Guide bites
Capt. Chuck Rogers (813) 918-8356: Capt. Chuck reports that he’s being picking up gag grouper trolling large diving plugs along shipping channels in the bay, though the going has been tough due to lots of dead grass in the water fouling the treble hooks of the plugs. He’s also reporting lots of undersized fish. If the water clears up, the trolling could be a lot more productive. Those looking to try, should keep moving between spots until cleaner water is found. Rains have introduced a lot of fresh water into the bay, changing the dynamics of fishing. Redfish that had been in creeks and rivers have pushed out and are around the creek and river mouths, with the rivers on the southeast side of the bay seeing fair numbers of reds in the area where they empty into the bay. The fresh water also has pushed the Spanish mackerel that had been all the way up to near the Gandy Bridge toward the mouth, with the best action on them now from the Skyway to Gulf. Pompano fishing has been pretty good on shell bars in the open bay. The bridges, including the Gandy, also are holding them. Doc’s Goofy Jigs bounced on the bottom is what they want. Mangrove snapper fishing is solid on the pilings of bridges and docks, with rock piles and reefs other places to find them now. The ratio of keepers to shorts is not bad. Live shrimp or small, live sardines are good baits. The sardine schools are on the shallow grass flats near the Gandy early in the day. Get them before the sun gets too high.
Capt. George Hastick (727) 525-1005: Capt. George says the snook fishing along the Pinellas side of the bay has been solid, with fish 20 to 30 inches taken on all of his recent trips. The fish are around the mangroves and docks on high water. If the tide is moving, they are feeding but some days require chumming with live sardines to get the bite started. Most have come off mangroves, with docks a secondary target. Redfish have been along the growth, as well, though that action is better above the Gandy Bridge, with fish spread out to the Howard Frankland Bridge and beyond. Though he hasn’t fished the southern part of the bay, sources report the redfish action there has been solid. Trout have not been a primary target, but for those looking for them, grass bottom with patch sand holes in 6 to 8 feet of water is where to look, though he’s connected with some 4 to 5 feet away from mangrove lines. Live shrimp, sardines or jigs with soft-plastic tails work. Mangrove snapper fishing has been very good, with lots of keepers when fishing rock piles in 8 to 10 feet of water or around deeper water on bridge pilings. Fish to 16 inches have been taking small, live sardines on his trips. Docks are holding fish, as well, though there are far more undersized fish to contend with. Tarpon were spotted on a couple of trips, with fair numbers of them near the Gandy Bridge. Most of the anglers who fish for them go at night and hold live baits along the light lines.
Tackle shop roundup
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813) 839-5551: Zack reports customers are finding some decent trout action fishing in the Gandy Bridge area in 6 to 8 feet of water. Live shrimp under a popping cork, live sardines or jigs and plugs take them. Fair numbers of slot-sized fish are around. Redfish have been feeding well, with the shallows around Weedon Island, as well as up to the Fourth Street flats producing some nice catches. With gag grouper season open, many have been bottom fishing along the edges of shipping channels, as well as trolling plugs. Intersections of channels have been areas producing best, with the channels near the Skyway Bridge beating out spots well into the bay. Snook are showing up in bigger numbers inside the bay now that the summer spawn is pretty much over. Fish are on the outside mangroves, rocks, bars and points, and don’t appear to be moving up into the rivers or creeks just yet, something they will do as we approach fall later this month. Mangrove snapper fishing is a good bet right now. Small, live sardines or live shrimp fished around dock and bridge pilings, along with deeper rocks and artificial reefs are places to find them. Though they are not the most desirable of species, lots of jacks have been around. When found, they are running in schools and will take about any kind of bait or lure thrown at them. Tarpons are still in the bay, with the Gandy Bridge one place where anglers have been fishing them at night.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727) 954-6365: Jacob Jr. says customers have been scoring some nice catches of mangrove snapper fishing bridge pilings and other structure with live shrimp. Many have focused on gag grouper now that the season is open (until the end of the month). Fair numbers of keeper-sized fish are being reported by anglers working the rock edges of bay shipping channels, both bottom fishing with live and frozen bait, as well as trolling plugs. Trout are around, though the action over the past week has been a bit off. It’s the same with reds, though we are on the cusp of the bite taking off as fall closes in. Tarpon have pushed into the bay in good numbers, and anglers fishing them at night under the bridges from The Skyway to the Howard Frankland have been hooking up. There also have been pods of fish rolling over the St. Petersburg reef during the day. They typically are viable catches into October, so those who have not hooked a silver king this season still have some time to score.