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Latest Fishing Reports
Tampa Bay North
If you can find a sheltered area from the winds and work the incoming tides with live or artificial baits the fishing will be good in the back country. Schools of Red fish and Snook has been the hottest fish to catch for the past several weeks all over the bay and the morning bite have seemed to offer best times. Bait is easy to find anywhere you go and watch for the schools of bait passing you by for a tell-tell of fish explosive action while they crash the bait schools. Be prepared, prepared ,prepared. Nothings worse than not being prepared when your tackle is in the box and not on your rod when that school of red fish comes bye or a cobia cruising the back of a stingrays and there's nothing you can do but watch the opportunity pass you by.
-Captain Ike Carrasquillo
Tampa Bay South
Great fall fishing in the Tampa Bay area is right around the corner with cooling water temperatures and milder weather. Many of the top species including snook, redfish, and trout will become very active and feed aggressively as bait supplies will be abundant. There are alternate species available however that doesn't always take their position in the lime light. Although highly sought after for their exceptional table fare, snapper, pompano, and sheepshead typically take a back seat to the big three of the slam.
Snapper
Expect to find snapper throughout the entire bay region holding on just about any structure including artificial reefs, bridge pilings, rock jetties, residential docks, natural hard bottom, and rocky edges of the main shipping channel. Going light on the terminal end of the tackle will bring more bites as the snapper have very keen eyesight. Presenting baits as naturally as possible by using tidal flow to your advantage will increase the odds to your favor.
Pompano
Pompano are cagey critters and tend to stay on the move. If you hear a report of where they were last week, they're probably not there now. Pompano prefer clean moving water which is your first clue as to where to begin the hunt. Bouncing jigs off the bottom is the most common method for finding pompano as it allows you to cover a lot of water quickly and stay on the move until the fish are located. Sandy passes to the gulf and major bridges crossing the bay are favorite pompano spots.
Sheepshead
Sheepshead fishing will move to the forefront as we ease into winter and continue through early spring. Generally known as bait stealers these crustacean eaters are famous for cleaning a hook. As they prepare for their spring spawning rituals however, their eating habits become more reminiscent of grouper with strong aggressive strikes. The most common mistake is jerking the rod in an effort to set the hook. If you let the fish take the bait and reel tight as your line moves off your hook-up ratio will improve dramatically. Look for large sheepshead to begin moving into all the areas listed for snapper above.
Taking the Bait
The good news is that the same bait can be used for all three species. Snapper, pompano, and sheepshead all love shrimp. Chumming the area with a handful of fresh diced shrimp is a time proven method of getting them jump started when they just don't seem to be hungry. Tail hooked, horn hooked, tail pinched, free line, knocker rig, and fish finder rig; there are several rigging techniques that work. Experiment with each until you find what works best in your scenario. -Captain Brent Gaskill
Gulf Coast South
With the opening of snook season just a few weeks ago anglers are getting their share of snook but most are ranging 22" to 26" with just a few being in the slot. The snook are moving in from the passes and on the flats into pre-winter patterns. Work bridges and docks as well inside the passes using a variety of artificials like the doa shrimp and mirrorlure mirrordine. The later outgoing tides would be your best bet for them. I have seen redfish really starting to school up with most being in the upper to over slot size.The morning high tides this weekend will produce fish along oyster bars and mangrove islands. Stay stealthy and make long cast using berkly gulp shrimp and other scented baits for maximum results. Other good bets are speckled trout in 3 to 5ft of water around the Fort Desoto and Terra Ciea areas using a variety of topwaters in the early morning hours. Be safe and Good luck! -Captain Mike Davis
Offshore
Finding days calm enough to get offshore has been tough. When you do get a day you can expect the offshore bite to be good. Grouper, for gags the hot bite will be north of Clearwater with the hottest area being west of Tarpon Springs. Best depth is 70 to 110-feet. Start off with cut bait and then move to live. Large pinfish will be your best bet for big fish. Red grouper, target areas of hard bottom and small ledges in 80 to 120-feet from west of John's Pass southward. Use a mix of cut and live bait, the bigger the bait the better.
For snapper, mangrove snapper and yellowtail snapper are about your only choice. Use small chunks of cut bait or small white bait and pinfish. Target ledges, small rock piles and wrecks from 40-feet on out. If you're fishing out past 70-feet have a spinning rod rigged to toss out a live bait for dolphin and cobia. -Captain Randy Rochelle
Freshwater
Bass fishing in Central Florida is excellent at this time. The recent rains have filled up the lakes. The feeder creeks are running into the lakes where the fish are located. The running water is bringing new food sources and good fresh water. All the bass and catfish are in front of these creeks.
Shiners are the best bait for catching lots of fish. Also, 7 to 10 inch plastic worms are working well. Rattle traps in gold or chrome are top producers. Look for the creeks and catch some fish! -Captain Reno Alley
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