Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..
Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: March 23, 2024 @ 10:41 pm
Capt. George Hastick has been finding his redfish over the past week in small pods of up to five or six fish, working the flats 50-100 feet off the mangroves on the Pinellas side of the bay. Live shrimp has been producing fish like this one.

Capt. George Hastick has been finding his redfish over the past week in small pods of up to five or six fish, working the flats 50-100 feet off the mangroves on the Pinellas side of the bay. Live shrimp has been producing fish like this one.
Capt. Chuck Rogers (813-918-8356): Capt. Chuck reports bay water has reached 75 degrees in most places and the bite has been pretty good. Trout are on the grass beds and around sand and shell bars, with jigs, live sardines and shrimp all good baits. Redfish are running in small pods along mangrove lines, but over the past week they have been slow to bite. He fished the flats around Fort De Soto on one trip, and though he found plenty of reds, they were moving and not interested in eating. Snook have moved to the outside mangroves and points. Most he’s seeing are smaller males, and they are taking live sardines. Some Spanish mackerel have pushed up as far as below the Gandy Bridge. Spoons or anything with shine will take them, as will live sardines or shrimp. There are some big sharks in the bay.
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George says he’s finding pods of five or six redfish together moving 50 to 100 feet off mangroves along the Pinellas side of the bay above and below the Gandy Bridge. Docks have been holding a few, as well. He’s finding they are more willing to take live shrimp than scaled sardines or artificials. The snook more often are under the mangroves when there is enough water. His anglers have been connecting with fair numbers of smaller males to about 26 inches, though a couple of fish lost were oversized. Live sardines are the ticket. Spanish mackerel were spotted feeding around the St. Pete artificial reefs, though the big concentration of them has been around the Skyway Bridge, where schools of bonito also have been gathering. There still are fair numbers of sheepshead congregating under residential docks, with live fiddler crabs the top bait.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727-954-6365): Billy says the trout bite has been very good on grass flats off Weedon and Picnic islands. Live shrimp or jigs with soft-plastic tails have been producing. The redfish have been working the mangroves and flats just off them, though no one has been reporting large schools. Snook have come alive in the warmer Bay water, moving to the outside mangroves, rocks and points. Some anglers are reporting fish making their way toward the Gulf, where they will spawn off the beaches and in the passes during the warm months. Redfish have been a good bet in Riviera Bay and on the flats and mangroves along the face of Weedon Island. Spanish mackerel are being taken just below the Gandy Bridge, as well as at John’s Pass and off the Merry Pier at Pass-a-Grille. Tarpon have shown up at the Skyway Bridge, and a few are being seen at the Gandy Bridge. Anglers are reporting seeing lots of sharks all over the Bay.
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Zack reports Spanish mackerel fishing has been good inside the bay up to just short of the Gandy Bridge. The fish area schooling and feeding on pods of baitfish. Any lure with some shine will get them. Redfish action has been good in the shallows on the Hillsborough and Pinellas sides of the bay around the Gandy area. Snook have moved to the outside waters of the bay and can be found in many of the spots where the reds are running. Trout have been on the grass beds but have moved to a little deeper water in the past week. Look for them in 6 to 8 feet of water. A few tarpon have been showing up in the Bay. Zack was fishing the top of the Bay and spotted a few rolling at the Lake Tarpon canal. He’s heard a few tarpon are being seen cruising along the Skyway Bridge, as well. More and bigger mangrove snapper are starting to show up around the bay bridge pilings, as the numbers and average size of sheepshead around the bridges begin to fade.
Angler 360 (727-669-5455): Steve reports not much new this week. Customers fishing the pilings of the big bridge on the Courtney Campbell Causeway are taking some sheepshead and a few mangrove snapper. Live shrimp has been good for both, though fiddlers are likely to produce more sheepshead. The grass flats on both sides of the causeway have been producing some short and keeper trout on live shrimp, though some have been using jigs with soft plastic tails.
We’re always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what’s going on!
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Best trending stories from the week.
Best trending stories from the week.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:

source