Old Tampa Bay Fishing Reports (December 2025)

Eric Topole
Ruskin, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

The mangrove snapper are always biting inside Tampa Bay and as the water warms up the bite will get better. Along with the warming water temperatures the snook and redfish will be firing up.

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Eric Topole Ruskin, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

The mangrove snapper are always biting inside Tampa Bay and as the water warms up the bite will get better. Along with the warming water temperatures the snook and redfish will be firing up.

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Eric Topole
Ruskin, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

The offshore bite has been excellent while the inshore bite is heating up with snook and redfish

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Eric Topole Ruskin, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

The offshore bite has been excellent while the inshore bite is heating up with snook and redfish

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Phil Pegley
Ruskin, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

February fishing has been filled with busy days and bringing fish to the cleaning table. Mother nature has had the fan turned on, which has been mostly keeping us inshore, Which is been just fine with us. Our customers have been. Staying busy with a lot of action . I...

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Phil Pegley Ruskin, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

February fishing has been filled with busy days and bringing fish to the cleaning table.
Mother nature has had the fan turned on, which has been mostly keeping us inshore,
Which is been just fine with us. Our customers have been. Staying busy with a lot of action . I would say the fish of the month has been lots of keeper speckled trout. And once we've gotten our limit, the snook and redfish have also been very cooperative. We've been making a 15 mile run. To catch greenbacks oh yes and 15 miles back but it has been worth it. all three species are responding to live chumming and free lining. Here's a few February photos, tight lines until next time Captain Phil

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Craig Lahr
St. Petersburg, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

With January being such a warm month water temperatures had pushed back into the mid 60s bringing a push of white bait AKA scaled sardines and threadfin herring into the back Waters of clearwater. Even though we’ve had this influx of bait and have been waking up early to catch...

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Craig Lahr St. Petersburg, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

With January being such a warm month water temperatures had pushed back into the mid 60s bringing a push of white bait AKA scaled sardines and threadfin herring into the back Waters of clearwater.
Even though we’ve had this influx of bait and have been waking up early to catch these morsels to have one more type of bait to use. live6 shrimp and small half dollar size pin fish are still working the best for trout and redfish. Fish have been moving quite frequently you will find trout and redfish in the same areas with the mullet schools on low water and high water but with cold fronts that are not really chilling the waters down these fish become confused and are tough to locate.
But since the water temperature has stayed stable for the last week and a half finally had a really good push spotted sea trout and redfish push up on the spoil Islands and shorelines of clearwater and Indian Rocks Beach grass Flats. Snook have been far and few and in between due to they are sensitive to atmospheric change of the small fronts that have come through they are mainly at the mouths of canals a few roaming the flats close to canals where they can reach deeper water and warmer water. Look for fishing to continue to be the same it has been good just a lot of moving which allows clients to check out famous mansions the back Waters where you feel like you’re in old Florida and many different areas throughout Indian Rocks Beach, Dunedin to Tarpon Springs.

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Jim Vanderbeck
Clearwater, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Inshore trout and sheepshead around the beaches has been awesome. Offshore the hogfish bite is crazy good but about one out of ten is a keeper.

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Jim Vanderbeck Clearwater, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Inshore trout and sheepshead around the beaches has been awesome. Offshore the hogfish bite is crazy good but about one out of ten is a keeper.

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Phil Pegley
Ruskin, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

We’ve had a shot of spring weather and aside from a couple of 50° mornings temps have been surging to upper around 80° in the afternoon for the past couple of weeks. This has warmed the Tampa bay waters to a friendly, 75° and has really lit a fire for...

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Phil Pegley Ruskin, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

We’ve had a shot of spring weather and aside from a couple of 50° mornings temps have been surging to upper around 80° in the afternoon for the past couple of weeks. This has warmed the Tampa bay waters to a friendly, 75° and has really lit a fire for our inshore fishing trips , and has put the fish in some of our early spring transitional fishing areas. snook, redfish, trout, and Jack Crevalle have all been on the hit list

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Steve Hunsucker
Largo, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Winter fishing has been fun as we have bottom-fishing on most of our offshore trips. The main catch has been catch-and-release gag groupers, hogfish, mangrove snappers, lane snappers, porgies, and grunts on all of our length trips. These species make for lots of excellent white fish for our captains’ to...

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Steve Hunsucker Largo, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Winter fishing has been fun as we have bottom-fishing on most of our offshore trips. The main catch has been catch-and-release gag groupers, hogfish, mangrove snappers, lane snappers, porgies, and grunts on all of our length trips. These species make for lots of excellent white fish for our captains’ to fillet back at the dock and send home with our customers! We will continue to target these fish until the water warms up and the trolling bite gets hot! Busy spring break in Clearwater Beach is coming, time to book your March and April charters now!

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Craig Lahr
St. Petersburg, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Spotted sea trout are starting to push into the clearwater to St. Joseph Sound region. Mild temperatures have delayed their full migration, as it has in years past. Typically, multiple cold fronts that keep the water temperatures lower, will usher in more of the larger, female trout. However, there are...

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Craig Lahr St. Petersburg, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Spotted sea trout are starting to push into the clearwater to St. Joseph Sound region. Mild temperatures have delayed their full migration, as it has in years past. Typically, multiple cold fronts that keep the water temperatures lower, will usher in more of the larger, female trout. However, there are a few small schools beginning to congregate. Several tactics are working especially this early in the season.
Redfish are plenty full. Although most are 22 to 25in. However, the larger fish are blending in with the mullet schools on most flats. Cut ladyfish, or pinfish cut or under a popping cork are working when casting directly into the mullet schools. Large shrimp have also produced results.
Since the water temperature has increased back into the mid 70’s, snook are still cooperating. They are responding to live sardines especially on the falling tides flowing out of the backwaters around the mouths of bays and canals. Targeting the main 3 species will change dramatically due to a cold front coming through tomorrow and cold fronts all the way through Christmas taking our temperatures from the high 70s to low 80s to mid-60s and as the days go on down to 50s as highs and 40s at night will make the fish move to completely different areas. tight lines

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