Inshore Fishing Report
The snook bite has been really good around the passes lately with the new moon. We have seen them really stack up around the bridge lights and dock lights in and around the passes. However, we have had a ton of glass minnows and other smaller baits too making targeting the snook a little more trickier. Folks are having better success targeting the snook in these areas with smaller lures to match the natural baits the fish are seeing.
Redfish bite around the area has been good and really productive from the upper and back bay waters all the way out to the beaches. A lot of fish are starting to show back up into the bays from the offshore waters so occasionally were seeing big pulses of schooling fish. Normally we see this type of action in early September, but this year it seems to have started a bit earlier for us which was a nice welcome surprise. In the back bays, folks are having success with cut pinfish or threadfish on the oyster bars, mangroves and grass flat areas. Find the redfish by following the birds or bigger mullet as tell tale signs redfish action is happening in the area.
Trout bite is going okay, nothing crazy, but some nice ones caught along the beaches, in the passes and even on the edges of the deeper flats. Hot water has returned quickly post rains and that has pushed trout action deeper once again.
Mangrove snapper are super thick inshore lately on virtually any hard structure with tons of them foaming around the bridges, rock piles and bigger docks. In shallower water you want a bit of moving water, while deeper bridges and rock piles you want to target them on the end of the tide or at the very start when water isn’t moving as strong to allow a more natural presentation and lighter lead weight.
Flounder action has been a welcome surprise around the area with some upper bay captains reporting some seriously good action. Out towards the passes, were finding them around the sandy areas adjacent to structures. Look for them right on the bottom ambushing passing baits that venture too close to the bottom.
Tarpon action has really diminished in the area with most of those fish pushing out of the bays and into deeper water. However, there are still a few fish around the bigger bay area bridges and smaller ‘mirco’ tarpon in the very back and upper bay ares too.
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
Water temps have quickly returned to warmer upper ranges. Due to this, we are seeing the near shore action better as you get deeper towards the upper end of the near shore range. Fishing around 60-80ft or more is best to find cooperative lane snapper, a few mangroves and the occasional keeper red grouper.
Lane snapper love live shrimp, but we find them on small chunk of threadfins and squid chunks too. Lanes are great eating fish and we have been finding areas holding more than others. Keep sticking and moving till you find the depth and area holding more cooperative lane snapper closer to the 70-80ft or more depth range.
Mangrove snapper are super thick inshore around good structures, while near shore they seem to be more concentrated deeper around that 80-100ft area. Using small chunks of cut threadfin on the double snell rig is best around 30lb leader and 3-4ot hooks.
Red grouper are possible fishing deepest near shore but you have to sort through a lot of the 16-19 inch fish to find a couple keepers that are 20 inches or more to harvest. Using bigger baits like squid strips, bonita strips or larger live baits is best to find the bigger keeper sized grouper. Like the lanes, it takes some hunting around to find concentrations of nice keeper sized fish.
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
We are staying after the red snapper offshore in that 140-160ft range and beyond. They are open for us continuously through end of day October 25th and we have tons of trips with lighter loads around august and October, while the September trips are selling out due to the overlap with the gag grouper being open for only the month of September. Fishing for red snapper remains steady with the big ones being caught on bigger baits like the threadfin squid combo or the bonita chunks or the bigger live baits. Things like big boston mackerel are good options too. Anything large and oily will work well to attract these aggressive feeders.
Red grouper have remained steady for us offshore with good numbers being harvested on our 12 hour extreme trips, 39 hour trips and the long range private fishing charters on our go fast charter fleet. Big live baits and dead baits are key much like targeting the bigger red snapper.
Scamp grouper have been most common the medium sized live pinfish and the moderate tackle like the 60lb leaders and the 6-7ot hooks. We do see them from time to time while targeting mangrove snapper with cut threadfin too.
Triggerfish are open once again and were seeing some nice ones caught on our deeper water adventures aboard our private fishing charters or the long range party boat fishing trips too. They like the smaller strips of chewy baits like the bonita strips, squid strips or smaller octopus tentacles.
Yellowtail snapper have been coming up on live shrimp or squid chunks and sometimes smaller chunks of threadfin. We see them primarily through the night time fishing but occasionally we can pull them during the day too.
Pelagic action has been stellar lately with bountiful blackfin tuna coming up on the trollers, flat lines and so thick sometimes we catch them dropping down or reeling up live pinfish.
We have caught a few big bull mahi mahi or dolphin while flat line fishing or pitch bait fishing while on our long range 12 hour extreme trips, deep water private fishing charters or the 39 hour long range overnight fishing trip!
Wahoo are possible too and a few nice ones caught lately while trolling. We have some new wahoo killer trolling lures in our shop from line sided tackle and were hoping that helps us to catch even more of these good eating wahoo while offshore fishing.
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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