Inshore Fishing Report
This past week we finally had a decent weather window to fish around this past mid work week. During that short window, the hogfish cooperated well, and we also saw a nice push of sea bass, plus steady lane snapper. Expect lanes to improve most when you slide a bit deeper too. We’re still seeing only a few mangroves mixed in nearshore, with the occasional red grouper showing up on the deeper end—live pinfish or larger dead baits are your best bet for keeper-size reds in this zone. For hogfish, keep it simple: a 4000–5000 size spinning reel, 20–30 lb braid, a long 10–15 ft 30 lb fluorocarbon leader, 1–2 oz knocker/egg sinker, and a 3/0–4/0 hook with live shrimp is a proven Tampa Bay nearshore recipe.Â
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
This past week we finally had a decent weather window to fish around this past mid work week. During that short window, the hogfish cooperated well, and we also saw a nice push of sea bass, plus steady lane snapper. Expect lanes to improve most when you slide a bit deeper too. We’re still seeing only a few mangroves mixed in nearshore, with the occasional red grouper showing up on the deeper end—live pinfish or larger dead baits are your best bet for keeper-size reds in this zone. For hogfish, keep it simple: a 4000–5000 size spinning reel, 20–30 lb braid, a long 10–15 ft 30 lb fluorocarbon leader, 1–2 oz knocker/egg sinker, and a 3/0–4/0 hook with live shrimp is a proven Tampa Bay nearshore recipe.Â
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, we finally got a chance to stretch our legs this past Wednesday and it showed why those weather windows matter. We found huge numbers of red grouper on the potholes, ledges and rock piles around 120-140ft of water with plenty of quality fish in the mix. Gag grouper were fired up to the point of being hard to avoid, and sharks were extremely active—plan on heavier leaders, stout hooks, and quick resets if the toothy critters move in. Mangrove snapper were strong as well, plus a few solid heads-and-tails species to round out the box. On the surface, blackfin tuna were around, so keep a pitch rod ready with a small jig or live bait when you see marks or surface life.Â
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/ Â
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-Â Â
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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