Inshore Fishing Report
Snook fishing still strong on the beaches and around the passes, but not too much longer till they start their retreat back up into the bay. Redfish action has been solid around the area, and should only heat up as we see more and more concentrate this time of year. Typically around September and October is sort of peak redfish time of year for our area. Trout have been solid too, mostly on deeper structure, flats or on the dock lights and bridge lights at night. Mangrove snapper are solid around the hard structures throughout the area. Sheepshead are starting to get more prolific too, which is early but its starting soon. Mackerel pretty good in the upper bay area, outer bay has been a little softer, but we won’t be long from them storming our area as water temps get right. Sharks are still extremely prolific around the area 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 recent podcast with Salt Strong: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/shutting-down-fishing-at-busy-pier/.
NEarshore Fishing Report
Hogfish action is starting to heat up as things cool down, we are already catching a few on our 10hr all day. As the cold fronts start we should see more and more as they concentrate more for us on the near shore structures. Lanes have been solid and were expecting that action to remain active in the coming weeks. Mangrove snapper action has been hit and miss but still going well overall in the deepest near shore waters. As the waters cool, we should see bigger live shrimp which should help us dial in on the hogfish and mangroves near shore much better than the summertime micro shrimp. Red grouper have been soft near shore, but the deeper near shore waters offer a chance at one or two here and there.
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
While we have the red snapper and gag grouper season winding down for us, we still have TONS of fish to go catch and harvest. Remember, the private recreational red snapper season on FWCs website will continue weekends through end of the year, but that wont apply to our fed for hire charter boats and party boats around the gulf like Hubbard’s Marina. Due to this, we are going to be focused on our big red grouper, scamp grouper, mangroves, yellowtail, mutton snapper, porgies, vermillions, almacos, pelagics and more! The red grouper have been solid, and while we have focused on the gags and red snapper we have given them a bit of a break for a minute and we look forward to really dialing back into them in the coming week. Plus, the yellowtail action has been out of this world with incredible numbers and concentrations erupting on the last few 39 hour adventures. Looking forward to plenty of opportunities coming up with lighter loads and great fishing too.
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
If you’re not seeing the latest article, try clearing your browser cache.
You can search “how to clear browser cache” on Google for quick steps.
