Guide bites
Capt. Chuck Rogers (813-918-8356): Capt. Chuck reports the bay is loaded with schools of scaled sardines on the flats in the mid-bay region. It’s easily netted after chumming for a few minutes over grass beds. He’s using it for redfish and snook, both of which have been on the shallow flats around mangroves. The bite has been tricky over the past week due to the rapidly dropping water temperatures keeping fish off balance as they adjust, but warmer days this week should stabilize things a bit. Look for trout to be alternating from the shallow grass flats in 2 to 5 feet of water, falling into deeper pockets and channels as the tide falls. Reds are running in small schools around rock and oyster bars, pushing up to mangroves when the water is high. Looks for snook to be found farther into backwaters, canals and creeks as the days get shorter and the water cooler. Go-to fall fish include sheepshead, and deeper channels and holes may start to give up some whiting soon. Both take live or frozen shrimp well.
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Look out, Tampa Bay has been invaded by ladyfish, says Capt. George. He’s finding them almost everywhere he fishes, and while they can be fun sport with their dramatic leaps, the poor-man’s tarpon can be a nuisance. That said, he’s been putting anglers on redfish, with the better action of late above the Courtney Campbell Causeway. He’s found fish in very skinny water, tailing and their noses down rooting for shrimp and crabs. It takes a very quiet approach, lest they be spooked and scatter. Dolphins have been after the reds as well, and once they show up, it’s best to move well away, as there’s no chance of getting a bite when the reds are running for their lives from the hungry mammals. His anglers have been using live sardines to score a few snook. Most have been smaller males between 24 and 27 inches, though a few larger fish are around. Look for them around the mangroves on high water. Live and frozen shrimp fished around rocks and bridge pilings will work now for sheepshead and mangrove snapper.
Tackle shop roundup
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727-954-6365): Billy says anglers have been doing well on a variety of species from the Skyway Bridge to above the Gandy Bridge. Sheepshead fishing is picking up as they settle into a fall pattern. They are on all types of structure, including bridge and dock pilings, rock jetties and submerged rock piles. There’s a good chance of finding them on artificial reefs, as well. Live shrimp or fiddler crabs are top baits for them. Anglers fishing for them are likely to pick up some mangrove snapper in the same places using the same bait. Redfish have been schooling at the top of the bay, with anglers doing well around the creeks above the Courtney Campbell Causeway, but also at Picnic and Weedon islands, as well as in Riviera Bay. Snook are hugging the mangroves, but with cooling water, look for many of them to be inching their way into backwaters and creeks. There still are a few big tarpon around, but they are giving way to juvenile resident tarpon that will stick around through winter. Look for school mackerel around the Skyway Bridge.
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Bill reports that anglers have been turning in some pretty good reports. Some have been scoring trout on the edges of shallow grass flats where they drop into deeper water. Live shrimp or jigs will get it done. Redfish have been a good bet at the top of the bay, with action around Rocky and Double Branch creeks and Cypress Beach. Snook are moving into deeper canals and backwaters in preparation for winter, but there still are fish on the outside points and mangroves. Sheepshead are showing up in better numbers as we approach winter. Mangrove snapper fishing isn’t what it was a month ago, but they are still around in fair numbers, and they’ll be on a lot of the same structure as the sheepshead, including the Gandy and Howard Frankland bridge pilings, residential docks and anywhere there are submerged rocks. A regular at the shop has been limiting on Spanish mackerel by trolling silver spoons on weighted lines or behind planers in deeper water along the Gandy and Howard Frankland bridges, as well as off the St. Pete Pier. He starts at sunrise and wraps up the day by 11 a.m.
