Guide bites
Capt. Cody Albright (727) 992-3918: Capt. Cody has been ducking out of the wind by working just inside the Anclote and Cotee rivers. He’s not had to work more than about a mile into either for catches of reds, snook and trout, along with some bonus small tarpon and a few flounder, which are out of season, so must be released. There is plenty of live bait on the flats early in the day and the sardines have been his go-to bait for everything. The reds have been around the oyster bars and flooded mangroves, where the snook also are hanging out. Deeper holes are where to get the trout. The little tarpons are feeding when the water is low and still outgoing. After that, they have been inactive. Mangroves in any backwater areas are a good place to work when the tide is up, with reds the main target.
Capt. Josh Fritz (352) 345-9304: Capt. Josh reports that the redfish have been the best thing going, with his anglers boating and releasing two dozen or more, often before noon some days. Live sardines or pinfish are good baits, with fish mostly around rocky outside points, oyster bars and at the mouths of creeks. He’s picking off the odd snook while working the schools of reds. Trout have been on patch grass and sand bottom in 3 feet of water, with live sardines or white, DOA soft-plastic flukes rigged on a 4/0 circle hook bait that are working well. Wind has been preventing offshore trips, but when conditions are right, he’s heading to rocky bottom and ledges around 30 feet deep for mangrove snapper and hogfish. Live shrimp is what they want.
Capt. Matt Cowden (727-534-6603): Capt. Matt has been working backwaters and rivers over the past week or so to get out of the winds, which make fishing difficult. The fish are active and feeding and a little protection from the blow is all his anglers need to effectively work them. Inshore slams of a trout, redfish and snook on the same charter are possible right now, so anglers might not want to wait for the winds to subside when the backwater fishing is so strong.
Tackle shop roundup
The Rusty Bucket (727) 645-6598: Capt. Bill says wind has forced him to work backwaters and canals on his charters. The good news is the fish are there and these pockets are best worked with live shrimp, simplifying things by simply loading up at the bait shop before your trip. The canals of Gulf Harbors are particularly productive, with a 1/0 hook and just enough weight to get to the bottom producing redfish and black drum, sheepshead and a few flounder. Snook and trout are passing by in the canals, as well, and will jump all over a live shrimp. Look for the action to spike following passing fronts, and when the winds lay down, anglers may want to work around Anclote Key for schooling Spanish mackerel.
Tarpon Trading Company (727-937-1488): Larry reports a few customers have been reporting that schools of Spanish mackerel have made a showing over the past week. Fish are being landed around the north end of Anclote Key, as well as nearly grass flats and hard bottom just offshore. The flats off the Anclote River also are seeing an increase in the number of blacktip sharks. This species will take artificial baits of all types and is known to leap when hooked, making them a lot of fun to catch. It also is a species of shark known as being good on the table. To avoid the winds, customers have been moving well into the Anclote River, with some doing well on reds to above the U.S. 19 bridge, where there also are some snook. A lot of the trout reports from the past week have been so-so, with many finding mostly undersized fish on the grass beds. There are plenty around on the grass at Fred Howard Park, though getting to the keeper-size fish is a lot of work. If weather permits this week, it may be time to start working the hard bottom and artificial reefs for kingfish. The rocky bottom in the 30-foot depths traditionally has been a good place to start, and Tarpon Reef may also be a good bet.