Post by goindeep on May 31, 2008 12:49:58 GMT -5
copied from the lakeland ledger, this report is a week old but Ill update it when a new one is posted.
Around Tampa Bay Fishing Report 5/23/08
1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, they have been catching Spanish mackerel during the day 15-20 inches in size. A smattering of undersize cobia up to 30 inches on pinfish during the day. There's still catch and release snook at night. Speckled trout have been good at night on live shrimp. Tarpon have been hooked during the day. They're ranging in size from juveniles to fish over 100 pounds on pinfish and greenbacks. A couple of pompano here and there. Water temperture on Thursday 81.7 degrees, reports Tom Leonard of Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
2: At Madeira Beach Yellowtail and mangrove snapper good in 80 feet of water. Chum the snapper up with greenbacks and then use horse eye minnows for bait. There's plenty of red grouper being caught on the ledges in 80 feet of water as well. Hand sized pinfish have been the best bait, A 38 inch cobia was caught on a pinfish by Capt. Sam Maisano of Go Fast Charters on Thursday, reports Mike Drake of Don's Dock/Marlin's Dockside (727-367-3835).
3: At John's Pass Pompano at John's pass and Bind pass jetty jellow white Doc's 3/80z. jigs tipped with shrimp. A teaser is not necessary . Still plenty of speckled trout up to 13-14 inches on the inside flats and spoil islands of Boca Ciega Bay. Mangrove snapper are hitting good at the John's Pass Bridge next to the pilings on small pinfish and small sardines about an hour before high tide has been best. Under size snook hitting sporadically from the jetty on live pinfish, grunts, shrimp, reports Mike Drake of Don's Dock/Marlin's Dockside (727-367-3835).
4: At Fort DeSoto Park A lot of redfish, snook and flounder being caught in the park this week in the early morning. Flounder on rootbeer tail jerkbaits on red jig heads. The redfish have been good on sardines, live shrimp, and Berkley Gulp Shrimp. The Snook have been caught on sardines. Speckled trout are all over the flats in the area. Tarpon have been good between the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Egmont Key in the shipping channel. A few pompano have been caught at the bridges and at both the Gulf and Bay Piers. Some mangrove snapper and sheepshead have been caught as well. "It's been a good week, a good variety of fish have been caught. Spanish mackerel fishing has been slow though," reports Les Jones at the Bait Bucket (727-864-2108)
5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay Big redfish and big snook in the 30 inch range have been keeping us busy this week, reports reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Lakeland (941-747-3856). The kingfish are still out there if you have a boat big enough to handle the rough conditions that we've had with the wind lately. The Spanish mackerel are still thick and they hitting sardines, as well as silver spoons, and Gotcha plugs. Speckled trout are all over the place and all you have to do is find some deeper grass around a flat and drift it with either live sardines or Berkley Gulps. "Make sure the water is clear though. With all the wind we have been having, the key is to go where the water looks clear," Crawford said. Tarpon are also getting better by the day and they are starting to pop up on the beaches as well as out at Egmont and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Crawford said.
6: At Anna Maria "Finding lee shorelines out of the wind was the name of the game this week in Sarasota Bay, reports Capt. Jon Bull of Shadowcast Charters. (863-860-7250). Tides were really high in the morning which meant working the mangroves for redfish and snook with weighted D.O.A. jerkbaits. Golden Bream color produced the best bites with the stirred up water. As the tide dropped, the deeper flats produced speckled trout up to 24 inches on MirrOlure MirrOdines. "The best tactic with this bait is to cast over as many potholes as you can and the work the lure with erratic action," Bull said. D.O.A. Deadly Combos with the shrimp were also great trout producers with the windy conditions, Bull said.
7: At St. Petersburg Snook up in the mangroves deep on live sardines in the Weedon Island area. Redish have been scattered and skittish along the west shore. Bekley Gulp Shrimp in white has been best. Cut bait has been outproducing for redfish as of late though, reports Capt. George Hastick of Fish Hunter Charters (727-525-1005). Speckled trout have been good at Pinellas Point near the potholes and in the grassy areas. A white grub tail jerkbait with a 1/8-1/4oz jig head has been best. The docks at Venetian Isles Coffee Pot Bayou has been holding snook both day and night. Most snook are just under slot with a few in the slot and some over slot big fish from time to time, Hastick said. Some of the docks are also holding large speckled trout in the 18-24 inch range. Scaled sardines and and white jerkbaits have been best, Hastick said.
8: In the north end of Tampa Bay Big pods of redfish on the Bayside Flat hitting scaled sardines and cut bait on the bottom. There is also a big pod of redfish up in the Double Branch area as well, reports Capt. Jason Lineberger of Ruthless Fishing Charters (813-363-9474). Snook have been hitting good on big scaled sardines on the Fourth Street flats, Lineberger said. On the front side of Weedon Island there are nice "gator trout" Spanish mackerel, and sharks, Lineberger said.
Around Tampa Bay Fishing Report 5/23/08
1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, they have been catching Spanish mackerel during the day 15-20 inches in size. A smattering of undersize cobia up to 30 inches on pinfish during the day. There's still catch and release snook at night. Speckled trout have been good at night on live shrimp. Tarpon have been hooked during the day. They're ranging in size from juveniles to fish over 100 pounds on pinfish and greenbacks. A couple of pompano here and there. Water temperture on Thursday 81.7 degrees, reports Tom Leonard of Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
2: At Madeira Beach Yellowtail and mangrove snapper good in 80 feet of water. Chum the snapper up with greenbacks and then use horse eye minnows for bait. There's plenty of red grouper being caught on the ledges in 80 feet of water as well. Hand sized pinfish have been the best bait, A 38 inch cobia was caught on a pinfish by Capt. Sam Maisano of Go Fast Charters on Thursday, reports Mike Drake of Don's Dock/Marlin's Dockside (727-367-3835).
3: At John's Pass Pompano at John's pass and Bind pass jetty jellow white Doc's 3/80z. jigs tipped with shrimp. A teaser is not necessary . Still plenty of speckled trout up to 13-14 inches on the inside flats and spoil islands of Boca Ciega Bay. Mangrove snapper are hitting good at the John's Pass Bridge next to the pilings on small pinfish and small sardines about an hour before high tide has been best. Under size snook hitting sporadically from the jetty on live pinfish, grunts, shrimp, reports Mike Drake of Don's Dock/Marlin's Dockside (727-367-3835).
4: At Fort DeSoto Park A lot of redfish, snook and flounder being caught in the park this week in the early morning. Flounder on rootbeer tail jerkbaits on red jig heads. The redfish have been good on sardines, live shrimp, and Berkley Gulp Shrimp. The Snook have been caught on sardines. Speckled trout are all over the flats in the area. Tarpon have been good between the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Egmont Key in the shipping channel. A few pompano have been caught at the bridges and at both the Gulf and Bay Piers. Some mangrove snapper and sheepshead have been caught as well. "It's been a good week, a good variety of fish have been caught. Spanish mackerel fishing has been slow though," reports Les Jones at the Bait Bucket (727-864-2108)
5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay Big redfish and big snook in the 30 inch range have been keeping us busy this week, reports reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Lakeland (941-747-3856). The kingfish are still out there if you have a boat big enough to handle the rough conditions that we've had with the wind lately. The Spanish mackerel are still thick and they hitting sardines, as well as silver spoons, and Gotcha plugs. Speckled trout are all over the place and all you have to do is find some deeper grass around a flat and drift it with either live sardines or Berkley Gulps. "Make sure the water is clear though. With all the wind we have been having, the key is to go where the water looks clear," Crawford said. Tarpon are also getting better by the day and they are starting to pop up on the beaches as well as out at Egmont and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Crawford said.
6: At Anna Maria "Finding lee shorelines out of the wind was the name of the game this week in Sarasota Bay, reports Capt. Jon Bull of Shadowcast Charters. (863-860-7250). Tides were really high in the morning which meant working the mangroves for redfish and snook with weighted D.O.A. jerkbaits. Golden Bream color produced the best bites with the stirred up water. As the tide dropped, the deeper flats produced speckled trout up to 24 inches on MirrOlure MirrOdines. "The best tactic with this bait is to cast over as many potholes as you can and the work the lure with erratic action," Bull said. D.O.A. Deadly Combos with the shrimp were also great trout producers with the windy conditions, Bull said.
7: At St. Petersburg Snook up in the mangroves deep on live sardines in the Weedon Island area. Redish have been scattered and skittish along the west shore. Bekley Gulp Shrimp in white has been best. Cut bait has been outproducing for redfish as of late though, reports Capt. George Hastick of Fish Hunter Charters (727-525-1005). Speckled trout have been good at Pinellas Point near the potholes and in the grassy areas. A white grub tail jerkbait with a 1/8-1/4oz jig head has been best. The docks at Venetian Isles Coffee Pot Bayou has been holding snook both day and night. Most snook are just under slot with a few in the slot and some over slot big fish from time to time, Hastick said. Some of the docks are also holding large speckled trout in the 18-24 inch range. Scaled sardines and and white jerkbaits have been best, Hastick said.
8: In the north end of Tampa Bay Big pods of redfish on the Bayside Flat hitting scaled sardines and cut bait on the bottom. There is also a big pod of redfish up in the Double Branch area as well, reports Capt. Jason Lineberger of Ruthless Fishing Charters (813-363-9474). Snook have been hitting good on big scaled sardines on the Fourth Street flats, Lineberger said. On the front side of Weedon Island there are nice "gator trout" Spanish mackerel, and sharks, Lineberger said.
