Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 76F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Updated: March 17, 2024 @ 4:24 am
This angler displays a redfish take on a charter with Capt. George Hastick. Hastick has been finding them in fair numbers along the Pinellas side of the Bay below the Gandy Bridge, though most have been on the smaller side, around 16-20 inches.

This angler displays a redfish take on a charter with Capt. George Hastick. Hastick has been finding them in fair numbers along the Pinellas side of the Bay below the Gandy Bridge, though most have been on the smaller side, around 16-20 inches.
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George says the mackerel are still schooling, but in smaller pods of fish and more scattered around the Skyway Bridge. Trout fishing has been pretty good on the grass beds along the drops to deeper water below the Gandy Bridge and while some snook have been pushing into canals and rivers, there still are a few around the Weedon Island area in Riviera Bay around flooded mangroves. He’s seeing more than he can get to bite, however, so it takes some patience. He’s been finding fair numbers of reds there, as well, though over the past week there have been a lot of smaller ones, with 16-20 inches the norm. It’s the time of year where live shrimp shines as the best bait. He’s been using it more, pinching off the tails to make them easier for predator fish to catch. He recommends using them in the center of deeper canals, getting them down near the bottom for reds, trout and potentially snook. He’s taken some nice speckled and silver trout using the technique. The sheepshead numbers are improving all over the bay and the average size is larger. Dead shrimp pieces fished around any structure work well, but fiddler crabs are their favorite.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727-954-6365): Billy says that sheepshead remain all the talk in the shop. Anglers are catching them around docks, bridge pilings, rocks and any kind of structure. Live and dead shrimp work, as do live fiddler crabs. Some nice-sized fish are showing up in catches, but there still are lots of small ones around. Redfish have been a good bet on the front and back of Weedon Island at times. They are right on the mangrove lives, working up and down them when the water is up. Live shrimp works, but many are liking pieces of fresh, cut mullet right now. Riviera Bay has been producing some good catches of trout, reds and snook. The key is to work around the mangroves when the tide is up. Move and pound them with artificials or set up with a live or dead bait and wait for them to find it, as they are running along the mangroves like it’s a highway.
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Zack reports he got some nice reports of keeper-sized black sea bass being taken in the bay shipping channels. It’s good news, as the past couple of years have seen little action on them. Trout fishing has been pretty good on the grass flats below the Gandy Bridge. Live shrimp is good, but jigs with white or pinks soft-plastic tails are working, too. There have been a few reds around Picnic and Weedon islands, but the action on them has been far better at the top of the bay around mangrove and the creeks. Dead mullet is a good bait choice for them right now. Some snook are taking the mullet, as well. Sheepshead fishing is solid, with fish being found on about any kind of structure. Dead or live shrimp or fiddler crabs dropped around dock and bridge pilings will get them. Some whiting are starting to show up in catch reports. Anglers fishing the deep channel coming out of the Gandy Boat ramp have been getting them with live and dead shrimp.
Clearwater Bait & Tackle (727-669-5455): Jessie reports anglers fishing the pilings of the bridge on the Courtney Campbell Causeway have been doing well on sheepshead. The flats along the causeway have been giving up some keeper trout and a few flounder. The upper-bay creeks have been turning up some reds and a few snook.
Clearwater Bait & Tackle (727-669-5455): Dave says the fishing at the top of the bay is on. Anglers have been taking trout, reds and a few snook and the big and small bridges on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Live shrimp is the top bait, though cut mullet has been working on the reds and snook. The best redfish action has been along the mangroves when the water is up. Anglers fishing from the boat ramp in Safety Harbor and working their way toward the causeway have been taking big numbers, with one angler reporting releasing some 30 fish. Sheepshead have been around in good numbers, and the causeway bridge pilings fished with shrimp or fiddler crabs is productive.
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