Today’s fishing expedition brought intriguing developments. While the tarpon fishing took an unexpected plunge, with the majestic fish seemingly vanishing from Lower Tampa Bay, a silver lining emerged as new arrivals stirred up excitement and certain fishing spots heated up even more
Caladesi – Honeymoon Island – Anclote Island
Caladesi: Off the beach of Caladesi Island, there have been a lot of 20-inch and above sea trout. I have been having my best luck with cut bait for them. The really big ones have been lazy, but when they are eating well, they will smack swim baits. So keep this in mind. While the backside of the island has been seeing good amounts of redfish in the mangroves and on the flats. Some days have been hit and miss with them since the water is really heating up. They have been ignoring the cut bait but eating very lively pinfish and greenbacks. Also on the beaches, the snook have been moving in, and they are very active and ready to eat whatever you’ve got.
Honeymoon Island: The snook have not been as hot on this island as Caladesi, but there have been big schools of black drum pushing up and down the beaches. They are eating live shrimp only, so this could be an awesome bite to get on. There are also some big trout cruising around the jetties of this island right now, and they are hungry. Redfish have not been running the beaches heavily, but they are in mangroves and flats on the backside of the island. Pompano have not shown up heavily yet, but they are close by, so stay tuned for that!
Honeymoon Causeway has had some good amounts of snapper and small gag grouper being caught on both bridges. Also, on a good incoming tide, there has been a decent amount of Spanish mackerel showing up. Also, if you need threadfin for bait, this is the place to go. Trout have been on the flat around the bridges, but the redfish have been very slow.
Anclote Island: This island has been pretty much the same as Honeymoon Island with a little bit more snook showing up on the beaches. Overall, I have not heard much from this area, which means it’s worth investigating.
Intracoastal Anclote to Indian Rocks:
A lot has been going on here, and the first thing we are going to break down are the spoil islands because they have been red hot!
Spoil islands have been incredible as of late! Almost all of them are holding big trout around them. We pulled one that was about 24 inches on one of my charters on cut pinfish. It seems like the really big trout have been lazy and wanting to eat stuff off the bottom, while the smaller fish are eating the swim bait well. While the redfish have been smaller on these spoil islands, they’re ready to eat either cut pinfish or live greenbacks, but most are under the slot size. While there are also a few massive snooks hanging around these islands, which I have been seeing, especially between Honeymoon and Clearwater.
The flats have also been a great place to get on a great trout bite as of late. While the bigger redfish have been sighted on most flats, I was flats fishing with a charter today, and we saw some mega redfish, but it was only slot fish that wanted to bite. So the flats have been a good place to look.
Clearwater Beach: About one mile to 5 miles offshore, if you fish any stone crab trap buoy line and bump troll, you will catch some amazing Spanish mackerel. Reports are in, and they are biting well, some even up to 22 inches.
Sand Key Bridge: Some decent-sized mangrove snapper have been moving into this bridge if you can weed through all the baby gag grouper. From shore, there have been lots of trout on the night bite and also snook. The pompano has been moving through this area, but it has been hit or miss from what I’m hearing.
Tampa Bay:
Tampa Bay just keeps getting better day by day, so let’s get into it!
Upper Tampa Bay:
Courtney Campbell has been a hot spot for a lot of action lately. Lots of bait is around this area, which means there are also a lot of predators following it around. Starting with decent-sized jacks and Spanish mackerel, so this makes for a fun time fishing. Also, the snook have been hunting around this bridge a lot. If you can make threadfin, you will catch them. Cut ladyfish has also been working. Around the flats there, the redfish have been hit and miss.
Gandy Bridge:
Gandy Bridge: While the bridge itself has been relatively quiet, anglers have reported a few exciting catches in the area. Some lucky fishermen have managed to hook into black drum using blue crabs as bait, adding a delightful surprise to their outings. Despite the subdued activity on the bridge, the promise of potential catches like black drum keeps anglers eager to explore the waters near Gandy Bridge. Stay tuned for further updates as the fishing scene evolves in this area.
Lower Tampa Bay:
Skyway Bridge: Unfortunately, the tarpon sightings have taken a nosedive here at the. It seems they’ve disappeared amidst the increased presence of dolphins disrupting fishing efforts. However, the Spanish mackerel bite remains red hot, offering anglers plenty of action. Additionally, there’s been a noticeable uptick in bonito catches, adding to the excitement. Despite the challenges with tarpon, the Skyway Bridge still promises an exhilarating fishing experience. As always, be prepared to contend with the dolphins, and adjust your tactics accordingly.
Today has brought even more excitement to Lower Tampa Bay with the snook bite reaching new heights. Anglers are reporting remarkable success, with some boasting of landing over 50 snook in a single outing. The white bait has been the bait of choice, and chumming has been particularly effective in attracting these voracious predators. So if you’re looking for non-stop action, head to Lower Tampa Bay and join in the frenzy!
That’s all for today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Also, don’t forget to come book a charter at 714-661-6550. If you have a report, submit it right here!
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