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Saltwater fishing report – The Ledger

1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, sheepshead are biting for the regulars using shrimp on the pilings. Both speckled and silver trout, along with whiting and croakers have been caught each day as well. Pier hours are currently 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
2: At Madeira Beach, nearshore, the hogfish bite is still good on the bottom in water around 30 to 60 feet deep. The mangrove and lane snapper bite picks up around a depth of 60 feet along with plenty of porgies. Deeper offshore, there’s good numbers of scamp and red grouper. Blackfin tuna have been caught while trolling and on flat lines, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947). 
3: At John’s Pass, there’s plenty of sheepshead biting around structure in the pass, the bridge, area docks and along the jetty. Redfish and a few snook have also been caught on the docks. Speckled trout and a few redfish are biting inside on the back bay flats. Whiting have been caught in the surf along the beaches, reports Hubbard.
FISH OF THE DAY
Sheepshead are a solid catch around the Tampa Bay area. Bridges, reefs, rock piles and most structure are all holding good numbers.
Strike Zone, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
4: At Fort De Soto Park, there’s plenty of sheepshead around the bridge, marina and the seawalls. Snook are still being caught at the marina on live pinfish and shrimp. Flounder are biting from the seawall and nearby areas with good sand. The grass flats are producing good numbers of speckled trout. Tarpon Key has been holding schools of redfish and also producing a good trout bite. At the pier, sheepshead and mangrove snapper are biting. Whiting have been caught in the surf. Bunces Pass is also producing whiting and silver trout, reports Capt. Claude Hinson of Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).
5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, sheepshead fishing on the bay reefs has picked up with more spawning fish showing up in good numbers. Snook fishing around Redfish Point in the Manatee River has been very productive as well as docks along the mouth of the Braden River. A few redfish are also holding on the area docks, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). The Skyway area, rock piles and reefs in the bay are producing plenty of sheepshead. Sandy areas just off the reefs are also producing flounder, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters. (941-705-3160).
6: At Anna Maria, there’s good numbers of speckled trout in the sound in water 4 to 8 feet deep from Perico Bayou through Longboat Pass and south to Sarasota Bay. Structure around the pass and the bridges are holding sheepshead, reports Crawford. The nearshore hogfish bite is as “good as it gets” in water 40 to 50 feet deep off of Anna Maria. Any ledges that would normally hold gag grouper are good spots to look for the hogs, reports Gunter.
7: At St. Petersburg, sheepshead are all over the place. Any structure such as rock piles, hard bottom, the bridges, reefs in the bay and the edges of the shipping channel are holding them. Most of the passes and the Skyway area are producing good numbers of silver trout on tandem jigs. The area around Tarpon Key is producing a good speckled trout bite. Big trout along with some redfish are biting in the residential canals. Snook action is good in the creeks and canals around docks with muddy bottom, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).
8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, good numbers of sheepshead are biting around the bridges, the reefs and most structure in the area. Whiting have been caught along the deeper channels. Redfish are moving from the upper bay and the bite has picked up around Weedon Island, the Legion Flats and down by Picnic Island. Speckled trout action is good in the deeper troughs and edges early, then on the open flats during the day. Trout are also biting around the bridge at night. A few black drum have been caught around the bridges and big schools of jacks have been spotted, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551). 
Elsewhere
At Homosassa, for the best trout and redfish bite, go to the edge of the Gulf and work the western points and rock piles on the incoming high tides. Water just deep enough to cover the rocks, should provide good action. The fish are running in tight schools, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).
At Fort Pierce, offshore there’s a few kingfish biting on the troll around a depth of 80 feet. Mangrove snapper, lanes and a few muttons are biting on the bottom. There’s plenty of Spanish mackerel off Vero Cove at a depth 20 to 40 feet. At the inlet, bluefish, whiting and croakers are in the surf. Inside the inlet, snook are biting live pinfish and croakers on the tide changes. Sheepshead, black drum and a few snapper are biting around the bridges. In the river, sheepshead are biting on the docks and markers. Speckled trout action is good to the south around Herman’s Bay, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).
Compiled By Michael Wilson, Ledger Correspondent 

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