1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, the Spanish mackerel really showed up and steady catches have been caught each day this week. Good numbers of mangrove snapper are also biting, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
2: At Madeira Beach, better numbers of Spanish mackerel are showing up in waters around 5 to 6 miles offshore. The St. Pete reef and some of the other artificial reefs are holding good numbers. More and more hogfish are coming in, starting around a depth of 40 feet. Plenty of mangrove and lane snapper, along with porgies and grunts are biting nearshore. Red grouper season is closed now, so anglers are targeting gag grouper in deeper offshore waters, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).
Spanish Mackerel: Good numbers of Spanish mackerel have moved into the Tampa Bay area. Mackerel are biting both nearshore and inside bay area waters.
Strike Zone, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
3: At John’s Pass, mangrove snapper are over the pass. The bridge, most structures and the jetty are also producing. Good numbers of snook are in the pass. The best bite is at night or early in the morning. A few pompano have been caught from the jetty on shrimp and Doc’s Jigs. More Spanish mackerel are also starting to show. Whiting are consistent in the surf, reports Andrew Schleissing at Gulf Coast Bait and Tackle (727-343-4181).
4: At Fort De Soto Park, snook and mangrove snapper are biting around the bridge and marina area. A few pompano are biting on Doc’s Jigs around the bridge. Redfish are still steady on the deeper flats around Jackass and Tarpon keys. Decent numbers of trout up to 16 inches are biting on the deeper grass flats in that area as well. East Beach is also still good for redfish. Snook are moving in from the passes and biting along the mangrove line. At the pier, good numbers of Spanish mackerel are biting and the mangrove snapper bite is steady, reports Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).
5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, big schools of redfish are showing up in lower Tampa Bay. These fish are biting on the lower part of the tides, in shallower potholes just off the mangroves. On the high tides, they are up in the mangroves. Pinfish are the best baits. Good numbers of tripletail can be found throughout the bay on all of the channel markers and buoys. Mangrove snapper fishing is good all along the shipping channel, the bay reefs and around the Skyway, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). Spanish mackerel have moved into the bay and around the Skyway. Snook fishing is good right now with some nice size fish, including some in the slot, being caught. The trout fishing has also been good over and around potholes with moving water over deep grass. Solid numbers of mangrove snapper are biting on the bay reefs, along the channel, around the Skyway and just about any area structure, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160).
6: At Anna Maria, the sound is loaded with nice trout over deeper grass in around 4 to 7 feet of water. The Manatee Avenue and Cortez bridges have mangrove snapper all over them right now. Check the markers for triple tail and cobia. Spanish mackerel are biting nearshore and a few have found their way inside, reports Crawford.
7: At St. Petersburg, Spanish mackerel numbers have really picked up. Mackerel are biting nearshore on the reefs, along the beaches and inside the bay. Mangrove snapper are biting around structure, the area bridges, the bay reefs and along the shipping channel. Gag grouper are also biting along the channel, around the reefs and at the Skyway. Bunces Pass is good for snook, redfish trout and a few tarpon still. Outgoing tides have been the best. There’s still some tarpon around the Tierra Verde area near the marina and bridge. Cut bait on the bottom has been really producing. Tripletail are biting on the buoys in the Egmont Channel and on the markers and buoys inside the bay, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).
8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, lots of Spanish mackerel showed up around the bridges and the Picnic Island area this week. Good numbers of mangrove snapper are around the bridge and any structure. Snook are decent at night around the bridge approaches and on the deeper flats during the day. Good numbers of snook are also off Picnic and Weedon islands during the day. There are still tarpon at night around all three bridges and at the Bayside Bridge during the day. Black drum are around the bridges, especially the Frankland. Some of the docks in the upper bay and at Davis Islands are holding trout. The deeper edges of the flats on the west side of the Frankland are good for snook and trout. Redfish action is good by the causeway and pushing north. Small schools of redfish are also cruising around Fourth Street and Weedon Island. Tripletail are biting on the markers and buoys, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).
• At Homosassa, the speckled trout bite is good on MirrOlure Provokers or other soft plastics in watermelon red flake color. Rig the baits under a popping cork and target the edges of the rock grass on hard bottom in 3 to 5 feet of water. Outgoing tides are best and the bite will shut down at the change of the tide. Snook are biting around the western points of the outside keys and around deep dropoffs with current, near creek and river mouths, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).
• At Fort Pierce, offshore seas are calm and there’s a good vermillion snapper bite, along with some triggerfish on the bottom at the 80- to 100-foot mark. Mangrove and muttons are shallower, around 30 to 50 feet. A few cobia also on the bottom. Some kingfish are biting up top around 50 to 80 feet. At the inlet, some whiting are in the surf and the weeds are clearing. The jetty is producing mangrove snapper. Plenty of small baitfish are in the inlet and the snook are crashing them. Inside, around the bridges and deeper channel edges, mangrove, mutton and lane snapper are biting, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).
Compiled by Michael Wilson/Ledger Correspondent

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