Saltwater fishing: Redfish bit is hot around Tampa Bay area

1. At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, mangrove snapper, sheepshead, speckled trout and jack crevalle have been steady catches most days this week. Sporadic pompano have been caught on shrimp and Doc’s Goofy Jigs, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2. At Madeira Beach, nearshore there’s tripletail on the markers, buoys and floating debris out to about seven miles. The hogfish bite is good on ledges starting at a depth of abut 50 feet. Mangrove snapper action is also good, but the big ones, along with the yellowtail, pick up at about a depth of 100 foot. Big red grouper and a few gags are biting deep as well. A few mahi are biting for the pelagic anglers, reports Joe Berlin at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

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3. At John's Pass, snook and redfish are biting in the inlet and from the jetty. Mangrove snapper are still near any structure and there’s plenty of sheepshead on structure and the docks. Flounder have been caught and pompano are starting to show around the jetty and some bridges. Tarpon are still in the bridge lights at night and early in the morning. Spanish mackerel have been caught from the jetty and around Pass-a-Grille, reports Andrew Schleissing at Treasure Island Bait and Tackle (727-343-4181).

4. At Fort De Soto Park, there’s big snook around the marina along with good size mangrove snapper. Sheepshead are holding on area structure. High tides around the mangroves are producing a good redfish bite on shrimp. Snook are active along the mangroves. The Gulf Pier is producing Spanish mackerel, snapper, sheepshead, whiting and jack crevalle. Bunces Pass is producing whiting, jacks and some pompano. Tripletail are biting on the swim buoys along the beach, reports Capt. Claude Hinson at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

What's Biting: Redfish

The redfish bite has picked up for area anglers. Good catches and a few schools have been reported around Tampa Bay this week.

Strike Zones: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Elsewhere

5. Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, Spanish mackerel have moved into the lower bay and are all over thrashing on huge bait schools. Look for diving birds and you’ll be on the mackerel. The mangrove snapper bite remains strong throughout the bay. The pilings of the Skyway and the shipping channel edges are holding fish up to 18 inches. Gag grouper are moving in, and keepers over 30 inches were caught. All of the inner reefs are holding good grouper, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). Lower Tampa Bay has a good snook bite around the beaches and along the shoreline at any pass. Redfish are roaming around, and the Seven Pines shoreline has had good numbers of fish. Fish oyster bars on flats adjacent to deeper water during the higher tides for the best action, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160).

6. At Anna Maria, in the sound, there’s a lot of trout, snook and redfish all around the flats and along the shorelines. There’s mangrove snapper around the docks and in the potholes on the flats. The Manatee and the Cortez Bridge are holding good snapper. Small baits are the key for the snapper, reports Crawford.

7. At St. Petersburg, schools of redfish are roaming the Weedon Island area and solo reds are biting around Pinellas Point and the Fort de Soto area. The snook bite is also good around Weedon, Bayboro and Fort de Soto. Pompano are biting Doc’s Jigs around the Misner and Bunces Pass bridges. Gag grouper and mangrove snapper are consistent around the Skyway, on the reefs and along the shipping channel. Snapper are biting around most structure and the bridges. Sheepshead are picking up around structure and the docks, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).

8. In the north end of Tampa Bay, redfish are schooling on the flats. Live bait and paddle tail jigs are producing around Picnic Island, the Legion flats, Fourth Street and Weedon Island. Snook are all over the flats, around the bridges and in the canals. Speckled trout are mixed in on the deeper grass flats. The mangrove snapper bite is “hot” right now on just about any structure and the bridges. There’s sheepshead around, and pompano are biting around some of the area bridges. Tarpon are moving toward the rivers, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

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Elsewhere

• At Homosassa, the redfish bite remains good. Look for jumping mullet and cover water with a gold spoon to get the bite. The nearshore rocks are producing mangrove snapper and big Key West grunts. Snook action is a little slow, the few that are biting have been in the same areas as the redfish. Soft plastics under a cork are producing speckled trout while drifting, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).

• At Sebastian Inlet, the mullet run is on, but high waves have limited the fishing. Snook, tarpon and mangrove snapper are biting from the jetty. Snook and snapper are biting inside the inlet from the catwalks. A few flounder have been caught inside the river, reports Whitey’s Bait & Tackle (321-724-1440).

• At Fort Pierce, the offshore bottom bite for mangrove snapper has been fair at a depth of 80 feet. That same depth is producing a decent kingfish bite on the troll. At the inlet, whiting are good in the surf and pompano are starting to show. Snook are biting on the beach side of the jetty. Inside the inlet, live baits are producing mostly over-slot snook. Mangrove snapper are biting inside around the bridges and along the deeper channel edges, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).