Hubbard’s Marina Fishing Report 6-6-26

The inshore fishing around John’s Pass, Madeira Beach, Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach, Boca Ciega Bay, and the greater Tampa Bay area has been full of life lately as we settle into that warm early summer pattern. Water temperatures are climbing into the mid-80s, bait is thick around the passes, bridges, grass flats, mangrove shorelines, docks, and spoil islands, and the fish are responding well during the right windows of moving water. The biggest key right now is timing.  

Snook have really pushed into their summertime haunts around the passes, beaches, bridge fenders, seawalls, docks, mangrove points, and sandy potholes near moving water. Around John’s Pass, look for snook staged along the beach troughs early in the morning, tucked around bridge structure during the day, and feeding hard around dock lights at night. Live scaled sardines, threadfins, shrimp, and pinfish are great options, but a well-placed paddle tail, flair hawk jig, soft plastic jerk bait, or topwater plug can also get crushed when the fish are actively feeding. For best results, work your bait naturally with the current instead of fighting against it. Snook are ambush feeders, so getting your bait swept past a piling, seawall corner, mangrove point, or shadow line can make all the difference. 

Redfish have been a little more scattered, but we are still seeing them around mangrove shorelines, oyster bars, residential docks, grass flat edges, and sandy potholes throughout Boca Ciega Bay and the surrounding backwaters. The best redfish bite has been during moving water, especially when the tide is high enough to push fish up into the mangroves or around oyster-laden shorelines. Cut pinfish, cut mullet, live shrimp, pilchards, and small crabs are all great choices. Artificial anglers can do well with gold spoons, weedless soft plastics, and small paddle tails worked slowly around potholes and shoreline edges. If you find mullet schools pushing along a mangrove edge or flat, slow down and work that area thoroughly because redfish are often mixed in with them, feeding on shrimp, crabs, and small baitfish stirred up by the school. 

Trout fishing has been best on the deeper grass flats, potholes, and drop-offs, especially where clean water and bait are present. Around the Madeira Beach, Treasure Island, and St. Pete Beach area, look for trout over healthy grass in four to ten foot of water early in the day, then slightly deeper as the sun gets higher and water temperatures climb. Live shrimp under a popping cork is always a reliable option, especially when you are drifting larger flats and trying to locate fish. Soft plastic paddle tails, jerk baits, and suspending twitch baits are also great choices. The trick with trout is covering water until you find the fish. Once you catch one, keep working that same depth, pothole edge, or grass line because there are usually more fish nearby. 

Mangrove snapper are really starting to fire up inshore as the water warms. We are seeing them around docks, bridges, seawalls, rock piles, jetties, oyster bars, and deeper cuts inside the pass. John’s Pass is a great area to target mangrove snapper because of the strong current, structure, and abundance of small bait. The key is lighter tackle and a natural presentation. Use small live shrimp, tiny pilchards, greenbacks, or small pieces of cut bait on a lighter fluorocarbon leader with just enough weight to get the bait down. Mangrove snapper are smart and leader shy, especially in clear water, so downsizing to lighter leader can make a big difference. Chumming with small pieces of cut bait or crushed shrimp can help get them fired up, but do not overfeed them. Keep your bait small, fresh, and right in the strike zone close to structure. 

Flounder have been showing up around sandy potholes, bridge edges, dock lines, pass edges, and areas where sand meets grass or rock. These fish love to lay flat on the bottom and ambush bait as it moves by, so slow and low is the name of the game. Small live shrimp, mud minnows, finger mullet, and small pilchards worked near bottom are great options. A jig head with a soft plastic bounced slowly along the bottom can also be very productive.  

Pompano have been around the passes, sandy channels, bridge areas, beach troughs, and clean-water cuts where current is moving over sandy bottom. Around John’s Pass, they can be caught bouncing small pompano jigs, goofy jigs, or small pieces of shrimp near the bottom. These fish are often moving quickly, so covering water is important. Look for clean water, sandy bottom, small crabs, coquina, and current seams. A bright little jig bounced along the bottom with short, sharp hops is a great way to trigger a bite. If you catch one pompano, keep working that same lane because they often travel in small groups. 

Tarpon are becoming a bigger part of the inshore and beach fishing conversation as we move deeper into the warmer season. We are seeing more fish along the beaches, around the passes, deeper channels, bridge areas, and larger bait schools. Early morning and evening are best, especially when the water is calmer and you can see fish rolling. Live crabs, threadfins, large scaled sardines, pinfish, and pass crabs are all great tarpon baits. Around bridge and pass areas, fish the tide changes and watch for rolling fish, nervous bait, or birds working. Tarpon can be very tide dependent, so patience is important. Have your drag set properly, use strong tackle, and make sure you are ready before that bite happens because these fish are powerful and unforgiving. 

Shark fishing has also been very active with the warmer water and abundance of bait around the beaches, passes, flats, and nearshore edges. Blacktips, bonnetheads, spinner sharks, nurse sharks, and other coastal sharks are all possible around our area this time of year. Cut ladyfish, mullet, mackerel, jack crevalle, and bonita are great shark baits. Around the flats and mangrove edges, bonnetheads will also eat shrimp, crabs, and smaller natural baits. For larger sharks, focus on deeper cuts, pass edges, beach troughs, and areas where bait schools are concentrated.  

Overall, the inshore bite around John’s Pass and the central west Florida Gulf beaches has been very productive when you match your plan to the conditions. Fish early or late, focus on moving water, pay close attention to bait, and adjust your tactics as the sun gets higher and the water warms. The stronger tide windows around the moon phase should help keep fish feeding, especially around the passes, bridges, mangrove points, grass flat edges, and deeper cuts. Whether you are targeting snook on the beach, redfish along the mangroves, trout over the grass, mangrove snapper around structure, flounder near sandy potholes, pompano in the pass, tarpon along the beaches, or sharks around bait schools, there are plenty of great inshore fishing opportunities right now around Madeira Beach, John’s Pass, Tampa Bay, and the surrounding Pinellas County waters.