Caladesi – Honeymoon Island – Anclote Island
Anclote Island – Things are looking up here! Redfish, snook, and big trout are all biting. Live greenbacks are the go-to for catching the larger trout, and redfish are starting to prefer pinfish with the warming water. Snook are crowding the beaches, and live grunts are the bait of choice since snook can’t resist them. Tarpon are moving up the beach and will hit just about anything a mile offshore!
Honeymoon Island – Similar to Anclote, but with more redfish on the backside. Snook are actively biting on grunts and pinfish off the jetty and at Dog Beach. Decent-sized packs of tarpon are in Honeymoon Pass, best caught at first light. Snook are getting thicker in the pass and around the island.
Honeymoon Causeway – The snapper bite is starting to come alive. Many are being caught on shrimp, but keeper gag grouper are being caught on both bridges. There are lots of threadfin around and a good amount of greenbacks on the reef. Juvenile tarpon are feeding at night under the lights, offering a great nighttime fishing opportunity.
Dunedin Reef – The nearshore report is promising! The reef is packed with giant mangrove snapper, although their reaction to chum is inconsistent. There are also kingfish and bonito in the mix, making this reef a better spot than Clearwater Reef. I just took a charter a mile past the reef and there were some really nice-sized red grouper. We even got a few keepers on live pinfish, but you need to find live bottom!
Caladesi – High tide is prime time for redfish under the mangroves on the backside. The front side is producing the most gator trout, and tarpon action on the beach has been excellent, especially during big tide swings. If you’re fishing the beaches, you need pinfish or big threadfins. The beach has been loaded with big snooks, and when they are eating, they will chew the paint off the bottom of the boat. When they’re not really eating, use finger mullet!
Intracoastal Anclote to Indian Rocks
Spoil Islands – The redfish have been smaller, but the trout are still big. Good mangrove overhangs are hiding snook and redfish, which are increasingly biting on cut bait. With the water heating up, all the bigger redfish are deep in the mangroves on these islands.
Clearwater Beach Pier 60 – The word for this pier is that big snook have been hanging around. You can get them to bite very well in the mornings!
Sand Key Bridge – Nighttime snook fishing is the highlight here. Also, if you are into swimbait fishing, the gag grouper night bite has been nothing short of amazing! The jetty has also been great all day and afternoon for bigger-grade snook!
Indian Rocks Bridge – Mangrove snapper are biting well, with threadfin chum working effectively. Some large snappers have been caught here recently.
Indian Rocks Flats and Docks – Dock light fishing is excellent, with sizable snook and redfish being caught. Trout are also biting well on three-inch swimbaits.
Tampa Bay ALERT: Tarpon madness in the bay!
Upper Tampa Bay
Courtney Campbell – This area has slowed down a lot. Few snook are around the bridges, but there are still redfish to be caught in the mangroves!
Howard Franklin – Black drum on this bridge have been pretty good but are slowing down. If you have side scan, you will find them.
Bayside Bridge – Black drum have moved for spawning, but a few resident fish remain. Small tarpon are starting to show up.
Gandy Bridge – Snook are biting well at the bridge’s start, responding to white bait. Some black drum and cobia have been spotted. If you fish around the inside of the bridge by the rocks near the boat ramp, you will find some smaller snook.
Lower Tampa Bay ALERT: Pass crab flush!
Skyway Bridge – Big tarpon were biting a lot today, but mangrove snapper are hot, especially on the rocks. Watch out for dolphins. Bonito and Spanish mackerel are still active. The first big pass crab flush is happening right now on the outgoing tide, resulting in a great tarpon bite.
Fort Desoto Pier – Good bonito and Spanish mackerel action, but dolphins have been troublesome.
Fort Desoto Beach – Large packs of tarpon are moving through, but the action can be hit or miss. Yesterday was good for tarpon, but it’s best to stay tuned for more consistent bites. Have threadfin ready to go because this seems to be the key! If it is an outgoing tide, have some pass crabs ready because it is time for action!
Tampa Bay Shipping Channel – Rock piles are loaded with mangrove snapper. Chumming can help you reach your limit quickly. Make sure to do this on a slack tide!
Egmont – The pass is a tarpon hotspot with large fish being caught recently, though today’s action was slower. Threadfin on the incoming tide and pass crabs on the outgoing tide are effective. Some very large tarpon are moving and eating crabs, so stay tuned because it’s going down!
Pass-a-Grille – Great snook action off the beach on white bait. Just find some structure or a drop-off and they will be there.
Tierra Verde – The snapper bite has been hot on this bridge. All you need is to chum them up with some white bait. Also, the snook have been biting well here. Tarpon are also showing up on this bridge pretty well!
That’s all for today. Thank you for tuning in! Don’t forget to book a charter at 714-661-6550. If you have a report, submit it right here!
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