Inshore Fishing Report
Snook are piling into the passes, around the bridges, and staging along the beaches. They’re transitioned out of the bays at this point but there are still plenty holding in the outer bays and around deeper mangrove pockets. Trout are biting well along the deeper edges of the flats, especially around areas of moving water or structure. Redfish remain a steady presence — look for them around mangrove shorelines, oyster bars, and grassy potholes during those higher tides. This rain has pushed more redfish up into the bay and back bay waters.
Tarpon are thick around the mouth of the bay, bridges, and especially along the beaches in the early morning hours. If you’re targeting them, live threadfins, crabs, or large swimbaits are your best bets. Black drum are also being caught with regularity around the docks and bridges, and as always, sharks are active — from bonnetheads and blacktips in the back bay to some bigger bulls roaming the beaches.
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
Nearshore fishing is picking up nicely as we transition into more active moon phases. Lane snapper are biting well in the 60-90ft range, and we’re finding mangrove snapper in better numbers closer to the 100ft depths. Red grouper have been a little spotty, but we’re seeing decent action when targeting the deeper nearshore ledges and live bottom. There’s even been some exciting mahi-mahi activity closer in than usual — especially around weed lines or floating debris. Be ready with some flashy jigs or freelined live baits.
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 we’re seeing some excellent quality fish coming up — big dead baits like northern mackerel, bonita strips, or goggle eyes have been putting the larger fish in the box. Red grouper have been solid around 140-180ft, particularly when we focus on those potholes and smaller ledges with a mix of big dead and live baits.
Scamp grouper are another solid option offshore, and we’re finding them mixed in on the 39-hour and 44-hour trips in that same 160ft+ range. Mangrove snapper are fired up and responding well to the double-snell rig with cut threadfin or sardines, while the vermillion snapper are keeping rods bent steadily throughout the day. Yellowtail snapper are biting well in the deeper spots too — especially around dusk and dawn.
Porgies and other reef fish are adding some extra variety to the coolers, and our pelagic bite continues with some nice blackfin tuna, wahoo, and the occasional mahi-mahi making an appearance on the troll or pitch rods.
Don’t forget, that we have some great videos on our fishing tips and tricks page here to show you how to target and rig for almost any species-> https://www.hubbardsmarina.com/fishing-tips/
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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