Bartow Fishing Reports (May 2026)

Wade Osborne
Tampa, Florida
Reported: 4 months ago

Shrimp For The Win! I always say, “Fish are Fickle.” That’s particularly true this time of year with the advent of a passing cold front every three to four days. One day the fish are active, the next day lethargic. After a cold front, even when I take the time...

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Wade Osborne Tampa, Florida Reported: 4 months ago

Shrimp For The Win!
I always say, “Fish are Fickle.” That’s particularly true this time of year with the advent of a passing cold front every three to four days. One day the fish are active, the next day lethargic.

After a cold front, even when I take the time to catch scaled sardines before picking up my charter clients, the fish barely respond to them. Fortunately, I always stop on my way to the boat ramp and buy some live shrimp for a backup. Having those shrimp aboard usually saves the day.

At times like these, turning shrimp can make all the difference in the world. These hardy baits are appealing to game fish even when bait fish become scarce, dramatically increasing your chances of a successful catch.

Shrimp are known as the “Sara Lee” of baits. “Nobody doesn’t like a Sara Lee.” Snook, redfish, seatrout, sheepshead, and more love them. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Not to sound like “Bubba” from the movie Forrest Gump, but you can catch fish with live shrimp, dead shrimp, frozen shrimp, or pieces of shrimp. “That’s, that’s about it!”

Additionally, crustaceans like shrimp are not only versatile but also resilient in colder water conditions, which makes them a reliable choice when other baits fail. Their natural scent and movement attract a wide variety of species, ensuring that anglers have a dependable option throughout fluctuating water temperatures.

If you like to fish with artificials or flies, shrimp imitations are the perfect cold-weather bait.

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Ike Carrasquillo
Tampa, Florida
Reported: 4 months ago

With Tampa Bay water temperatures dropping in the mid 60s the Sheepshead & Mullet action has been the go-to species as these fish congregate around oyster beds, Mangrove lines and any type of structure that produces food for them.

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Ike Carrasquillo Tampa, Florida Reported: 4 months ago

With Tampa Bay water temperatures dropping in the mid 60s the Sheepshead & Mullet action has been the go-to species as these fish congregate around oyster beds, Mangrove lines and any type of structure that produces food for them.

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Phil Pegley
Ruskin, Florida
Reported: 4 months ago

When we are heading into winter, but we get a nice little taste of fall. It gives us a great opportunity to catch some amazing fish after the days got so much shorter the water temp warmed up back into the 70s, and the fish knew exactly what to do...

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Phil Pegley Ruskin, Florida Reported: 4 months ago

When we are heading into winter, but we get a nice little taste of fall. It gives us a great opportunity to catch some amazing fish after the days got so much shorter the water temp warmed up back into the 70s, and the fish knew exactly what to do with calm conditions. We were running quite a few nearshore Charters nearshore this time of year.
Big hog fish, mangrove, snapper, plenty of grouper and this year the Kingfish were still here, along with some stud, blackfin tuna, super shallow in water less than 50 feet deep. And inshore. We've been catching cobia, more Snook. Then you can count, and some beautiful red fish know what you're thinking, and yes, it's great to be out there on a daily basis to absorb all of this.

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Ike Carrasquillo
Tampa, Florida
Reported: 4 months ago

Sheepshead and Mullet are hot right now on our Tampa bay shallow flats. We still have a few huge rays hanging out but no for long as our water temps are dropping

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Ike Carrasquillo Tampa, Florida Reported: 4 months ago

Sheepshead and Mullet are hot right now on our Tampa bay shallow flats. We still have a few huge rays hanging out but no for long as our water temps are dropping

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Mike Ayersman
Lakeland, Florida
Reported: 7 months ago

Bite has been fire. Plenty of redfish. Mackerel has started to fire off.

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Mike Ayersman Lakeland, Florida Reported: 7 months ago

Bite has been fire. Plenty of redfish. Mackerel has started to fire off.

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Brandon Douberly
Bartow, Florida
Reported: 9 months ago

Hot bite to start summer with schools of mangrove snapper and redfish on the mangrove islands. Snook are getting to the beaches and passes for spawn. Bait has been plentiful and the fish are fired up.

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Brandon Douberly Bartow, Florida Reported: 9 months ago

Hot bite to start summer with schools of mangrove snapper and redfish on the mangrove islands. Snook are getting to the beaches and passes for spawn. Bait has been plentiful and the fish are fired up.

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Brandon Douberly
Bartow, Florida
Reported: 1 year ago

The spring bite is in full swing and the days of catching big powerful predators is back. Snook trout and redfish have been off the charts. At the same time tarpon are showing up in full force from their winter hiatus. Bait fish have been pretty easy to come by...

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Brandon Douberly Bartow, Florida Reported: 1 year ago

The spring bite is in full swing and the days of catching big powerful predators is back. Snook trout and redfish have been off the charts. At the same time tarpon are showing up in full force from their winter hiatus. Bait fish have been pretty easy to come by most mornings and these fish are ready and willing to eat every bait you put in their vicinity.

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Drew Brophy
Ruskin, Florida
Reported: 1 year ago

I've been getting lots of snook, trout and grouper.

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Drew Brophy Ruskin, Florida Reported: 1 year ago

I've been getting lots of snook, trout and grouper.

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