1st Tarpon trip of the year was a success. It is going to get better everyday so book your trip now. Calendar is filling up. You don’t want to miss catching a fish of a lifetime.

Went out Tuesday on my charter and we caught a lot of nice kingfish. They weren’t the smoker kings but they were still fun to catch.

If you like to fish or just enjoy being on the water, then now is the time. Whether you like to fish inshore or offshore, I can not recall a better start to a fishing season than the one we are having. Name the species you would like to target and more than likely it is being caught.

The snook bite is still going off in north and south Tampa Bay but you may not catch the numbers you were catching a month ago. That is ok, because the redfish bite is coming into full swing. Big schools have shown up in Ft. Desoto and it is no secret. Most of these fish are your big bull reds with a few slot fish being caught. A greenback under a cork should do the job. Heavy chumming will get these fish to stick around. Just remember to be considerate of other boaters who may also be fishing. These are big schools so there are plenty to go around.

Monster trout are also being caught in the Ft. Desoto area. These are some of the biggest trout I have seen in years. Some are weighing up to 6lbs. A greenback freelined with a slow retrieve has been the key to catching them.

Offshore you have your pick. With grouper season now back open excluding gags, the options are endless. Kingfish have been here for a month. Spanish mackerel, bonita, and amberjack are eating the bottom out of the boat. There are even reports of sailfish and blackfin tuna being caught inside 20 miles. This is all due to the influx of bait into our waters.

We could not ask for a better ending to March. The weather continues to cooperate and the fishing is amazing. I can’t wait to see what April has in store for us. The bite has been okay during the morning hours but the best bite has seemed to happen late afternoon into early evening. This may be a result of added pressure a lot of these fish are seeing.

Snook are eating the best on the bottom of the incoming or the top of the outgoing tides. Try looking for them further out on the grass flats. You will want to free line a greenback on a size 1 hook with 20 or 30lb fluorocarbon leader for the best results. If the bite slows down I have found that chumming aggressively helps.  

The Redfish continue to show up in bigger numbers daily. Look along mangrove shorelines or the top of bars when the tide is high. You will want to look in potholes and the edges of bars and flats when the tide is low. Mullet schools continue to be the key when searching for the redfish. Greenbacks, shrimp, and cut bait have all produced good numbers. If using shrimp or cut bait, make sure to use a small split shot and try to keep your bait in the potholes.

So the theme continues. Trout are also holding up on the grass flats. Free lining a greenback or putting one under a cork will catch fish. We continue to see big gator trout being caught throughout Tampa Bay. Fish up to 27 in. seem to be a daily occurrence.

The couple of cold fronts we had in February helped to keep the water

at a perfect temperature. They were just what we needed to keep things in

balance. The influxes of bait schools are making their way onto the flats

and can always be found at the bridges and on most of the markers

in Tampa Bay.

Snook

March is usually the turning point where the fish make

their way out of the winter holes but this has happened early this year. Snook are everywhere right now and if you are lucky enough to have greenbacks, they are easy to catch. Once the schools of greenbacks become

big enough on the flats and mangrove line, the snook will stay

 in these locations.

Redfish

While we can catch redfish year round, they tend to perk up as

the water gets warmer. Like the snook, they will also become

more active as the influx of bait schools start to show up. Work

the flats on low tide looking for tailing redfish that are foraging

through the grass looking for a meal. As the tide rises, you will

want to work the oyster beds. Early in the morning, I will work

a topwater lure to locate the fish. Once I find them, I will switch

to a soft plastic Shrimp on a 1/8 oz jig head.

This tactic will almost always initiate a strike.

Trout

Trout fishing might just hit its peak this month. The bigger

size, usually females, are in spawn and will eat anything in sight.

With the warmer weather the trout will really start to chew on

the incoming bait. Look for areas that have glass minnows and white bait and work the edges of the flats.

What’s early: It looks like spring is starting a little early this year. All of our inshore species are moving to areas they usually don’t show up in until March. The afternoon incoming tide is providing the best bite right now. A lot of bait has returned because the water temperature never dropped below 60 degrees. You will have to hunt a little harder for it. Look around the Skyway and channel markers. The bait will be deep, so you might have to mark it with a depth finder then chum it up. You also might want to use a heavier cast net to make sure it sinks fast enough.

What’s hot: The trout bite in St. Joseph Sound is starting to heat up. The best bite has been at the end of the outgoing or incoming tides. A lot of these fish are in 4-6 feet of water on the sand/shell bottom. You also can catch them around the spoil islands. Bluefish and mackerel have moved back to the bay following the bait. While fishing the flats off Apollo Beach, I have come across nice pompano. The smaller blacktips are all over the place near TECO and provide great action on light tackle. The redfish bite is productive right now. I am finding them piled up in the deep holes on low tide. Double Branch is hot as is the popular Weedon Island.

Trout will be the fish to target the most this month. They are plentiful this

time of year and are great to eat. Trout are a fun fighting fish and are pretty

easy to catch. Use either a live shrimp or artificial bait under a popping

cork. If you are going to use artificial try using a 1/8 jig head with a

plastic shad or shrimp. Purple and pink colors seem to work the best this time of year. The best results have been on an outgoing tide. If the water drops look for the trout to move into shallower water to keep warm. Target the sand holes since this will hold heat. If you are having trouble finding a trout bite I would setup a drift over the grass flats until you locate them and then anchor down.

With the low tides and clear water, you will want to sight cast tailing redfish.

Redfish are very spooky this time of year so try and stay as far away as possible. If using shrimp then bite the tail off and it will put a nice scent in the water. If you can’t seem to find the redfish on the flats I would move to the docks and deep mangrove lines. Toss a shrimp on a 1/0 hook and a small split shot up under the docks or mangrove line. Most of the reds are on the smaller size but every once in a while you will pull out a slot size fish.

The weather seems to keep working in our favor this month. While a few cold fronts have pushed our way, the hard cold stuff has stayed away. With this in mind, all I can say is get out and fish! Bait is still all over the flats and is the perfect size. The water temperature is hovering between 69 to 71 degrees and the fish seem to be stocking up for winter.

Snook have moved into the deeper holes around the mangrove line and deep water canals. The Snook bite seems to be going off a little later in the morning, once the sun gets higher in the sky. If you are going to be chumming with bait only throw a few pieces at a time. This will be all it takes to get them fired up. You will still want to down size your tackle as the water is clearer this time of year. I have found that 10 – 15 lb braid and no more then 20 lb fluorocarbon with a # 1 hook has been producing the most hookups.

The Reds are on the flats in schools of 20 to 30 fish. Work the large, deeper edges of the East Bay flats on low tide and follow them in as the tide gets higher. The bait of choice has been cut ladyfish or pinfish. This allows the fish to come to you without spooking them. Once you catch one or two, throw out a bat full of cut bait and it will keep them around.

If you are looking for a consistent bite then I would target trout. Your best opportunity will be to find a deep hole on low water and get as shallow as possible, fishing out to the deep hole. As the tide starts to come in, you’ll get a bite on almost every cast. This makes for great fun, especially with kids.

November fishing should bring a phenomenal bite. The water

is cooling off nicely and the fish are becoming more aggressive.

It is getting into the time of the year where the low fronts start

to make their way out of the north. Of course when this happens

the winds start to blow a little stronger. I will always have an

alternate plan to find some fishing spots that I can take cover

from the wind, although a little wind can make for a good and

comfortable fishing day. When there is a ripple on the water it

enables you to sneak up on fish without spooking them.

The Redfish are here and in nice size numbers. I am catching

anywhere from 15 to 30 fish a day. The big bull reds are also

starting to show up. These fish seem to be eating everything

I throw at them. I have been catching them on scaled sardines,

cut up ladyfish, and pinfish. They have also been hitting artificial

bait. The topdog junior has worked well in the early morning and

Berkley Gulp sinking minnow in camo color has been deadly.

There is nothing more exciting than to be able to site cast to a fish

and have him explode on your bait. Most of these fish are being

caught on the outside flats of shorelines.

The snook fishing has stuck right in there with the Red fish. While the

numbers and the size of the fish caught haven’t been as strong as the Redfish, I expect that to change this month. The big snook are starting

to show back up and getting them to chew this month should be pretty

easy. Make sure to stick with your lighter gear and use your angling

skills to bring the big linesiders to the boat. You may have a few break

offs but this will increase your bite as the water starts to get clearer.

November is also a great month to target inshore Grouper. I am usually

able to limit out this time of year. You can troll the shipping channel inside

of Tampa Bay for these fish. There are few different ways to approach

trolling for Grouper. You can troll the Mann stretch 20 – 25 by itself. You

can also troll lures or jigs with a soft plastic behind a number 2 planer or

using a downrigger. Using any of these scenarios should produce some

nice catches.

If you are a Tarpon fan then you would be happy to know they are still

around. Most of these fish are in 10 – 30 lb range. It is fun to target these

smaller fish since you are able to use the same gear as you would for

Redfish and Snook. You will find most of these fish up in the rivers

that flow into Tampa Bay.

As October approaches we can start to see some relief in sight

from the extreme heat we have been having. Those afternoon

showers, while they may be annoying to us boaters, is actually

helping to cool off the water. You will still want to get out early

or fish at night if possible. While Snook season will be closed

until next year, fishing at night is producing some prize catches. But when I think of past Octobers, all I can think of is the schooling redfish.

The redfish bite will be strong and aggressive this month. I will

target them around oyster bars and mangrove lines. You may

want to target them around Mullet Key. The front and back

side of Tarpon Key also will be holding some nice fish. Not

only will you catch redfish here, but snook will be held up in the

same area. If fishing with live bait, I would use scaled sardines or

pinfish. If that is not producing for you, try using cut bait. I would

use a couple of different techniques to see what triggers a bite. You may

want to have a bait free lined and have another out under a cork.

Another hot spot to find snook and redfish is Cockroach Bay. At times

the fishing here can be unparalleled to any other in Tampa Bay. With miles

and miles of mangrove lines and oyster beds you should have no problem

finding fish. The secret here is you will have to chum a lot to get them

going. Cockroach Bay is well known to many anglers but if you get there

on the right tide you will be sure to catch your share. There is something to

be said about fishing in such a pristine environment.

I have been catching some nice speckled trout in deeper water. While

fishing for pompano and snapper, I am catching trout in the 21” to 30”

range. Fishing the bridges and channel markers in 15 – 18 foot of water.

I have been using scalded sardines, shrimp, and Doc’s jigs which seem to

catch everything.

Mangrove snapper, Lane snapper, and Grouper continue to produce

nice numbers around the artificial reefs like Bahia. You can get a list of all the artificial reefs around West Central Florida from the FWC website. Use medium size shrimp or smaller white bait. When the bite levels off, switch between

the shrimp and the white bait. The whole south side of Tampa Bay is covered with nice bottom. Be sure to bay attention to your depth

finder because you never know when you may come across your next

secret fishing hole.