Guide bites
Capt. Josh Fritz (352) 345-9304: Capt. Josh has been on the redfish. Rains have pushed the fish out of the back and around the outside rocky points, bars and island shorelines. Over the past week more small fish have been landed, but his anglers have been hooking some in the upper-slot size range. Live sardines and pinfish have been his baits of choice, though cut bait will work for those who have the patience to let its scent draw the reds in. He’s managed a few nice trout in some of the same spots, as well as just off the rocks along the grass bottom. Far more trout are off on the deep grass, and his anglers bagged several nice ones on one trip to 13 feet of water. Fish bait or jigs close to the bottom. Snook have been on the hard bottom points, along with the reds. The fish are turning up near the top of the incoming tide and the first part of the outgoing tide. Offshore, a trip to rocky bottom in 30 feet of water produced several nice mangrove snapper and a few hogfish using live shrimp. If hogs are the goal, the action and average size is much better in 50 feet of water and deeper. Capt. Josh has made a couple of scallop trips, finding very good numbers on grass flats just north of Bayport. Unlike the past two or three seasons, the hunting is much better this year, and limits are being taken fairly quickly.
Capt. Cody Albright (727) 992-3918: Capt. Cody reports that he’s been doing very well on redfish working creek and river mouths, where recent rains have been pushing fish out to the Gulf. He’s finding them schooling and taking fresh cut bait better than anything else. Snook have been around the mouths, as well, taking live sardines. Sardines are schooling in good numbers on the Pasco grass flats early in the day, and more of the baits are running large. Earlier in the season, most were small fry — too little to interest snook. While Capt. Cody has not been targeting trout, he’s picked up a few here and there, including fishing inside Salt Springs, just north of the Cotee River. Deeper pockets are where they are holding, with live sardines working well on them. Scalloping has been stellar. Capt. Cody has been working just out of the Anclote River and a little north in 2 to 5 feet of water. Visibility has been limited except on the outgoing tides, so he recommends hunting when the water is moving out. Four-person limits have been taking just 45 minutes to an hour.
Tackle shop roundup
The Rusty Bucket (727) 645-6598: Capt. Bill says dodging winds and storms has been the trick as far as scalloping goes, but the hunting in Pasco waters has been good. Redfish are on the flats, with cut pinfish working very well on them, a pattern Capt. Bill expects to hold for the next eight weeks. Anglers should not be surprised if a snook picks up a cut bait while fishing for reds. Targeting snook has been a little hit-or-miss, however, with most of the fish being hooked in creeks. If he finds them scarce or unwilling to take a bait, the redfish bite has been there to take up the slack. Offshore, Capt. Dustin of FishNcrazy Charters reports that he’s been tearing up the red snapper, red grouper and big mangrove snapper. Frozen sardines and squid have been working for the red snapper and grouper, while shrimp has been the ticket for the mangrove snapper.
Tarpon Trading Company (727) 937-1488): Larry said rainy days have cut into the number of customers going out, but there have been a few reports of some redfish around the Anclote area, including on the back side of Anclote Key. The mangroves and spoils around the mouth of the Anclote River may be a good place to sample, as well. For trout, the grass flats off the river and off the causeway and the beach at Fred Howard Park may be a good bet right now. A quarter-ounce jig head with a soft-plastic paddle-tail is a good way to cover a lot of water quickly while drifting. Expect a lot of undersize fish, but sticking with it will turn up some keepers. Live shrimp under a float also works, though strikes will be less frequent. The live shrimp have been coming into the shop very small, and Larry recommends being at the shop first thing in the morning to get the larger ones before they sell out. Offshore the weather has been a spoiler, with lots of offshore customers sitting it out. The shop didn’t have to reorder frozen bait over the past week, a sign of how few people have been going offshore.