Tampa Weather Forecast
Fishing reports straight from our guides in Tampa
Fall frenzy in full force! Redfish and trout are showing up in good numbers with some nearshore fishing getting good as well!
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Snook and Snapper have been fire lately!
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Redfish bite has been great!
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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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Gag season 2024
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Gag season is starting strong
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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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