Inshore Fishing Report
The Sheepshead are thriving! They’re swarming around docks, piers, bridges, jetties, and rock piles. The hotspots? Definitely around the pass, where they’re eagerly biting on fiddler crabs and small shrimp pieces. Pro tip: Use a scraper to clean up pilings, then drop your bait with minimal weight alongside a piling to target these fish.Â
Mangrove Snapper numbers might be down, but the ones we’re catching in deeper inshore areas are impressive. Look for them around larger docks, bridges, and rock piles in the bay. I have heard around the skyway has still been producing quite a bit of mangrove snapper!Â
Flounder are active, especially around edges, potholes, and structures. Remember, they’re in sandy areas, lying in wait to ambush prey. If you work those sandy bottoms with a slower moving presentation, or jighead there is a good chance they will pop up out of the sand and attack it! However, they’re off-limits until December 1st due to spawning protections, so be sure to get them back in the water quickly so you can come back and catch them in a week!Â
Redfish action is still hot! It seems to be the epitome of the peak season for those redfish right now! We are seeing them caught almost everywhere inshore , so it’s a great time to find them! A good option to find the largest redfish is to keep an eye out for schools of mullet, the redfish will be chasing behind them! Or on the flats during low to mid tide. If you have access to a tower boat, that can give you an edge for sight fishing.Â
Trout are biting well on the flats, around islands, and near bridges. Because we are still on that waxing moon phase, the low light conditions mean the trout are still stacked up on dock lights at night! Try working some bait in those lights at night for a good opportunity at some trout!Â
Snook have definitely died down in terms of the bite out in the pass and definitely on the beach, however that makes them a bit easier to target now! They are going to be stacked back up in the back bays, near the creeks and shallower estuaries flowing into the larger bodys of water. Canal channels are also a great spot to look for snook this time of year! Additionally, any shallower water that is holding a muddy bottom will be a great spot to target the snook! That muddy bottom soaks up the heat from the sun during the day making that water just a bit warmer and the snook love to stack up on that warmer bottom and water. Â
Triple Tail are active inshore, around buoys, markers, and floating debris. Keep an eye out for these tasty fish as you cruise from one spot to another looking for some of the other inshore species. With triple tail, many times you can see them hanging out on the pillars of markers, or docks.Â
Mackerel are abundant, especially around deeper bridges, piers, and areas with fast-moving water and bait. They’re attracted to fast-moving, flashy lures and are feeding aggressively.Â
Nearshore Fishing Report
Mackerel are plentiful near shore. We’re catching loads on our 5-hour half-day, 39-hour, and 44-hour trips, often while trolling. Remember, during our 10-hour we are typically moving too fast to troll effectively, and our 12-hr extreme is moving much too fast to troll! If you’re looking to go out and catch mackeral just head a few miles offshore and start trolling up and down the beaches. They are very thick out there and you have a good chance at catching them!Â
Hogfish action is fantastic on our 10-hour all-day trips and private charters. Now’s your chance to catch these unique and delicious fish. They’re biting best on 30lb leader with 3-4ot hooks, rigged knocker rig style. Our Roggie’s rigs banana jigs are also effective. We have 10-hour trips heading offshore this weekend on sunday and then again on Tuesday! I would highly recommend checking out either of those trips as the weather should be good, and the fishing will be hot!Â
Lane Snapper are thriving, and thankfully, no closure is in sight. They’re biting on shrimp, squid, sardines, and more. We have seen plentiful lane snapper on the 10-hour and even 5-hour and has been a real good time reeling them up!Â
Mangrove Snapper are steady near shore. While they’re not huge, they’re impressive for near shore waters. Try targeting them with shrimp or double snell rigs and cut threadfin chunks. Remember the mangrove snapper are very fast chewing fish! You have to be ready for that bite!Â
Offshore Fishing report
Mangrove Snapper are a big hit offshore, with recent 39-hour trips bringing in huge hauls, including some mangroves weight 7-9lb. They love cut threadfins and the double snell rigs gives you an extra hook in the bait to hook into those fish! Mangrove snapper, especially offshore in the deepest waters are extremely smart fish, and often leadershy! You have to be ready when they hit the bait! They will hit that bait very fast and if you are not ready you may miss out on a big one!Â
Mutton Snapper are becoming more regular, especially on our 12-hour extreme and 39-hour trips. They’re biting on cut threadfins and live pinfish. We have seen some very large sized mutton snapper coming up on our 39-hour trips recently and its been quite a nice surprise catching them!Â
Triggerfish are open and biting well on smaller strips of squid or cut fish. They’re often caught while targeting smaller snappers like Yellowtails or Vermillion.Â
Scamp and Strawberry Grouper are also being caught, mostly while targeting Mangrove Snapper.Â
Vermillion Snapper, Porgies, Almaco Jacks, and other fish are rounding out our big catches, ensuring a great haul despite many reef fish being closed.Â
Ready for an unforgettable fishing adventure? Book your trip with Hubbard’s Marina today and experience the thrill of near shore and offshore fishing at its best!
