Inshore Fishing Report
Focus your efforts where fish can escape the heat—moving water, shaded pockets, deeper holes, and structure. Snook are fired up around the beaches, passes, and bridges. While plenty remain up in the bay, we’re finding more cooperative fish out near the mouths and passes. Redfish are biting well, especially on the incoming tide, though the bigger tides have them moving around a lot. Trout have been holding up nicely on deeper flats and along the edges of beaches, and they’re consistently finding relief in moving water.
Mangrove snapper are aggressive around structures like jetties, docks, and bridge pilings. Tarpon are thick around the bay area bridges and the beaches right now—excellent conditions for targeting these silver kings. Mackerel are still in play around deeper bridges and passes with good current, especially where baitfish are present.
Fishing Tips
- Snook: Use live baits like greenbacks, threadfins, and shrimp, or try flair hawks and soft plastics at night.
- Redfish: Look for them around mangroves, oyster bars, and flats, and use dead baits during higher tides.
- Trout: Target them with soft plastics, white bait, and shrimp around deeper flats and potholes.
- Tarpon: Target them during the full moon with crab flushes, making it an ideal time to target them.
- Flounder: Find them near sandy bottoms and structures, biting on bottom baits.
- Pompano: Be prepared to move frequently to stay on their bite.
- Sharks: Use big dead baits in areas with moving water.
Help spread the word about what to do if you hook or entangle a bird. Never cut the line; instead, reel in the bird carefully to dehook and release it. If you accidentally hook a dock, break the line at the hook to avoid leaving any line in the water. Seabirds with fishing lines hanging from them are becoming more common, and this could lead to the closure of fishing areas.
Rising concerns about bird entanglements might result in closing fishing spots, impacting the few available locations around Tampa Bay from shorelines, docks, bridges, or piers. Learn more in our recent podcast with Salt Strong: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/shutting-down-fishing-at-busy-pier/.
NEarshore Fishing Report
Lane snapper fishing has been solid in the deeper near shore waters, especially from 60-70 feet and beyond. Mangrove snapper are a bit spotty, but we’re seeing good results when working deeper structures. Red grouper are also spotty but a few are coming up on our 10-hour all-day trips. While you’ll have to weed through the shorts, there are some solid keepers mixed in.
One surprise has been the mahi-mahi making appearances on both our 5- and 10-hour trips. They’re responding well to flashy, fast-moving baits when they swim up to the boat. Hogfish have slowed down due to water temps, but we’re still managing to find one or two on lighter tackle and shrimp rigs on occasion.
Fishing Tips
- Red Grouper: Target the deepest near shore waters with big dead baits or solid live baits. Use 60 lb test and 7/0 hooks for best results.
- Red Snapper: Use big dead baits like whole squid and bonita strips with heavy tackle to focus on larger fish. Prime trips include the 12-hour extreme, 39-hour, and 44-hour trips.
- Scamp Grouper: Use small to medium pinfish and cut threadfin, especially while targeting mangrove snapper.
- Mangrove Snapper: Near shore, use live shrimp and small chunks of threadfin on 30-40 lb test with 3-4/0 hooks. Offshore, use bigger chunks of cut threadfin or medium pinfish on 40-60 lb test with 5-7/0 hooks.
- Vermillion Snapper: Start around 100 feet of water using cut squid or threadfin. These fish are aggressive and not leader-shy.
- Yellowtail Snapper: Use shrimp, cut squid, and threadfin.
- Pelagic Species: Keep flat lines and pitch rods ready for sailfish, kingfish, wahoo, tuna, and mahi mahi.
Offshore Fishing Report
Red snapper season is in full swing and runs through September 15th. We’re seeing big snapper on the 12-hour, 39-hour, and 44-hour trips—especially when using large dead baits like goggle eyes, bonita strips, northern mackerel, or larger live baits. Red grouper are biting well offshore too, and we’re bringing in strong numbers with similar bait rigs.
Scamp grouper are making more frequent appearances, especially on the longer 39-hour trips, where we’re catching a dozen or more. Mangrove snapper action remains strong using double snell rigs with cut threadfin, especially at night and in deeper waters. Yellowtail are consistent at sundown and overnight, and we’ve even caught some during daylight hours.
We’re also seeing a few mutton snapper and an increase in pelagic activity—blackfin tuna, wahoo, and the occasional kingfish are making for some exciting surprises on our deeper trips offshore.
Remember that when fishing in deeper nearshore and offshore federal waters, the Descend Act requires you to have a descending device or venting tool “rigged and ready.” If you know how to use a venting tool, keep it prepared. If not, here’s some helpful advice: https://bit.ly/3L5HTnv. Using a descending device is straightforward and doesn’t require as much precision or practice as venting. Return em’ Right has a training course only takes about 10-15 minutes, and you can learn valuable techniques to protect our offshore fishery. Spread the word by visiting: https://returnemright.org/.
TERMS OF REFERENCE-
Inshore: This covers the areas from the inner bays, through the bridges, and right up to the beaches.
Near Shore: This includes the coastal waters from the beaches up to twenty miles offshore, or up to a depth of 100 feet.
Offshore: This extends from twenty miles offshore or from a depth of 100 feet and beyond.
For more fishing reports, photos, videos, and other content, check out Hubbard’s Marina on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, or Snapchat by searching for @HubbardsMarina. Remember our family motto: “If you’re too busy to go fishing, you’re just too busy!” Thank you for reading our report.
Capt. Dylan Hubbard, Hubbard’s Marina
Phone or text: (727) 393-1947
Website: Hubbard’s Marina
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