Guide bites
Capt. George Hastick (727) 525-1005: Capt. George continues to put his anglers on snook working mangroves during periods of well-moving tides. Fish have been around the mangroves along the Pinellas side of the bay, and they are responding well to live chum, coming out the growth into open water. Fish have been running from about 22 to 33 inches. He’s been moving along mangroves picking them off every so often, along with redfish, which have been mingling with schools of mullet running the mangrove lines. Reds have been ranging from just undersized to about 24 inches. Trout fishing on the grass flats where there are bare sand holes has been good, with fish spread out from around Fort De Soto up to near the Gandy Bridge. There is a lot of fry bait in the bay, and looking for birds feeding on it or trout crashing bait on the surface gives away the best trout spots to try. Mangrove snapper fishing is good, with fish on submerged rocks but also on the open flats and around mangroves. They have been running to 14 inches, with a few larger, taking baits meant for snook at times. The mackerel schools have been feeding on bait in deeper, open water parts of the bay off St. Petersburg and north. Long casts with gold spoons have been taking fish 18 to 25 inches. Range markers have been another place he’s finding them, as the bait school congregate around the structures. Lots of ladyfish and schools of jacks have been attacking the schools of small bait in the bay. The tarpons are around and have been rolling in many places between the Gandy Bridge south near Fort De Soto. One of his anglers laid a live pinfish in front of one and the bait was snatched up quickly. It turned out to be a stingray of about 60 pounds that beat the silver king to the offering.
Tackle shop roundup
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813) 839-5551: Bill reports that customers continue to do well on mangrove snapper. The bridge pilings of the Gandy, submerged rocks and bay reefs have been producing when using live shrimp. The average size has been good, with fewer undersized fish taking baits. Trout are on the grass flat above and below the Gandy in 4 to 6 feet of water. Shrimp under a popping cork or jigs with soft-plastic tails have been the best baits. There is a lot of bait on the flats, but many are complaining that it is small and a gilling in their nets. Gag grouper action has been good, with fish being taken in the bay by boats trolling around artificial reefs and along channel edges. The offshore gag bite has been solid, as well. There are mackerel schooling from the Skyway up to near the Gandy Bridge. Anglers are finding some reds along mangroves at Weedon Island, and on the backside of Picnic Island. There have been a few nice catches above the Courtney Campbell Causeway, as well. There hasn’t been much talk about snook at the shop, though by now a lot of the fish that were on the beaches and in passes along the Gulf will have moved into the bay, around outside points and mangroves, as well as in channels and creeks. The tarpons remain in good numbers inside the bay, with anglers hooking up under bridges at night. They should be around until the first cold weather arrives.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727) 954-6365: Jacob says the Spanish mackerel are in the bay and feeding on schools of fry bait in deeper, open water. Jacks and ladyfish have been abundant, also feeding on the small baitfish. Redfish have been a good bet for anglers pounding the mangroves from Fort De Soto to as far up as the Howard Frankland Bridge. They are not packing up in schools just yet, so putting in the time hunting for singles and doubles will be the drill until we get into October, and they bunch up. Snook are in a lot of canals and around mangroves. The way fish seem to be moving into the bay, Jacob is predicting a cold winter. Trout fishing on the grass flats in up to 8 feet of water has been OK, with some doing well around Fort De Soto and others connecting around lighted docks and in the bridge lights at night, where some silver trout are starting to show up in catches. Gag grouper fishing has been good offshore in 60 to 100 feet of water. Some have had luck trolling the shipping channel edges in the bay, but strong currents of late have been making it challenging. Mangrove snapper fishing in the bay and offshore is pretty good, with signs fish are moving to deeper water. Starting on rocks in 35 feet of water in the Gulf, with moving to 55 feet sometimes better. The Skyway Bridge pilings have been a good place to take keeper-sized snapper in the bay.