Saltwater fishing: Redfish are on fire in Tampa Bay and elsewhere – The Ledger

Michael Wilson| Ledger correspondent

1At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Spanish mackerel and whiting have been the most consistent catches this week. A 20-inch flounder was caught over the weekend. A good size snook and a few speckled trout were also caught. Plenty of jack crevalle and ladyfish have been biting, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2At Madeira Beach, weather has limited offshore fishing, but we got out last Saturday and had a good red grouper bite starting at a depth of 110 feet. Big mangrove snapper, lanes, vermillion and triggerfish were in the mix as well, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbards Marina (727-393-1947). Weather should improve this weekend, look for red grouper and big mangroves starting at a depth of 90 feet, reports Hubbard.

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3At John's Pass, redfish have been on fire around the pass. Theyre all around the bridge, the docks, the jetties and even out on the beach. Good numbers of mangrove snapper are biting. Snook are thinning out, but plenty are still biting on swimbaits and Flair Hawk jigs at night. Live shrimp and pinfish are getting the snook during the day. The trout bite is best around the bridge and dock lights at night, reports Hubbard.

4At Fort De Soto Park, the snook and flounder bite has been good around the marina and the bridge. Mangrove snapper are biting along with a few sheepshead. The flats are producing a good redfish bite along with snook and trout. Sandy holes are holding flounder. The pier has been a wash with the wind and churned up water. A few snook are biting pinfish along the beach and in the pass, reports Capt. Claude Hinson of Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, cooler water temps this week really turned on the action for gag grouper inside Tampa Bay. The snook, redfish and big trout bite remains consistent all over Terra Ceia and Miguel Bay. Numerous schools of Spanish mackerel are on the artificial reefs throughout the bay, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). The mangrove lines on the high tides are producing redfish. The mouth of the Manatee River and the docks inside are also producing redfish, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters. (941-705-3160).

6At Anna Maria, redfish of all sizes can be found from north of the Manatee River mouth south to Palma Sola Bay. Trout action has been good around Terra Ceia. Nearshore, Spanish mackerel and a few kingfish have been caught 1-3 miles off the beach to the north, reports Capt. Scott Moore of Bradenton (941-713-1921). Some of the docks along the sound are producing snook, redfish, snapper and some flounder. The grass flats in water 3 to 7 feet deep have been good for trout, reports Crawford.

7At St. Petersburg, despite the wind, fishing is still good. Theres been plenty of redfish from Weedon Island down to Fort DeSoto. Live bait, cut bait and artificials are all producing. Big trout are biting pinfish under a cork on the deep grass flats off Pinellas Point. Snook are still biting, but starting to move into the canals and creeks. The mangrove snapper bite hasnt slowed, just about any structure is loaded with then. Theres a good amount of Spanish mackerel in the lower bay, reports Larry Mastry at Mastrys Tackle (727-896-8889).

8In the north end of Tampa Bay, the trout bite has picked up with the water cooling off a bit. Most of the flats are producing a good bite early and in the evening. Redfish are biting from Weedon Island north into the upper bay. Snook are still pretty good, but theyre starting to stage outside the creeks and canals. Plenty of mangrove snapper are still around, and more sheepshead are starting to show. Black drum are biting around the bridges and tripletail are moving in on the markers, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

At Homosassa, fishing for redfish on the incoming tides has been good, and there havebeen some schools roaming the area. The trout bite has been very good in areas with yellow bottom west of St. Martins Keys, the pole line south ofHomosassa and near Bird Island. MirrOlure Lil Johns and D.O.A. Deadly Combos with a glow shrimp are producing. Look for a fall season push ofcobiaand triple tail on the markers and buoys as the waters continue to cool, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).

At Fort Pierce, offshore has been a wash with the wind and high seas. At the inlet, whiting and a few pompano have been caught in the surf to south. Black drum and sheepshead are biting in the inlet, but not much else with the choppy water. Inside, some snapper are biting around the bridges and channel edges. In the river, a few redfish and trout are biting along the east shore out of the wind, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

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Saltwater fishing: Redfish are on fire in Tampa Bay and elsewhere - The Ledger