you brought your rain gear. This is the wettest summer I can ever remember, and the longest stretch of rainy, overcast conditions I have seen in 16 years here.
The fate of snook season is to be decided the first week in September.
For now, the opener has been postponed until the middle of the month. Last week, I had a look at some of the data used by the Florida Marine Research Institute, and it was shocking. Particularly telling was the number of snook taken in net sampling. In the previous 10 years the count averaged around 700 snook a month; this year it was 15 snook per month on average, with none taken in February and March. Pretty grim statistics for snook and snook fishermen.
Grouper trolling in Tampa Bay has been productive, according to captain Billy Jordan. He said he caught a dozen fish one day last week, and four were big enough to put in the box. Brett Roberts and Don Thornsberry of Ruskin also reported catching some fish, but said they got wet doing it.
Water clarity is poor and the temperature is down a few degrees. We’ve had some good tides in the late afternoon, but the weather has been prohibitive. There has been plenty of lightning and thunder in the afternoon, and gale force winds in the middle of the night again on Sunday.
Early morning in Little Cockroach Bay has been productive for redfish. Some small baits have finally showed up on the flats in front of Sand Key, but most of the anglers I’ve talked to have given up on sardines and are using the abundant pinfish instead. Visit captain Fred Everson’s website at www.tampabayfishingguide.com for charter info or call (813) 830-8890.
By RAY MARKHAM
Last week, heading for Tallahassee for the annual conference of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association, I wondered if fish in the Panhandle would respond to lures the same way they do in Terra Ceia. A long-standing tradition of the conference is a fishing tournament.
Writers are taken out by local guides to ensure the best experience. This year, our fishing destination was 18 miles south of Tallahassee, near the mouth of the Wakulla River and the Shell Island Fish Camp and Marina in St. Marks. Owned and operated by the Hobbs family since 1962, the fish camp is a refreshing step back in time to Old Florida, and a slower pace still exists there. They brag that it boasts some of the best speckled trout fishing in the state, and that seems to be the case.
Heading out just before sunrise for our four-hour trip, our first stop was in a channel with water depths ranging from 5 to 11 feet. I tied on one of my favorite trout rigs, the DOA Deadly Combo. I wondered if the rig would produce as well in the area to the northwest of the Tampa Bay. It worked almost instantly, and for the next 45 minutes it was non-stop trout action, with the clacking cork rig putting more than a dozen trout in the boat before we changed our drift.
We carefully measured and released all fish to be tallied at the end of the event, and at the end of our first drift I already had exceeded 160 inches of trout. Our successive drifts were not quite as productive, but big sail cats, flounder and ladyfish were measured to add to the overall length of fish, (excluding pinfish and lizardfish, which helped narrow the playing field with some of the “expert” anglers).
Twenty-some fish later, I had accumulated 296.5 inches of fish, ranking second among my peers — good enough to win a rod-and-reel combo. What I learned was that, regardless of location, fish are fish and they respond accordingly.
Ray Markham co-hosts “Florida Sportsman Magazine Radio Live,” Saturdays from 7-8 a.m. on 1040 AM, and may be reached for charter at (941) 723-2655.
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