1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Spanish mackerel have been caught early in the morning, every day this past week. A good variety of fish are biting including snook, speckled trout, mangrove snapper and grunts. A black sea bass and a pompano were also caught. A couple of tarpon were also hooked this week, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
2: At Madeira Beach, nearshore there’s a good bite for lane snapper. Some mangroves and red grouper are also biting. Deeper offshore, “we’re still getting our limits of American red snapper.” The grouper bite for gags, reds and scamp is also very good. Pelagic anglers are getting blackfin tuna and some kingfish, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).
Snook: The snook fishing is still very good in many spots for Tampa Bay area anglers. Snook are in the passes, running the beaches and holding on sandy areas in the bay.
Strike Zone, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Elsewhere
3: At John’s Pass, the snook are “thick” in the pass and around the docks. The bite is best early in the morning, but also steady through the day. Good numbers of mangrove snapper and a few sheepshead are also biting in the pass. Redfish are biting on the bottom around the docks during the day. Speckled trout are biting inside the pass at night around the dock and bridge lights. Trout are also biting during the day from the jetty and nearby beach. The jetty is also producing pompano and whiting, reports Hubbard.
4: At Fort De Soto Park, at the marina, big sheepshead are still biting. There’s also a good number of mangrove snapper and a few snook. Tarpon are still biting under the bridge on the outgoing tides. Slot size redfish are being caught on the area flats and there’s also a lot of rat reds. Tarpon Key is also holding reds and trout up to 22 inches. East Beach is still producing snook along the shore and west to the Gulf Pier. The pier is producing some mangrove snapper, sheepshead, a lot of whiting, jacks, sharks and snook close to shore around the rocks. Bunces Pass is producing snook, jacks, whiting, sharks and some tarpon are just outside the pass, reports Capt. Claude Hinson at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).
5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, “snook fishing is incredible right now.” Snook are in the passes and the mouths of most of the estuaries. The trout bite is good on the flats over grass in water 4 to 10 feet deep. Tampa Bay is loaded with gag grouper right now and some big, keeper size grouper have been caught trolling this past week. Mangrove snapper are also holding on structure around the Skyway and the reefs in the bay, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160). Tarpon fishing was slow earlier this week. A lot of the fish went offshore to spawn with the full moon phase. They’ve since returned and the bite has been great. On the incoming tides, they are preferring cut threadfins and on the outgoing tides, they are eating crabs. The mangrove snapper bite has been excellent. Plenty of nice size fish in the 16- to 20-inch range have been caught, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096).
6: At Anna Maria, snook are cruising the beaches of Anna Maria there’s a few also in Longboat Pass. There’s also good numbers of tarpon along the beach. Mangrove snapper fishing is good around structure, some of the docks and the area bridges. Grass ledges are producing redfish on the lower tides and they’re up in the mangroves on the high tides. Trout action is decent on the deeper grass flats and channel edges, reports Crawford.
7: At St. Petersburg, the late afternoon tarpon bite is still good around the Skyway, along St. Pete beach, Tierra Verde, Egmont Key and south to Anna Maria beach. Snook fishing is good out on the beaches, in the passes and the mangrove lines near the passes. Good numbers of snook and some redfish are biting around Weedon Island. Sandy shorelines along the west shore of the bay are also holding snook. Gag grouper fishing is decent along the channel and on the reefs in the bay, but many of the fish are short. Mangrove snapper are biting around the bridges and just about any structure, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).
8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, during the day, tarpon are up around the bridges on the outgoing tides with the crab flushes. At night, they’re taking live baits in and around the lights. Snook are biting in the sandy beach areas. Picnic Island has been a good spot, along with the causeway sandy shorelines. Both Cypress and Rocky points are also good for the snook. Cypress Point is also producing good numbers of redfish. The mangrove snapper bite is good around the bridges and most structure. Trout action is decent on the deeper flats. Spanish mackerel are biting around the bridge, both early and late in the day. During mid-day, they’re holding on the markers in the bay, reports Gandy Bait.
• At Boca Grande, coming off this full moon phase, the best tarpon bite is in the afternoon on the outgoing tides with the crab flush. Big snook, up to 33 inches, are biting around the docks and the bridges. Good size speckled trout and Spanish mackerel are biting over the deep grass flats around 8 to 10 feet deep on the inside. Mangrove snapper fishing is slow around the trestle. Most of the snapper are still in the back country, reports Capt. Greg Penix of Lakeland (863-860-2502).
• At Fort Pierce, offshore there’s mahi on the troll up top on the 80-foot bar. There’s also plenty of kingfish. The bottom bite at that same depth is good for mangrove and mutton snapper. A few triggerfish and the occasional cobia are also biting. With this week’s full moon phase, the bottom bite is best at night. At the inlet, whiting are consistent in the surf and a few pompano are biting. Snook, mangrove snapper and jack crevalle are biting from the jetty. Snook are also taking live baits inside the inlet. The Juanita spillway is also producing a good snook bite. Mangrove snapper, jacks, sheepshead and the occasional black drum are biting at the bridges, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).
Compiled By Michael Wilson/Ledger Correspondent

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