Inshore Fishing Report
Due to the strong front this weekend, Sheepshead should be the target right now because you don’t have to get out in the boat to target them. Any hard structure with oysters or barnacles – docks, bridges, jetties, and rock piles – will hold fish so you can effectively target them from shore based areas easily. Use light to medium tackle, small hooks, and small baits (shrimp pieces, cut clam, oyster, or fiddlers). You can even ‘chum’ them up by scraping a few pilings and those barnacles dropping off the pilings should bring them in and concentrate the action near where you scraped the pilings.
Even with cooler weather and stirred up conditions the trout are biting well, especially at night around dock lights and bridge lights where current sweeps bait through the glow. However, due to murkier conditions behind the front and the full moon the night time fishing may slow a bit. During the day, work flats edges, potholes, mangrove shorelines, and oyster bars with live shrimp, soft plastics, or imitation shrimp.
Redfish are still around but are starting to shift and roam; dock lines and deeper edges help when current is light.
Snook have pushed back into upper and back bay creeks, rivers, and darker mud areas to stay warm; fish sunny shorelines and solunar periods.
Flounder remain cooperative on sandy edges near structure; slow-hop a soft plastic on the bottom and be ready for that ‘heavy’ bite.
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 podcast with Salt Strong: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/shutting-down-fishing-at-busy-pier/.
NEarshore Fishing Report
Near shore has been a great fallback when offshore gets sporty, and often its been a little too rough to go deep but still possible to get near shore to the hogfish areas. Hogfish are turning on in 40-60 feet around hard bottom and small ledges. Live shrimp is the ticket, and lighter tackle helps: 20-30 lb braid, a long 10-15 foot fluorocarbon leader around 30 lb, 3/0-4/0 hooks, and a 1-2 oz egg sinker on a knocker rig. However, lots of folks use hog balls or jig heads to target them too with success.
Lane snapper are hit-or-miss shallow, but the deeper nearshore water can produce some true giants on live shrimp or threadfin chunks. We typically start to see them best around 60-70ft of water or more up to around 150ft of water offshore.
Mangrove snapper are spotty but improve as you move deeper; downsize baits and leaders when they get picky. Typically we see them best around 80ft of water or more in higher concentrations. We do find them shallower, but they are just fewer and further between.
Red grouper show up nearshore, but keeper fish are more common offshore – still, a bigger bait around the deepest nearshore rocks can surprise you.
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
Offshore, red grouper remain strong on hard bottom, potholes, and small ledges. Bigger dead baits like whole squid, octopus, and bonito strips, plus stout live baits, are the best way to target the quality fish.
Mangrove snapper are steady offshore with cut threadfin on a double-snell rig, and the better fish often come on small live pinfish.
Scamp grouper are mixed in deeper with medium pinfish on 6/0-7/0 hooks and 50-60 lb leader.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are showing up more consistently in the deeper water, especially around dawn and dusk.
Keep a trolling rod ready for pelagics; blackfin tuna and the occasional wahoo can pop up when bait is present.
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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