1. At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Spanish mackerel have been consistent in the mornings. Speckled trout and silver trout have also been biting good, and one snook was caught last weekend. A few pompano have been caught and there was also a tripletail this week. Sheepshead are on the pilings for anglers who know how to target them, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
2. At Madeira Beach, near shore, lane snapper have opened back up and that’s the focus along with hogfish. The hogfish are biting best at a depth of 40 to 70 feet. Key West grunts, porgies and a few black sea bass are also in the mix. Deeper offshore, the red and scamp grouper bite is best at 100 to 150 feet deep. There’s also a good number of blackfin tuna and some kingfish, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).
3. At John’s Pass, there’s a lot of sheepshead around the docks, the bridge, the jetty and the deeper water rocks on the south side. Redfish are biting inside around the docks and shallows, especially around Long Bayou. A few snook are in the pass and around the dock lights, but most of the snook have moved inside the back bay. Trout are biting around the bridge and dock lights at night, reports Hubbard.
4. At Fort De Soto Park, a good amount of black sea bass along with sheepshead have been caught around the bridge. East Beach is still producing a good redfish bite along with a few snook. Good size trout up to 20 inches have also been caught there, and the nearby grass flats in the park. Lots of bonnethead sharks also taking shrimp on the flats. Out at the piers, it’s sheepshead and snapper on the pilings along with some mackerel if the water is clear. Whiting have been caught from the beach and at Bunces Pass, reports the Bait Bucket (727-864-2108).
5. Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, with the close of gag grouper season, river fishing is now the focus. The deeper docks of the Manatee River east of I-75 are holding good numbers of snook. Chumming with live whitebait will get the bite going. Huge jack crevalle and ladyfish are being caught with the snook. Deeper cuts off the main channel are producing a good trout bite. Live shrimp or whitebait under a cork has been best for them. Sheepshead are starting to show in good numbers, but most of the fish have been on the small side. Look for the size to increase during the upcoming spawn during the next couple of months. Live shrimp, along with fiddler crabs and mud crabs are the best baits for the sheepshead, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096).
6. At Anna Maria, redfish and black drum are biting in the canals and around the docks of Key Royale at the north tip of the island. Snook and redfish are biting in the Manatee River and the flats nearby. Trout are biting shrimp, white bait and jigs on the flats. A lot of bonnethead sharks are also on the flats. Scattered redfish are on the docks of the sound. Spanish mackerel are biting in the sound along the Intracoastal. Whiting and a few pompano have been caught in Longboat Pass. Sheepshead are biting at the Rod and Reel Pier, reports Capt. Scott Moore of Bradenton (941-713-1921).
7. At St. Petersburg, the redfish bite is good around Weedon Island, south along the shore in the residential canals, and the keys near Fort DeSoto. Sheepshead are biting on just about any structure. Mangrove snapper and Key West grunts are biting good on the bay reefs and the edge of the channel. There’s a decent snook bite in the canals around Bayboro. Big Spanish mackerel are in the bay and some tripletail are still in the bay and off the beaches. There’s been good catches of black sea bass around the Skyway, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).
8. In the north end of Tampa Bay, the redfish bite is good at Weedon Island and along the west shore all the way to the far upper bay. A lot of sheepshead and a few snook are around the bridge. Snook are also biting in the canals and creeks. The trout bite is decent on the edge of the flats. Sheepshead, whiting, silver trout and black sea bass are biting along the seawalls and channel edges. There’s Spanish mackerel and some cobia in the bay. A few tripletail are still on the markers and buoys as well, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).
Elsewhere
• At Crystal River, the redfish bite is “incredible.” The top half of the incoming and outgoing tide has been best with shrimp on a jig head on grassy bottom or freelined on rocky bottom. There’s also the occasional sheepshead while fishing for the reds. The trout bite is good on the shallower grass beds in two to three feet of water. Nose hooked, weightless D.O.A. 5.5-inch jerk baits are getting the bite, reports Capt. Marrio Castello of Tall Tales Charters (352-454-7719).
• At Fort Pierce, the offshore bottom bite is producing mostly lane snapper in 60 to 80 feet, with the occasional mangrove and mutton mixed in. Some black margate have also been caught. On the troll, mahi, sailfish, blackfin tuna, and a few kingfish are biting from 80 to 120 feet deep. At the inlet, whiting, croakers and some pompano are biting in the surf. Inside the inlet, it’s sheepshead, black drum and some snapper. Flounder have also been caught in the inlet and from the jetty. Bluefish are biting in the inlet, off the beach and inside around the bridges. The trout bite is good along the mangroves and the grass flats inside the river, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

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