1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, steady numbers of Spanish mackerel have been caught again this week. Decent numbers of whiting, speckled trout and the usual jack crevalle have also been caught. Other catches of note, include a keeper slot size snook, a cobia and a flounder, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
Redfish: The redfish bite has really picked up for Tampa Bay area anglers. Good numbers are being reported, along with some big schools sighted in a number of spots.
Strike Zone, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Elsewhere
2: At Madeira Beach, better numbers of Spanish mackerel are showing up nearshore along the beaches. Hogfish are biting decent starting around the 40-foot mark. The lane and mangrove snapper, along with the red grouper bite, really picks up around 60 foot. Deeper offshore, there’s big mangrove and yellowtail snapper. Out past 140 foot, the pelagic anglers are getting some blackfin tuna, kingfish and the occasional wahoo, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).
3: At John’s Pass, the redfish bite is really good around the mangroves inside the back bays of the pass. A few redfish are also biting on the bottom around the docks and from the jetty. Good numbers of mangrove snapper and some sheepshead are also biting around the docks. A lot of snook are in the pass, but it’s “tough to get them to chew.” Speckled trout are biting around the lights at night. Spanish mackerel, along with pompano are biting from the jetty and whiting are in the surf, reports Hubbard.
4: At Fort De Soto Park, lots of mangrove snapper and sheepshead are around the marina and the bridge area. There’s a good redfish bite on the grass flats around Tarpon and Indian keys. Jackass Key is also good for redfish and snook. The area grass flats are producing decent numbers of trout up to 18 inches, especially around Conception Key. Some pompano are biting around the mouth of Bunces Pass. At the Gulf Pier, there’s Spanish mackerel, snapper, sheepshead and schools of jack crevalle running through. “Baitfish are thick enough to walk on under the pier,” reports Capt. Claude Hinson of Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).
5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, fall fishing has really kicked off in lower Tampa Bay. Big schools of redfish are cruising up and down the flats on the lower tides eating everything in their path. Mangrove snapper fishing throughout the bay area remains very good. Plenty of snapper are hanging around the bumpers at the Skyway bridge, along the shipping channel, the bay reefs and just about any other structure. Good numbers of Spanish mackerel are showing on all of the bay reefs. Just look for the birds working the bait schools and you’ll find the mackerel, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). Tripletail are still around the markers, crab trap buoys and debris floating in the bay. Snook fishing is very good and more and more schools of redfish are showing each day. Specked trout fishing is good over deep grass in 3 to 8 feet of water. Mangrove snapper are still biting on just about any structure, including the bridge and bay reefs, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160.
6: At Anna Maria, a few schools of redfish are in the upper sound and some redfish are also biting around some of the docks. Structure around Longboat Pass and the bridges are still producing mangrove snapper. Spanish mackerel are biting off the beaches and some mackerel are also in the sound. Deeper grass flat edges are producing a good speckled trout bite and snook are active along the mangrove shorelines as they make their way to their fall spots, reports Crawford,
7: At St. Petersburg, there’s plenty of redfish from Weedon Island south to Pinellas Point and around the keys out to Fort De Soto. Decent numbers of trout are biting on the deeper edges of the flats as well. Mangrove snapper are biting around the area bridges, reefs in the bay and along the shipping channel. A few keeper gags are biting along the channel and around the rock piles at the Skyway. Good numbers of Spanish mackerel are along the beaches, around the Skyway and inside the bay. Snook are on the move along the mangrove lines and better numbers are pushing into the residential canals, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).
8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, the redfish bite has been crazy around both Weedon and the Picnic islands area. Redfish have also been good in the upper bay. The snook bite is good on the deeper flats and the bridge approaches. Speckled trout are biting on the flats around Picnic Island and off the pier there. Mangrove snapper and black drum are biting around the bridges. Spanish mackerel are up in the bay and biting good during the mornings. A few tripletail are on the markers. Tarpon and sharks are still running the shadow lines of the bridge at night, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).
– A Homosassa, a few schools of redfish are making a push on the outside points and keys during the middle of the incoming tides. Cut pinfish on the bottom is the best bait, but gold spoons, shrimp and plastics will also produce. Decent numbers of snook are also biting around outside keys, mostly on live pinfish. The speckled trout bite is still good in 3 to 5 feet of water around the edges of yellow hard bottom with rock grass and sponges. Soft plastics on a 1/8th oz. jig head, rigged under a cork are producing the best numbers, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).
– At Fort Pierce, offshore it’s been rough the last few days. But, before the swell, mangrove and mutton snapper were good on the bottom around 80 foot. Decent numbers of kingfish were biting up top around the 50-foot mark. At the inlet, schools of mullet are running down the beach, along with snook and tarpon on the chase. Better numbers of whiting are in the surf, as the weeds have cleared. There’s a good snook bite in the inlet on live croakers and small snook are beating up small live baits in the jetty pocket. Inside around the bridges and at the Melody Lane Pier, there’s a good mangrove snapper bite. A few schools of mullet, along with the snook and tarpon, have also found their way into the river, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637)

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