Hudson Fishing Reports (May 2026)

Jim Vanderbeck
Clearwater, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Offshore red grouper and red snapper are everywhere. Amberjack showing up in large numbers on every reef. Inshore or near shore kingfish and Spanish mackerel or abundant back in the Creeks black drum are dominant

See Full Report & Photos >

Jim Vanderbeck Clearwater, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Offshore red grouper and red snapper are everywhere. Amberjack showing up in large numbers on every reef. Inshore or near shore kingfish and Spanish mackerel or abundant back in the Creeks black drum are dominant

Scroll for more Close

Phil Pegley
Ruskin, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Fall and early winter fishing fishing here in Tampa Bay is truly a great time to get out there This year was no exception. The redfish bite had been hot all summer, and carried right on into the fall with numbers and big fish as well, transitional fishing for Snook...

See Full Report & Photos >

Phil Pegley Ruskin, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Fall and early winter fishing fishing here in Tampa Bay is truly a great time to get out there This year was no exception. The redfish bite had been hot all summer, and carried right on into the fall with numbers and big fish as well, transitional fishing for Snook was also strong as the air and water temps fluctuated, dropping with each front, and then warming again. It created some great opportunities for site fishing for Cobia, and brought the speckled trout into their cooler water haunts. The water has been crystal clear and catching bait has still been plentiful setting up for an awesome January hit me up and let's get out there . tight lines until next time

Scroll for more Close

Robert Mcclinnis
Crawfordville, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

It can be windy and tough, but if you find a place to tuck up where there's a depot, you can catch trout pompano and other fish with a shrimp on a jig head suspended under a cork.

See Full Report & Photos >

Robert Mcclinnis Crawfordville, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

It can be windy and tough, but if you find a place to tuck up where there's a depot, you can catch trout pompano and other fish with a shrimp on a jig head suspended under a cork.

Scroll for more Close

Wade Osborne
Tampa, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

El Nino has had a major impact on our weather patterns lately, and I don’t expect it to change anytime soon. The worst part is that it seems to rain mostly on the weekends. This El Nino weather system also causes a huge fluctuation in temperatures. We’ve been getting two...

See Full Report & Photos >

Wade Osborne Tampa, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

El Nino has had a major impact on our weather patterns lately, and I don’t expect it to change anytime soon. The worst part is that it seems to rain mostly on the weekends. This El Nino weather system also causes a huge fluctuation in temperatures. We’ve been getting two to three days of a cold front out of the north and El Nino pushes right back with the same out of the south.
What does this have to do with fishing, everything!
First off, catching baitfish can be difficult to nearly impossible. Cold water temperatures push baitfish into deeper water and around structure, like bridge pilings and range markers. Even on a relatively clam day catching baitfish in the winter can be challenging, add 15-20 knot winds and fuhgeddaboudit. I’ve been stopping at my local bait shop and buying medium-size shrimp lately just in case I can’t catch any baitfish before my charter. So far, that’s only happened once, but fortunately we caught plenty of fish anyway using only shrimp. Everything in Tampa Bay will eat a shrimp. That’s why it’s called the “Sara Lee” of baits.
Sheepshead especially like shrimp and they are very active right now. Most anglers think of sheepshead as living only around dock and bridge pilings, but they also hang out in deep sandy pot poles and around drop offs along mangroves. The latter are the two main areas that I prefer to pursue them. Fishing for sheepshead in the back bays has its advantages. Not only does it give you a better opportunity at catching other species of fish, but it can also give you shelter from the wind.
Just like chumming with baitfish activates fish, so does chumming with shrimp. That’s why at the end of the day, I never throw out my leftover live shrimp. I always bag and freeze it for my next charter. The next day when I’m running a charter and I arrive at my first fishing spot, I pull out a bag and start chumming the area with pieces of shrimp. Doing so draws in redfish. seatrout, ladyfish, jack crevalle and occasionally snook.
One thing that I always tell people is winter fishing can be very inconsistent and rewarding at the same time. No two days are ever the same, but if you keep an open mind and not be hell bent on catching only big fish, you can have a good outing.

Scroll for more Close

Cody Beckman
Tampa, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Cold weather has the redfish, snook and trout fired up! Water clarity is improving and water temps are dropping in the bay so sight casting big redfish and snook in shallow water is awesome right now. Big tides and prime water temps have our big predatory fish active and eating...

See Full Report & Photos >

Cody Beckman Tampa, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Cold weather has the redfish, snook and trout fired up! Water clarity is improving and water temps are dropping in the bay so sight casting big redfish and snook in shallow water is awesome right now. Big tides and prime water temps have our big predatory fish active and eating all day. 30-40 fish per trip right now is the norm so inshore fishing is on fire right now.

Scroll for more Close

Jim Vanderbeck
Clearwater, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Docks and canals are where the reds, blacks, and sheep's are!!

See Full Report & Photos >

Jim Vanderbeck Clearwater, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Docks and canals are where the reds, blacks, and sheep's are!!

Scroll for more Close

Leon Hampton with Reel Time Outfitters
Hernando, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Redfish, trout and Black drum With the cooler weather moving in the fish are moving into the rivers and creeks. We are using artificial and shrimp to catch them in the deeper holes as the weather keeps getting colder the fish will keep moving into the deep holes and you...

See Full Report & Photos >

Leon Hampton with Reel Time Outfitters Hernando, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Redfish, trout and Black drum
With the cooler weather moving in the fish are moving into the rivers and creeks. We are using artificial and shrimp to catch them in the deeper holes as the weather keeps getting colder the fish will keep moving into the deep holes and you can sit in one hole and catch everything.

Scroll for more Close

Leon Hampton with Reel Time Outfitters
Hernando, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

The crappie are getting ready to spawn here in Florida and the bite is going off. We are using minnows under slip corks and jigs in 4ft to 11ft of water around docks and grass.

See Full Report & Photos >

Leon Hampton with Reel Time Outfitters Hernando, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

The crappie are getting ready to spawn here in Florida and the bite is going off. We are using minnows under slip corks and jigs in 4ft to 11ft of water around docks and grass.

Scroll for more Close