Guide Bites
Capt. Chuck Rogers (813-918-8356): Capt. Chuck reports that he’s putting his anglers on some quality trout fishing shallow grass and sand bottom in the Gandy Bridge area along the Hillsborough side of the bay. His biggest fish this past week was 26 inches. Another boat in a tournament he fished won the division with a jumbo trout that measured 29 inches. Live sardines are producing, with the bigger fish in 3 feet of water or less. Word is some nice trout have been landed along the drop-offs from Tarpon Key. He’s picked off a few reds in the shallows around rocks and mangroves, but noted the fish are not schooling, so finding one or a pair is more common. Spanish mackerel are everywhere and they often cut lines while trout fishing. To target them, look for bait schools in open water, around range markers, reefs and bridges. There have been some big ones caught. Lots of sharks are in the bay, including some bigger bull sharks. Baitfish schools are on many shallow grass flats in the mornings and netting plenty has not been a problem. Flounder continue to take baits in areas around oyster bars where there is sand bottom.
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George says the snook have been active around mangroves and docks, with live sardines and lures taking some nice fish when the water is high and moving. He’s been fishing from above the Gandy Bridge to Pinellas Point along the Pinellas side of the bay, and while most of the fish have been smaller males, a few large females have been taking the live sardines. Snook are out of season, so must be released. Reds have been picked up along the way, with most tucked up close to mangroves, but occasionally they venture out onto open flats. He hasn’t been finding schools, so the pattern has been hooking a fish, moving on and trying to connect with another. Trout fishing has been pretty good in that part of the bay, with fish holding around drop-offs from flats in 3 to 4 feet of water into 5 feet or more. Live sardines and soft-plastic Sea Shad tails on jig heads have been taking them, but only the live bait has been working on the largest trout, which have been running up to 21 inches. Once baits are fished deeper than 5 feet of water, Spanish mackerel have been swarming them. They have been everywhere in deeper water, around range markers, channels, artificial reefs and around bridges. Spinner sharks have moved into the bay and fish of 4 to 5 feet have been hooked. One angler hooked a ladyfish, and it was immediately grabbed by the spinner. It apparently wasn’t hooked, and top half of the ladyfish was all that came in after a short fight.
Tackle shop roundup
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Bill says customers have been doing well on trout, including some oversized fish. Shallow, sandy-shell bottom with just a little grass has been where the big ones are, with the Gandy Bridge area productive over the past week. Spanish mackerel have invaded the bay, feeding on schools of bait in open water. Setting up and fishing the St. Pete artificial reef near the pier can be a winner and there’s always a chance there are some kings there. Bill recalls a boy who brought into the shop a 40-pound king he landed off the reef last summer. Redfish have been sticking to the mangroves, with catches reported from the Skyway Bridge area to above the Gandy Bridge. Tarpons are in the bay in good numbers, with anglers hooking them on the bridges at night. Pods of them have been around the closed security zone southeast of MacDill Air Force Base and reports of fish above the Courtney Campbell Causeway have come in. Lots of sharks are in the bay and some are scoring flounder. Some have landed cobia, with one charter captain reporting two keepers on a recent trip, though he noted that many more big ones were spotted that would not take a bait.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727-954-6365): Jacob reports big snook, along with bull reds, are in the Gulf passes and along the beaches. Smaller snook and reds are in the bay around docks, mangroves and bars. Pompano fishing has seen a spike, with anglers doing well in the passes and off sandy beaches, with the Tierra Verde area also producing. A number of flounder reports have been coming in among anglers fishing various places inside the bay, with the flats around Fort De Soto one place where some nice fish were landed. Spanish mackerel are everywhere. Schools are feeding on bait pods in deep water in the middle of the bay, around reefs and bridges. Some black drum schools have been reported, with catches made at the Bay to Bay Bridge and surrounding area.