Lakeland Weather Forecast
Fishing reports straight from our guides in Lakeland
Fall Has Finally Arrived Until recently, we hadn’t had any typical fall weather here in the Tampa Bay area, but it’s finally here. Most of November’s water temperatures remained in the mid-70’s. Usually, by now the water temperature on the grass flats is in the low 70’s to upper 60’s Snook are still open to harvest until the first of December, so you only have a couple of weeks to take advantage of it. My clients are still catching plenty of snook. Some are in the slot of 28 to 33 inches, but most are just under or over the...
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Fishing has been very good lately ,there are a lot of weeds on toho but when you find a school of bass they are ready to eat we have had 15 to 30 bass in most trips with bass up to 7 pounds
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Snook and Snapper have been fire lately!
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September fishing. Well, we are back from our trip to Key West with some amazing catches and experiences we would love to have you aboard next July and August. Fishing beautiful waters of Tampa Bay in September generally brings light winds and great fishing conditions. Our short gag grouper season was filled with some great action. Now that the season is closed. Our focus has switched back to our Amazing inshore fishery here Redfish have dominated our catches with some great snook and trout in the daily mix This is a time when Fishing Charter generally slow down a bit...
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It’s been a long hot summer, but relief is just around the corner. The days are getting shorter and soon the water temperatures will be dropping back into the 70’s. Once the water cools, the redfish and snook fishing will heat up. Mid-to-late September, and especially,… Read more
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Nearshore bite has mackerel, cobia, groupers pushing shallow.
Inshore reds and snook are getting fired up.
Inshore reds and snook are getting fired up.
Inshore reds and snook are getting fired up.
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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...
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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...
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...
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.
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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.
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With the weather changing, the fish are also going into their predawn mode, and some are spawning already. Bass fishing has been great with live bait and some artificial, and crappie fishing is also starting to get good with the water cooling down. We have pontoons for small and large groups, and handicapped folks are always welcome! We also have bass boats to fish from
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Target Species
- Get it while it's HOT!
- This species is in play.
- You might get lucky (as long as things are in-season).
- Couldn't tell ya! (no data)
Top Fishing Trips in Lakeland
Lake Toho Bowfishing
18 ft
1 - 4 People
From $200
Damn Good
Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
Nearshore Fishing Charter
26 ft
1 - 5 People
From $500
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Tampa Bay Slams!!!
22 ft
1 - 6 People
From $600
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Tampa Bay Inshore/Nearshore Classic
26 ft
1 - 6 People
From $650
Inshore, River, Flats in Tampa
Tampa Bowfishing
22 ft
1 - 6 People
From $600
Damn Good
Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
Inshore, Nearshore Fishing in Tampa
Shark Fishing Charter
26 ft
1 - 5 People
From $550
