NEW Fishing Report from Capt. Rob Salimbene Mangrove Man Charters www.mangroveman.com

Capt. Rob, reports.
Date: 23-24 April 2011 from http://www.mangroveman.com/

What is Biting: Redfish have really turned on this past week and should begin schooling up in large numbers within the next few weeks. I have been targeting reds around oyster bars and deep mangrove shorelines during the higher tide stages. The last two hours of the incoming tide and the first two hours of the outgoing tide have been producing very well. Most of the fish have come on cutbait, with fresh cut threadfin hearing being the best by far, however live shrimp or greenbacks have also been catching their fare share.

Snook have also continued to improve this past week. I have been fishing the south shore of Tampa Bay, basically from Miguel Bay (MAP LINK) to the Little Manatee River working the outside grass flats and passes. Find moving water with a deeper mangrove edge and some baitfish and Snook are bound to be in the surrounding area. The best bait has been live greenbacks, but live shrimp or the Mirrolure Mirrodine in the greenback color will also trigger strikes.

Lastly, Spanish Mackeral are swarming the entire bay area. This past weekend while Tarpon fishing, we were having difficulty keeping baits in the water due to the Spanish Mackeral that were tearing our baits and leaders to shreds. I like to target Mackeral with a live greenback rigged on a No.1 long shank hook connected to 40lb. fluorocarbon leader. Although you will get some bite-offs, I think you definitely get more bites and catch more fish with heavy flourocarbon leader rather than wire. The fish we have been catching are averaging 18 to 20 inches and we have been catching 20 to 30 per trip.

Source: Captain Rob Salimbene Mangrove Man Charters http://www.mangroveman.com/

Easter WEEKEND Fishing Report

Date: 23-24 April 2011

What is Biting: It looks like the weather is going to be perfect this weekend to hit the water and find some Redfish and Trout on many of the local FLATS. I myself plan to head to the Ft. Desoto Treasure Island area and hit the flats along west side of the 275 highway just prior to the skyway toll. The Redfish have been schooled up with the mullet along many of the flats and have been caught by casting in behind the schools of mullet. My bait of choice has been a GULP Shrimp in the New Penny color. But top waters are enticing them to Strike as well and can land you some nice Trout bites. Spanish Mackerel have been all over the bay and trolling for them seems to work very well as does hanging out near the bridges and casting the currents. A nice flashing jig will work if you twitch it fast enough.

As for offshore and near the skyway in the Egmont channel and along the shipping channel I've heard the Grouper bite has been good and the Mangrove Snapper Bite has been good. I've even heard of Tarpon sightings already in the area.

Source: TampaBayFish.com (Trevor)

Fishing Report from http://www.hardcorfishingcharter.com

Date: 22 April, 2011
Whats Biting: Capt. JP, reports. "The bait has shown up on most of the flats between the St.pete Pier and the Howard Franklin bridge. They have a been a little spooky so try and stand where the bait cant see you. Redfish and Snook have been on fire around the St.Pete airport. Throwing out some chummers has helped getting the bite turned on. Grouper has also been on fire fishing pinfish in the channel around the Skyway bridge. You will probably catch quite a few shorts but the big ones are down there!!! If you have any questions feel free to visit my website at http://www.hardcorefishingcharters.com/ and send me an email.

Tight Lines,

Captain JP"

NEW Charter Captain Added to "LOCAL RESOURCES"

I just wanted to inform everyone of a NEW Captain that I have added to the Local Resources Page. His name is Capt. JP and he is the owner of HARDCORE FISHING CHARTERS. You can visit his website at http://www.hardcorefishingcharter.com/. He fishes all of the Tampa Bay Area and specializes in Shallow Water Fishing. He uses top of the line G Loomis, tackle and fishes out of a 24 ft, Ranger Flats boat that can accomodate up to 5 but is best fished with 2-3. If your into "Catching" he is willing to make that happen. Contact him at 813-380-3443 or visit his web site for more info. Thanks Capt. and Tight Lines.

CrankBaits and Top Waters that I like to catch fish in the Tampa Area

This is another part of my favorite Lures section, these are some of the Crankbaits and Top Waters that have produced well for me over the years I have caught Trout, Redfish and Snook on everyone of these Lures. The Jumping finger Mullet seems to be my favorite, but all are very good additions to any tackle box.

Trout, Redfish and Snook Crankbaits and Topwater

New Fish added to Hot Spot Map.

Based on my past few outings and fish that I've caught I've updated the Hot Spot Map with Fish and locations. Check out the old and new locations here.

Jigs and Swim Baits that I like to catch fish in the Tampa Area

Ever get on the water and think man I have all my favorite baits that I use everytime I'm out, I wonder if they will bite on something different. WELL thats when I just strat going through lures, jigs, cranks and everything in my box to see if something else works. The best time to do this is when the fish are really biting and your arms are getting tired from reeling em in. This way you know they are biting and yeah it may be that they are hitting anything BUT you may be able to narrow down WHAT they WON'T hit. Sometimes that can be useful too. Because if they won't hit something when they are really biting then they definitly won't hit it when they AREN'T biting. Here are a few of the Swim Baits I like to use and have caught many trout on.


SwimBaits and Jig Heads (Trout, Redfish and Snook)

Saturday and Sunday

Hit the water both days before sunrise. The water was perfect and the fishing was excellent. Dunedin/Caladesi Saturday was alive with fish. Redfish were everywhere except on my hook. Still working on finding that perfect bait for redfish. Caught plenty of trout though and many keepers but I'm not the biggest fan of Trout so I released em all. Sunday same thing except I headed down towards Ft. Desoto and Turtle Key area, even hooked a few redfish but I don't think I set my hook good enough so had them on long enough to see them and have them spit the hook. Gonna try again next weekend and see if my luck improves. The fishing is great this time of year and we should see only better fishing as this nice spring weather really kicks in. I did talk to a few guys that said they were catching Redfish from the shore on cut bait though so I may have to give that a try.

Tampa Area Fishing Report

I've gotten a lot of comments on what is biting and where so I thought I would put them all down in a report.

The flats all along Tarpon Springs are alive with action. Reds are cruising the flats, Trout are hanging on the grass and Spanish Mackerel are any place there is bait to be had.

The Bay is full of Spanish Macks and the area near Weedon Island is really producing some nice Reds. Christmas Pass is full of Snook Trout and Reds and are typically found on an incoming tide. All the bridges are holding fish and the Lady Fish are thick like mosquitos.

The area all around Ft. Desoto is holding nice reds and trout and taking sinking baits during the day and top waters in the afternoon. Last weeks slow tides will be replaced with faster tides and more aggressive fish this week and weekend.

Grouper in State Waters have been bitting pretty good if you can get your bait down past the small red grouper and the KINGFISH bite has finally turned on and around the wrecks and in Egmont Channel you should find them hanging around.

Tarpon Springs in JUNE (Answer to an allexperts question from Michigan)

June in Tarpon Springs Area. There are a few places that will work great for you during that time of year. SO let me elaborate on a few things, SEASON, SPECIES, AREAS, BAITS/LURES and TACKLE(Rods/reels, etc...), and lastly some TIPS on fishing saltwater.


1. SEASON: Summertime hot. Best fishing times are the Magic hours (The Hour or two just after sunrise and the hour or two just before sunset.) So if your here just vacationing you could be on the water at 0630 and done by about 9am, and you can spend the rest of the day going to the beach or doing whatever. The water will be very warm and the fish will be very active. Fast retrieves, top water and some good jerk baits will do the trick. Remember sunscreen (NOT BULLFROG) even though it is the BEST SUNSCREEN ON THE MARKET. It is also the best fish "DETRACTANT" on the market. A pair of POLARIZED Glasses (These are just great no matter what your doing it makes seeing the shallows and bottom changes that much better.). Last thing be careful in the water on the shore and where you launch oyster beds are like a filed of razors and will tear your feet up.
2. SPECIES: Kayak on the flats and over the grass early can yield SNOOK, REDFISH, TROUT and LADYFISH. That time of year the TARPON will be rolling near Howard Park and Sunset Park and along the deeper water in those areas. You could possibly find a Spanish Mack or two also.
3. AREAS: Tarpon Springs has great flats all along it and there are a few places you can launch from and make things a little better.

• HOWARD PARK is a nice park with an ABUNDANCE of parking along the road on the way out.
• SUNSET PARK is another location that will get you right to the fish. As far as paddling you don't have to go far and I wouldn't try to go to far from shore without knowing the tides and letting someone know where your headed.
• ANCLOTE PARK is a Very Busy boat ramp area but can get you to some nice little flats areas near the south side of the channel heading into the inter coastal.

Paddling is not going to be that difficult watch the tides and don't go super far out, check out some of the local fishing charters for TARPON SPRINGS, TAMPA and other areas to see what their fishing reports say, watch the winds and for Summer time storms especially around evening. The rain is refreshing but the lightning here is famous so be careful. Make sure you have the proper safety equipment (Life Jacket, Whistle(noisemaker) and s few other niceties (small First aid kit, light, knife). Also dress to get wet cause the fish will splash you, and a large brim hat, light long sleeve shirt and Sunglasses. Neck Gators are the thing down here in the summer, their light and you can cover up your neck and it helps. (if your down here look for the light weight ones for saltwater fishing)
4. BAITS/LURES and TACKLE: Small 1/2oz or lighter jig heas with a plastic swim tail work great. Look for Red/White, Chartruese/White. Gold, Silver, Green Metalflake, and any other color that looks bright and flashy. These colors can be the jighead, swim tails and any combo of the two.
If you want to go with live bait (whitebaits will be hard to come by from a kayak but pin fish will be plentiful witha  small hook and a piece of frozen shrimp and a bait bucket you should have enough as needed) Live shrimp are available at just about all bait shops for about $5/dozen depending on size. Red/White popping corks with about 24-30" leader under it with a small 1.0 hook should be good.
TARPON will prefer a pin fish free lined right in front of them BUT will also take a Shrimp and Jigs.
TOP WATER: Zara Spooks, Top Dog, Bagleys Jumping Finger Mullet, some other top water poppers that swim like your walking the dog will work.
LINE: Most fisherman around here will use power pro line or the other equivalents (fireline, spider wire) with Monofilament leaders of up to 6ft in lengther. tied line to line with the less hardware items (swivels, clasps etc..) the better. Use about a 10lb no heavier than 15lb test and the monofilament can be a size heavier than the mainline or lighter depending on your preference and your reel. brown, green and even white or water camo color is the best. If your after a mixed bag of fish use about a 20lb with a 25lb leader and you should be able to handle a large Redifish or Snook.
RODS/REELS: 7'.5" medium action or 7' light action will be best for this type fishing. A heavy Action Rod with 35+lb will be needed if you run across a Tarpon. If your using a Saltwater Reel it will take the saltware beating better and should be washed with Fresh after every encounter with saltwater. Freshwater setups will last your one trip down here even if you wash them they will rust and the salt will eat them up.
5. TIPS: Don't get too excited when that fish is following your lure keep it steady and he will follow. OR throw back to the same spot and try again. Use hook outs and other tools to release, sometimes a thrashing fish will end up hooking you too. Tarpon will run and you need to chase them if you can or they will spool you unless you have heavy Tackle. SNOOK are CLOSED while your here BUT you can catch and release. Pay attention to the SLOT limits when keeping fish the Game Wardens love waiting for you to come back in. IF you have questions while your here ask the Bait shops they are all helpful and don't mind answering questions and telling you where and what is biting.  Search for local fishing site. Google search these Terms ("Tarpon Springs Fishing", "Tampa Fishing", "Tampa Trout Fishing", "Tampa Redfish", "Tampa Snook"

Spring Fishing is Great

Made it out on the water Saturday and Sunday, both days just fantastic weather wise and fishing also. Saturday we hit Sunset park area near Tarpon Springs. The Flats were alive with Big Reds roaming the flats mixed in with the schools of Mullet and The trout were everywhere on the grass and hitting anything that looked interesting. Top water seemed to be there favorit target. Sunday we hit the North East side of Courtney Campbell Causeway and Howard Frankin in the flats that are near the highway. The Trout were intermingled with Thousands of Lady Fish and an occasional Spanish Mack was sprinkled in to the catch. Every Cast using small White or Gold jigs worked the best and each cast was a hook up and you just had to wait to get it to the boat to see what it was. The only reason we stopped was because our arms got tired of reeling in the fish after about 4 hours of fishing.

Grouper in State Waters Opens 1 April 2011

This Friday Grouper in STATE shallow water out to 9 miles in the GULF is open. If you want more detailed information on Saltwater fishing regulations see this link. http://www.eregulations.com/Florida/fishing/saltwater/

The kingfish should be moving in as well and while your out on the shallow wrecks make sure to keep a flatline bait out with a wire leader and you will probably find a King or two trolling the tops of the wrecks.

Fishing this weekend

The weather is moving into that perfect day pattern where the winds are low and the sun is shinning and the fish seem to be hungrier than ever. Trout are hitting all of the grass flats, Spanish macks have moved into the bay and are also all throughout the intercoastal. Even some reports of Tailing Reds near desoto and some of the other flats. Snook are still in their winter haunts for now but will slowly move towards the beaches as things warm up. Offshore the Grouper season is closed for a few more days but I talked with a few divers and they say that there are a lot of them out there and Mangos too good sized since many people were off the grouper the mangos benefitted as well. Kings should be showing on some of the closer wrecks as they follow the bait that has started showing up. All in all if your hitting the water to fish or just enjoy this wonderful weekend it should be great either way. Be safe and tight lines.

Shrimp Starting to show off Ft. Desoto Flats.

We made it out to the water on the 18th, just in time for the full moon Saturday night. The wind was out of the North adn we thought it might not be that good of a night the tide was way out and with the wind it was a little choppy. BUT shortly after the moon rode about 9:20 or so we were able to get out to the knee high water and the eyes were lighting up everywhere. The shrimp were everywhere BUT they were mostly small, not that the bay shrimp are very large but these were very small. during the night however over the next hour we were abelt to find shrimp large enought to take home and not feel like we had popcorn shrimp. It was a good night and you could tell the fish were active that night as well. From the sheer numbers of shrimp we saw there had to be fish that were pleasantly plump after the nights feeding. Take a look at my previous shrimp blog in one of my previous entries.

Fishing for the Everyday Guy.

My fishing day normally begins very early. It actually starts the day before, normally because I wake up before the sun comes up to hit the water when the light is just busting pink on the horizon. Something about the sun just peeking up when your already on the water and hearing the slurping of fish on the calm surface and the popping of a Snook in the mangroves or the splash of the Mullet catching some morning air. It is my church where I worship the greatness of the outdoors and the natural beauty that someone has put in front of us but is rarely admired for just existing. I'm not trying to be a professional writer but I do think that many of us feel the same way about the outdoors and we sometimes can't explain it to our friends or family what the outdoors means to us.
       The Night Before I head out I normally get my rods out and make sure that they are well lubricated and that I don't have any kind of issues with them that went unnoticed the last time I was out. I also check the leaders on them and I look over about the first 10-15ft of line to see if there is much wear and tear on the braided line. If there is I cut it off and tie a new leader on. 
My typical line and leader setup is a 20lb braided Power Pro main line with 15-20lb monofilament leader tied line-to-line using a Surgeons Knot. It's pretty simple and I haven't had it be the weak link in my rig yet. Next I think about the type of fish I am targeting and I choose the appropriate two lures OR Hook/weight combos to tie on. I normally use two Poles for ease of switching out baits fast and have two options to choose from while fishing. I then tie the lure or hook on using a Rapala Knot. This knot allows the lure or hook to swing freely on the line for more action. This is also a very simple and quick knot that can be used to change lures rapidly while on the water.
     The Day of fishing begins like I said before the sun comes up. IF I'm taking the Kayak I typically load it the night before also if not I head to my boat in plenty of time to get it in the water before first light. I normally load my tackle, a small cooler or just a quick bottle of water and a few ziplock Baggies and my fillet knife. normally I am the only one at my fishing spots, alone in the dark and nothing but the salt air and the soft winds to keep me company. It is great to fish and to be that one person in your own little piece of the ocean a truly relaxing time and a lot of fun when you start catching fish. Speaking of catching fish sometimes I switch between multiple lures so when I am done with one I try to keep it in one pocket of my tackle box so I can wash them out later when I get home and it doesn't get saltwater all over my other lures and corrode later.
     When I'm done it normally is just a matter of loading up and heading home unless of course I have caught fish. If I caught fix I try to fillet them at the shoreline so that I can feed the pelicans or other birds the remains rather than trying to throw the remains in my trash and waiting for two days before the trash runs. Once home I take all my used tackle, including my rods, reels and lures and wash it off with freshwater to make sure that I don't have any salt on them. Because if you have fished here for very long reels and lures don't seem to last as long as they do when used in just fresh water. Washing your kayak out and/or your boat is also a good idea. Flushing the motor on your boat is must but I don't think I need to even say that.

That's my fishing routine and I know everyone has their own habits and things that they like to do and maybe my routine will help you to think about some things that you might not have before. Like I continuously say. I am a regular guy, I like to fish and I have a full time job that supports my fishing habit. So the next time your out on the water and you aren't sure what your going to target or where your going to go think about my web site and hopefully when you come back you will check it out and learn something that you can share.

Tampa Outdoor Expo - 20th YEAR

This weekend is great weekend to get back into the OUTDOOR season with a trip to the Tampa Tribune Outdoor Expo and Boat Show. It is at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa FLorida. and is also during the same time as the SUNCOAST GUN SHOW.  The Outdoor Expo will feature MANY of the local Fishing experts and TV hosts and has more than 150 Vendors in 140,000 sqft area. Something for everyone!

Runs from FRIDAY March 4th, 2011 - SUNDAY March 6th, Admission is $8.00

GOTO THE WEBSITE.

How to USE the TampaBayFish BLOG to find out whats biting!

Ok so you may have read my blog, you may have thought whoop dee doo he told me he caught a trout or a redfish OR nothing at all.  The question your asking is why do I want to read about a fish that was caught yesterday or the day before? Well the reports I post have two main purposes and why you should look at them every once in a while.
Purpose #1. It tells me what is being caught right now during this season and what seems to be the bait that is triggering the bite.

Purpose #2. It tells a year long story about what was biting and during what month that type of fish was biting.

SO if you take a look at the Blog Archives for my site you will see that you can look through the posts over the year and see when I was catching what type of fish.

Making use of the information presented can help you target specific species of fish and give a general Idea of what might be biting TODAY based on what was BITING as posted in my BLOG.

Here is a TIP for today. Take a look back at the MARCH 2007 Blog Entry titled "Early Kings" and you will see that based on that one post WE should be ready to head out and find us som Kings on the 26th and 27th of March. SO good luck and remember the site is FREE to use as you wish and hopefully by using the information provided you will catch more fish.

TampaBayFish.com provides good information for you everywhere

USATODAY likes TampaBayFish.com
Another location that gives credit to TampaBayFish.com for fishing information in the Tampa Bay Area. USAToday gives Travel Tips on locations and things to do there. In this Article they cite my Ft. Desoto page and the information about the Fishing piers located there.

LIVESTRONG.COM likes TanpaBayFish.com
I'm not saying that they support me BUT they do think that I am a good source for "the everyday Tampa Fisherman". I truly appreciate the vote of confidence in the information I provide and I am a regular user of the livestrong.com web site. I track everything I eat and I plan to utilize their recipe system to track fish recipes that promote our local Tampa Flare. If your interested in losing weight or just watching what you eat check out their "MY PLATE" feature and adjust your daily caloric intake to eat a little less and a little more healthy and you'll be surprised at how easy it is to lose a few lbs.

Link to LiveStrong Article with props given to TampaBayFish.com

TAMPABAY.COM likes TampaBayFish.com
Hurricane Season will be here before you know it. Using some of these tips can help your boat weather the storm. I first published my Hurricane Information in 2004 when we had the last major bout of storms come through the Tampa Area. The good news is others are also using my information to support their Hurricane Tips. TampaBayFish.com is cited as a source for hurricane information at tampabay.com
    So the next time your thinking about Hurricanes and Securing your boat remember you can use trusted sources and the internet to provide you with information, tie down how-tos and more. Do let a lotta wind and rain destory something you use to support your fishing habit.

Simple-Quick-Strong Fishing Knot. Fishing Knot How-To

I've used this knot for the past year and as long as it is tied tight and cinched down good it will hold just about any size fish. And it if QUICK to tie and leaves the bait free to move without the restriction of the line.

Step 1: Tie a Simple Line over knot like the first step of a Square Knot.
Step 2: Run the free end of that knot through the eylet of your Lure. The Back through the first knot.
Step 3: Cinch the knot down tight!
Step 4: Tie another simple Knot around the line with the free end.
Step 5: Cinch the knots down together, wetting with your mouth or water. CLIP the excess Free Line.

Hopefully this helps as it has increased the amount of time I am fishing as opposed to tying complicated knots.
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Tampa Area Fishing Piers - South Sunshine Skyway Pier

Site 2: The South Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier is located just to west of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on the South side of the Bridge. Take the first exit after crossing, which means you will have to pay a toll to get accross the Sunshine Skyway This pier is also part of the remanents of the original span and is driveable and safe. On this Pier also you can drive right up to your fishing spot and have your car right there with you. Just about any type of fish that can be caught in the gulf or in the bay can be caught here. They have Rental Gear here at their Bait & Tackle snack shop as well. This is also the longer of the two piers and at this time on both piers the EAST SIDE of the Piers are closed. This just makes fishing on a two lane Pier as opposed to four.

Map: google maps link
Address:
7900 US Highway 19 S, Palmetto, FL
Phone:

941-729-0117

Early Trout Fishing

Decided to take the Kayaks out and see what was biting. We put in at the OldsmarPark area. where we had to Pay a $10 Parking fee, Couldn't believe it was that much since I don't pay that much to launch my boat. Anyway we got out on the flats just south of the blown up power plant and we caught a few small trout. Nothing much to mention and it was rather slow. This may be a good spot once the weather warms up a few more weeks. Spots were added to the Hot Spots Map

Tampa Area Fishing Piers - North Sunshine Skyway Pier

Site 2: The North Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier is located just to west of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge it is part of the remanents of the original span and is driveable and safe. One thing that is nice about this Pier is you can drive right up to your fishing spot and have your car right there with you. Just about any type of fish that can be caught in the gulf or in the bay can be caught here. They have Rental Gear here at their Bait & Tackle snack shop. At this time on both piers the EAST SIDE of the Piers are closed. This just makes fishing on a two lane Pier as opposed to four.

Map: google maps link

Address:
11101 34th Street South

St. Petersburg, FL 33711
Phone:

727-865-0668



Tampa Area Fishing Piers - Clearwater Beach Fishing Pier (Pier 60)

I received a question regarding fishing rentals and where to fish in Tampa. For many of us it is easy to just know where to go we live it and are around it all year long but for many of our tourist friends who travel here and want to fish it can be a mystery as to where to start and how to go about doing it.  My next couple posts will be about Fishing Piers and Rental Locations. I probably won't cover all of them but will make a good attempt at giving some locations to get started.

(These are in no particular ranking order)

Site 1:  Clearwater Beach Pier, otherwise known as Pier 60. This is a popular place for sunset watching sightseeing, an occasional dolphin and manatee sighting and of course fishing. The pier is pretty long not sure of it's exact length but they have a Bait & Tackle, snack shop in the middle and shelter along the walkways at 1/3, 2/3 and on either end of the T at the end of the pier. It also has some great lighting around it and can be fantastic for night fishing especially in the warm summer months from June - early Sept. SNOOK can be found hauting the bait fish around the lights. March-April is Kingfish and Spanish Mackerel, and again Sept-Oct for the fall King/Mack runs. Other species that can be found here are Sheepshead, Sea-Trout, occasional Redfish and a potential Flounder among numerous baitfish.

Map: google maps link
Address:
1 Causeway Blvd, Clearwater, Fl. 33767
Phone:
727-462-6466

NEW Feature for TampaBayFish.com (FREE Editable Hotspot Map)

OK so it's a NEW Year and with a NEW year comes a NEW Feature. You've seen my hotspots Map, OR maybe you haven't either way this is a way for you to connect to the site and add your OWN Hotspots. Here is how it works. Google Maps provides the ability to UPDATE Maps with place markers, I have made custom icons for some of the local fish and will ADD more as time goes by. YOU being the fisherman you are send me an e-mail at tampabayfish@gmail.com and say "I want to be added to edit the HOTSPOTS MAP" in the subject line and I will add you to the map and you can begin editing and adding your favorite spots, OR just a spot that you caught something. The more we have adding the better the fishing log will be and the MORE chances other people will be able to catch fish.

      I've already populated it with some fishing spots and I ALSO added a BONUS, I've added OVER 100 Offshore Coordinates and Fishing Locations from my own personal List and some others that I have gotten permission to "DIVULGE". SO the Map is Live and NOW you can take credit for the spots that YOU catch Fish.
MEMBER HOTSPOT MAP
Once you've sent an E-mail you will be able to go to the GOOGLE MY Maps Feature and EDIT The Map. The only information that is needed By Google to Make it possible for you to EDIT the Map is to add your e-mail to the map as an EDITOR.      
     Remember Fishing is an excellent sport. It can provide meals, relaxation, networking opportunities, outdoor enjoyment, sight seeing, once in a lifetime experiences and just plain old FUN. But not everyone is an EXPERT Professional Fisherman and if you need a little help or a few local tips. TampaBayFish is the place to get it. 
      Some other sites are requesting that you pay $$ to be a member to add hotspots and they probably have a lot of knowledge and a lot of information that is very useful. HOWEVER many of us are just local guys that want to catch fish and know where to go, so paying MONTHLY to get this information just isn't worth it. LOCAL EVERYDAY FISHERMAN Know that TampaBayFish.com is the source for Down-To-Earth Fishing Reports for the average guy.

EMAIL ME and I will ADD your E-mail to the list of people who can add fishing spots and start fishing.

Cold weather Report

With the water being pretty chilly the fish are slow but not scarce. Best bet is to go later in the day when the sun has had a chance to warm the water a little Soon warmer weather is on its way it won't be long until we have some great spring fishing action. In the meantime. Here are a few places that may produce. One is the beach areas along phillippe park in Safety Harbor, the water is shallow and the sandy bottom heats up rather quickly. If you hit the area before evening rolls around you may find some reds cruising along the mangroves when the tide is up.
          Near the Dunedin Causeway and the flats north towards Anclote are holding Trout but they seem to be in the 5-7ft range and are hitting slower moving jerked softbaits. Try this area when the sun is high in the sky so between 11-3pm is your best bet.
          Hopefully everyone has had enough winter and are ready to get back to some fishing weather. I will update my hotspots if I hear of anything good biting. The local paper is reporting large Sheepshead moving around in the Bay BUT I have never had much luck finding or catching them so for those of you that have the skills to do it that may be an option.
-- Tghtlines

Jason Prieto is Making a Special Offer

Every once in a while I run accross a good deal that one of the Charter Captains I have listed on my site has going on Here is one of those deals.

Forward of an Email Advertisement
Spring Fishing Almost Here!

captjasonp@aol.com
Spring fishing is almost here and booking early is the key to getting the date of your choice. We are already seeing a warming trend and I look for it to continue as we go into February. With warm weather comes great Trout, Snook, and Redfish fishing in Tampa Bay. To book a trip call

813-727-9890

Take advantage of our early booking special!

Book a 6 hr fishing trip for the price of a 4 hr. This means you get 2 more hours for free. This offer will be good until February 15th. As long as you book the trip before then you will get the discount. It does not matter when you run the trip! Take advantage of these big savings and get out on the prestine waters of Tampa Bay!

Fishing For Hope Food Drive -

The Fishing for Hope Food Drive
WHEN: Saturday, November 20, 9:30am - 1pm
WHERE: Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent
               2010 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, Florida, 33602.


This is an INvitation from Capt. Bill Milller
"Please come by and help us feed the needy during this holiday season.

Joining me trying to fill up my new boat, The S.S.Hope, with food will be "The Average Angler" Glen Pla, "The Reel Animals" Capt. Mike Anderson and Capt. Billy Nobles, The ESPN Radio Outdoors Team of Captains Danny Guarino, Jason Prieto, Will Shook, and Ric Liles, along with Captain Billy Miller, "Mr Trout" Captain Richard Seward, Capt. Mark Gore and many more bay area captains and fishing media personalities.

We will be available to help you unload your car, talk a little fishing, sign some autographs and pictures.

Here's what we need:

Turkeys

Canned goods like vegetables and fruit

Cereal

Cake mix

Peanut butter

Pasta

Soup

The first 200 people to bring in donations to the S.S.Hope will receive a Mystery Gift Card from Betts Fishing Center valued at $5,$10,$20,$50 or $100.

Let's join together as a fishing community and make a real difference in our world.

Please forward this email to friends and post it on Facebook, Twitter and the other social media outlets.

For more information on the food drive and Metropolitan Ministries go to www.metromin.org.

I look forward to seeing you this Saturday.

Best Regards,

Capt. Bill Miller "

Tampa Bay Boat Show Nov 19-21 2010 (FREE ADMISSION $5 Parking)

Just a little information for something to do since it is getting chilly outside.

Capt. Gary Burch sent this out.
Ahoy Mates!


It's time for the Florida Fishing School seminars for the fall season.
Presented by the St Petersburg Times and will be located at the Florida
Fair Grounds.

Come by and see my seminars on Staurday and Sunday. I will be talking
about inshore equipment and techniques and cast netting.
I will be persenting at 12 noon and 2 pm on Saturday the 20th and 2 pm
Sunday the 21st.

This is the boating and fishing event of the season. Chart your course to
the Florida State Fairgrounds on November 19, 20 and 21. The Tampa Bay
Boat Show is a grand event showcasing area boat dealers and the latest in
boating and fishing supplies... great accessories too. This three-day
sales event offers a great way to see and compare all available makes and
models in one location. The main floor will be filled with new boats,
trailers, docking and safety equipment, the best fishing equipment in one
place and many outdoor-related exhibits!

Don't miss the Florida Fishing School on Saturday and Sunday!
Local fishing captains will share their expertise in a variety of fish-y
topics.

FISHING SHOW: Gulf & Bay Florida Fishing School
Learn From The Pros • Saturday & Sunday
Presented By The Area's Top Fishing Experts & Captains.

WHERE: Florida State Fairgrounds
ADMISSION: FREE - $5.00 for Parking

Friday, November 19, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 20, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, November 21, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

http://www.tampabayboatshows.com/index.shtml

Come on by the seminar and say hey.

Capt Gary Burch

http://www.allcatchcharters.com/

captgary@allcatchcharters.com

727 458-6335

Fall Fishing Tampa Bay

The fishing overall has been fantastic in the bay and on the grass flats around Tampa Bay. I personally have been fishing the flats near St. Joseph Sound whenever I am able to get away from Work, Which lately hasn't been too often. However the reports I have gotten from my buddies have been that the fishing is great. The trout seem to be hitting everything you throw at them. The trick is finding the right depth to fish. I found on one of my last trips that the watre between 5-7 feet has been the most productive. Also I found on trip two weekends ago that there is everything out there biting. In just about 2 hrs of fishing My last trip we caught 18 Trout, 2 Small Grouper, 2 Small Black Sea Bass, a Spanish mackerel, a Remora, and numerous grunts. All while drifting the flats in about 5-7 foot of water.

My Buddy Tim gets picked for SUNCOAST TARPON TOURNAMENT

(<--TIM --- ME -->)

Well what a deal, they needed volunteers to observer during the SUNCOAST TARPON TOURNAMENT and if picked you get to fish with one of the anglers that are in the tournament. http://suncoasttarponroundup.org/
And what a lucky draw Tim got picked to fish with Capt. Bill Miller. What an honor it is to be able to fish with such a local celebrity in the fishing world. Many people may not think much of just going along for the ride in such a large tournment But for those of us that understand the amount of knowledge that just observing a great fisherman can impart makes that ride well worth it and the chance to watch someone with so much local knowledge fish in our own backyard. Good Luck Capt. Miller and Tim keep your eyes open and hopefully we can get some pictures.

Tampa Grouper Fishing

Hit the water at around 6am, loaded up with some bait and headed offshore to find some Snapper and Grouper. The Wave action was a little rough on the way out and ended up staying rough all day long. We hit the Rube Allyn first and ended up landing a couple Mangroves and plenty of small reds and grunts. We hooked into a Goliath and on the snapper pole it was not a long hook up. After a few larger fish broke us off on the rocks we headed to the vets reef. We landed the Grouper in the picture and lost a few more larger grouper to the rocks but all in all a good day of fishing. It seems the Chum is what brought in the larger grouper and each time we dropped a chum block down we hooked up with the Larger ones.

Great Summertime action

The trout on the flats are outstanding right now. They seem to be hitting just about anything you throw to them. The morning bait schools are alive and well and the trout are hanging around the edges looking for that easy meal. Top water is one of the most exciting and fun things to do and watching those trout explode on your bait is a real fun time. My favorite is a "bagleys jumping finger mullet" Silver or Gold and I cast it as far as I can on my 20lb braid and (18")17lb flouro leader once it hits I give it one violent jerk that makes it jump about 1-2ft after about two or three jerks you should have the attention of any nearby trout. After about 2-3 casts in the same spot you should have made them mad enough to hit it, and I mean hit it they seem to be jumping all the way out of the water chasing it. The picture above is the 24 incher that seemed to be one of the ones I made mad yesterday morning.

Fishing Report - Post 4th

Despite the rain coming down all weekend I was able to hit the beach early before sunrise for about 2 hrs on Saturday Morning before the Rain set in again. I caught 2, 20" snook and 4, 17" spanish mackerel that were cruising the beach. I was on the beach when it was Dark and was getting NO hits then as soon as the sun gave me enough light to see the gree/blue of the water the fish started hitting. Just about every hit was a strike and I believe many were schooled Spanish Macks running the beaches. I was broke off a few times just from the teeth. Also throughout the day I was able to fish the beach and land a few more Macks. The Snook were there but no real bites and there were no Pompano to be had or at least I didn't catch any. I will be trying to get back out this coming weekend and test the Redfish bite But we'll see how that goes with the Rain continuing all week.

July 4th Fishing Report

If you have time to Break Away this weekend and you can escape the rain. You should find some good fishing. The best part is that even though the weather has been typically hot during the middle of the day the Morning and Evening Bites have ben excellent. The fishing itself has been better than ever. Off some of the closer wrecks I have heard they are catching some keep sized Mangrove Snappers and even in the bay near the shipping channel there is a nice bite going on. So get out on the water and give it a try. I plan to be at Venice Beach, Florida for the Weekend. I am of course taking poles along and will be trying my luck at Pompano off the beach. Also the morning Snook Bite might be a good thing to do bright and early. I will post pics if I really get into em.

OIL FREE GUARANTEE

Oil Free Guarantee Graphic

Copyright free graphic!

Right Click, Save File and E-mail to your Webmaster for use on your site!

If you see this Graphic on a Web Site and it is offering a Service to you and you are headed down to Florida this is YOUR guarantee that your trip to Florida will not be affected by Oil from the BP Disaster. All of our businesses along the coast are being affected and MOST of them have no Oil even near their shores. SO if you are planning a Trip to Florida in the near future feel free to find one of these Businesses and Guarantee your trip. You can't beat this deal and it gives you a way to ensure you'll enjoy your vacation OIL FREE.

Trout non-stop action

If your looking for a good bite and a lot of fishing action, the trout are on fire across the grass flats in about 4 ft of water. I had excellent luck all weekend long on the grass flats near Sunset park and Howard Park in St. Joseph Sound (28.1428, -82.80250). Top water was the exciting bite. Bagleys Jumping Finger Mullet was the bait to use I used Silver and it worked great and I used a Chartruese and white. The best action was when I threw it out as far as I could get it and then Jerk it real hard so the lure practically flew about 1-2ft skipping back across the water. The Trout were so excited they were literally shooting up out of the water chasing the lure as soon as it sat for about a second or two. This action went on from about 8am until, I left about 10:30am and did not stop. I didn't see any Tarpon and no other fish were biting it seemed. I did however see a Red just cruising near the Mangroves across sandy bottom however no bites from the,

FULL Moon Weekend - Tarpon Trout and Pompano

Depending on what your fishing for you are in luck this weekend since it is a full moon weekend there will be a lot of fish wanting to eat. Tarpon on all the Bay Bridges, and on the outside beaches from Egmont to Anclote. Trout on the Flats, Redfish up in the mangroves on High Tide, Snook on the Beaches, Snapper in the Shipping channels and deeper bridge cuts, Pompano along Howard Franklin and Gandy bridges. IF thats not enough then the Shark Fishing should be good as well. I myself will be trying along the Anclote Key beaches and the Honeymoon beaches for Tarpon. Hopefully I can find em and cast to em and we should be able to hook up. Remember the Early mornings and evenings are going to be your best bites BUT the fishing has been outstanding lately and even the heat is keeping the fish from biting.

Trout on the flats

I think I've said this enough over the past two weeks but it is worth saying again. If you think you want to fish and catch some good sized Trout or just want to make sure you catch something the Trout are biting everywhere across the grass flats off Howard Park and Anclote Key. There are also spanish mackerel in with them and a Pin fish on a free line or under about a 3ft cork could bring in a Shark or two.  I was able to take my sister out Trout fishing accross the Flats and this is just one of the many trout we landed.

Howard Park - Trout and some Tarpon

Hit the water by 7am the tide was outgoing and it seemed like a good morning. However we weren't able to see any Tarpon rolling early. So we threw some topwater plugs and had a few nice strikes but they were random and nothing consistent. We did spot a few small pods of tarpon but they weren't that active and throughout the day we saw only about 3 pods that were too far away and by the time we moved in their direction they were gone. The Trout bite was hot though and is the goto fish in the early morning and throughout the day on jigs and underwater plugs in the 5-8ft water. anything shallower and the bite shuts down. Yesterday's favorite color was a light natural gulp swim bait. We left the water by about 11am and headed back.

TARPON ROLLING

Sunday Morning was a good day to be on the water. The Sun had just come up and put the Kayaks in off the Howard Park causewau around 7am. Started off by drifting accross the flats and getting multiple strikes and hookups on topwater plugs. About 6 good sized keeper trout and 2 nice sized Spanish Mackerel.  The excitement of the day was the Tarpon Rolling in pods all around me. It seemed they were small pods of about 5-8 fish BUT once I was able to get close enough I found that the 5-8 I saw were part of about a 50+ fish POD. and it wasn't the only pod seen. At the same time all across the flats and some of the 4-7 ft water. Watched a rental pontoon boat fishign for trout Hook up with about a 120lber he showed them his head and shook it to throw the hook. Of cours they were pretty excited especially the girls on the boat. Hoepfully it will be the same this coming Friday since I will be able to get back out there right before the weekend to try and hook up with them.

Fishing Phillippe Park - Sunset or Early moring is the best

The Heat is just crazy hot. The water however is just a tad cooler and to wade fish at Phillippe Park is just a nice relaxing time. The Reds are few due to the hot water but a live white bait under a cork or a Shrimp under a cork may entice the one or two that are roaming the area. From High Tide to outgoing tide is the best. Low tide can be TOO shallow and you have to wade a long time to find 3 ft. water.  Early morning and Evening are still the best bets.
    The GULF Beaches and Fishing are probably your best bet BUT your still going to want to hit them early or late in the day.  Also if your wanting to find fish this time of Year a Charter may help you with some tips and Tricks so IF your vacationing or just want to learn a little bit more about fishing this time of year you may want to think about getting a Charter. ALSO it's almost fathers day so a Charter would be a Great Gift.

FISHING IS GREAT and the BEACHES are GREAT

Tampa and the waters surrounding Tampa are excellent. There is no SIGN of Oil anywhere near shore and the if your planning on visiting there is not a better time than now. It's warm, sunny and the beaches are just as beautiful as ever.
     Also the Fishing is fantastic right now. The heat has forced the fish to Morning and evening bites HOWEVER there are some bites going on mid day when drifting flats and jigging for trout and Spanish Macks. The gulf Grouper bite is good as well and there have been an above average number of Red Snapper being reported on some of the deeper wrecks in 50+ft of water. This means going out about 25 miles or so. SO with that distance we should see Oil if there was any and there have been NO REPORTS YET of oil that close. Hopefully we don't see that in the near future BUT we will definetly let people know if we do.

Fish Recipe - Snapper, Redfish, Snook

Actually this will work with any White firm fleshed fish.

Grilled Coated Fish


3 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 lemon

4-5 fillets or pieces (1 1/4 pounds) firm-fleshed white fish (Snapper, Snook, RedFish)

1. Place fish into a large Ziplock bag.
2. Sprinkle Olive Oil and Old Bay Seasoning on the fish. Shake to Mix.
3. Slice Lemons then remove the individual lemon hearts (lemon supremes). Place into bag with the fish.
4. Let marinate in bag in a refrigerator or on ice for about 20-30 minutes.
5. Heat gas grill on medium or charcoal grill until coals are ash white. Place Cast Iron Skillet on rack to heat.

6. Pour entire mixture including Fish on Skillet and turn constantly until done about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Depending on size of fish serves 2-3 people

FISHING NOT CLOSED - BEACHES NOT CLOSED - YET

(Superimposed Image, Pink is predicted path the OIL has covered. The dark is where it WILL be on the date)

Surface Trajectory - With Water Currents

Sub-Surface Trajectory (50M) below the surface

So far we are lucky but it seems like it is just a matter of time until we will see these two headlines on our morning news papers. Until then please get out and see why we are all complaining. The Beaches are beautiful and the Fishing is very good right now. A little Hot during the Day but the mornings and evenings are providing an Excellent bite. Here is a the University Of South Florida - College of Marine Science Web site. they have some good prediction models and it looks pretty much like a lot of us have expected. It's Coming. Just a matter of when. Here is an Image I pulled from there and Super imposed the Google Maps landscape on it and laid a distance measure on the closest Oil. HOPEFULLY the oil they are saying that is headed our direction is small BUT the Surface Oil may just be the tip of the Iceburg, Literally. Remember Fisherman Speak with your wallet when your filling your boat tank and Truck. - Boycott BP.

HOW YOU CAN HELP - Oil Spill Phone Numbers

One thing is certain BP obviously does not know what they are doing. BUT the NOAA has put out numbers for people to report problems and even how they can volunteer. Here is the list fromt he NOAA Web Site.

• To report oil on land, or for general community information, please phone 866.448.5816.
• To report oiled or injured wildlife, please phone 866.557.1401.
• To learn about volunteer opportunities in all areas and what training is required, please phone 866.448.5816.
• To discuss spill related damage claims, please phone 800.440.0858.
• BP is asking fishermen for their assistance in cleaning up the oil spill. BP is calling this the Vessel of Opportunities Program and through it, BP is looking to contract shrimp boats, oyster boats and other vessels for hire to deploy boom in the Gulf of Mexico. To learn more about the Vessel of Opportunity Program, fishermen should phone 281.366.5511.

Some of the latest images on NOAA show areas of Oil off the west coast of Florida and the winds moving them towards shore.

Recreational Fisherman and Commercial Fisherman - BOYCOTT BP

Oil Spill about 120 Miles off the Tampa Beaches.
We have a Choice when we put that $200 in boat gas; make it count towards something. This Oil will hit us and if it is still pumping out like it is for the next 2 months until they can get a second well drilled that is just POOR Planning on their part because they wanted the PROFIT. Fisherman all around Florida Should not be filling their Trucks or Boats at any BP gas station, that would be like us saying we approve of their handling of this Oil spill.

Beach Snook

The Snook have moved to the beaches. This 33incher was just hangin about 15ft from shore in strong moving outgoing tide. A Chartruese 1/2oz DOA Jig head and a White Gulp Shrimp brought him in. Just before sunrise off the north beach on Anclote Island. The offshore we did was good but no keeper grouper. However friends that went out hit the Kings about 10 miles out and Grouper on some of the deeper reefs.

FREE SALTWATER FISHING WEEKEND in FLORIDA

Residents and Visitors Fish for free in Saltwater this weekend.

"Florida is the fishing capital of the world," Crist declared, "and our beaches are clean, the fish are biting, and we invite our friends to enjoy some Florida hospitality."

So no reason to not bring the poles along with you this Memorial Day Weekend.

OH and when filling up your boats BOYCOTT BP.

Memorial Day Fishing

Although the water may be churned up a bit and there will be more than your usual number of boaters on the water the fish still need to eat. If you can find that calm area without the 15 yr olds on Jet Skis skimming around you like the dragonflies you should be good. If your headed off shore look for the bait and there will probably be Kings around. Trolling a #1 or #3 planer should get you to them. Reports of keeper grouper on many of the wrecks are coming in but the trick has been a small pinfish, not the huge hand sized ones but live bait in general seems to help find the keepers. Short Reds and Grunts seem to be the main staple without the live bait. Keep your freeline on top and maybe that stray King or Cobia will give you a thrill.  Boating this weekend may be a little extra special SO take care and watch for your fellow boater. Remember your Safety Gear. (16ft+, throwable, life vests for everyone, sound device like a whistle, fire extinguisher) for more info fisit the FWC site here
     If your headed offshore to fish you need the following. Venting Tool and Dehooking device, ALSO remember that when harvesting REEF FISH. All personnel Must use NON-Stainless Steel Circle Hooks when using natural baits.

Keep this in min this weekend and be safe.
Tight Lines!

Jawbreakerfishing.com - Offshore Charter - Capt. Dan Barry

JawbreakerFishing.com
Jawbreaker Fishing Report
I was lucky enough to find my way onto an offshore trip with Captain Dan Barry over this last weekend. I have to say that the trip worked out great but the fish didn't seem to cooperate. We are looking for the banannas still. We caught fish  and lots of them but most were undersized. However he had one of the most comfortable 34' Crusaders I have ever been on and his mate was very helpful and both were fun to hang out with. The day after we went out he was able to get to the fish and his report shows it. If your looking for a great offshore trip with a very accomodating captain and one that will chase the fish down and throw em in the boat for you if he needs to Capt. Dan is the guy you want to call. Check out his web site and when your ready for the private trip or that corporate outing Capt. Dan will make sure you find the fish!

Tampa fishing local report

Hit the water on Saturday to just see what was biting. drifted across flats just east of Anclote key. once we hit about 7 ft deep we started getting hits on jigheads with swim bodies and gulp shrimp. Spanish Mack, trout and even small black bass were hitting the baits. drifitng allowed us to cover a lot of area and get a good mix.

TampaBayFish - Who are you.

(Tim<-------->Trevor)

     This is my reintroduction. My name is Trevor. I am a normal everyday working individual and not a Professional Fishing Guide or Professional Fisherman. I started this web site to satisfy my need for Weather Links, Tracking where I caught Fish, posting pictures for my friends to find easily and other helpful information. It has kinda grown from there and I have added a few things.

      I wanted to post this so that people understand that this may not be the best fishing site out there but it is by far one of the most genuine. I don't exagerate my catches and if I don't catch anything well, thats just how it goes sometimes. Oh and I do catch Ladyfish and Catfish just like everyone else. I do own a boat, a 21 foot Trophy Pro,

(Up on the Trailer)

 so I am lucky in that regards because I can get to more fishing locations, I do have a lot of info on shore fishing so hopefully if other people have favorite locations from shore that can help to just drop me a line or a comment to my posts. One other thing is me and my buddy have Kayaks, 16'

(The Yaks)

with motors, which get us to the other places we fish. If you haven't looked into a Kayak for fishing here in Florida I highly recommend it. I saw a great fishing kayak setup yesterday at West Marine for $399 thats a pretty good deal. (No I'm not affiliated with West Marine) Also I am not a Florida Native BUT I did grow up fishing and have fished since I could put a worm on a hook.

      The one thing I did right was meet a great Florida Native Friend (Tim) who has shown me the ropes. He isn't the most computer Savvy But he can fish and regularly outfishes me. We try to fish once a week mostly weekends and evenings. We tend to target whatever hits our baits. We are big fans of Top water and light jig heads with a swim body. We love to catch Redfish and we typically catch a lot of Snook. We do go offshore out of Hubbards Marina on their 36hr trips and we take my boat out about 30-40 miles. (Single Engine so, yes I have an EPIRB).

(The Trop and TampaBayFish.com)

      I am a local to Tampa so maybe you'll see me around and I am a Sports team Homer so, GO BUCS!, RAYS!, LIGHTNING!, STORM!, ROWDIES! and any other local team. I especially love the Rays and have since I moved here. I Made it to the ONLY World Series Game We won SO FAR game #2. This year I will make it to more World Series Games.

      A few things that I can mention is that this web site only generates money from the Google ads on the side and I do not get paid any advertising fees for any of the other links on here. I would like to, but I'm not really into working that hard to sell my site as having the top google ranked site for Tampa. Since I do have just about every #1 position when searching for anything fishing related in Tampa. Here's my only plug for the site. Test it out! Search for "Tampa Fishing" or "Gandy Fishing" or "Tampa fishing information" and I am #1 and for just about any other search for fishing in the Tampa Bay are I am number one also.

     Anyway, I am always listening to the locals, and at the boat ramps and getting info that I think is good and passing it on through my site.

(Offshore with a Keeper Red)

     So the next time you come to my web site and think "This guy doesn't know what he's talking about" you may be right. BUT the way I see it its just like fishing Sometimes you get good info sometimes you don't. If you always caught fish they would have called it "Catching" instead of "Fishing".

     Thanks for visiting my web site and I hope at least someone catches a fish and if you learned where to catch it or how to catch it from my site well at least I promoted the sport and hopefully you had fun thats all any of us can ask for.

 -------

Tight Lines!

Trevor.

This Weekend Fishing Plan

If your headed out this weekend and looking to catch fish then target your species and be prepared for some heat. Redfish are looking good on the flats on outgoing tides. The Beaches should hold some Snook and will be good early till late morning then again on the evening side. Tarpon are at the bridges and in the passes look for the rolling fish and then find their direction and slowly motor away and ahead of them and let them come to you. Trout are getting a little picky and have moved into the deeper water near channels and deep flats. 6-10Ft will be your best bet. 

Early Sunday Kayak fishing

Hit the water by 5:50am Sunday morning and heade out of our favorite Anclote spot. Early morning and calm water combined to make a great day of fishing. Caught and released 3 Snook all undersized between 15-18 inches but very healthy. Hooked a Black Drum about 5 lbs got him to the kayak and he released himself. Also had a swipe at my top water by one of the largest Red fish I think I have ever seen inshore. Looked like a man in a fish suit he was so big. Heard reports that the reds weren't out on the flats and that people were having a hard time finding them. They are very tricky to find and when you catch one the rest will scatter. Keep an eye out for Mullet and you should find Trout and Reds hanging around with the. Try a Gulp Shrimp rigged with NO WEIGHT and drop it to the bottom and jerk it through the grass or off the top of the grass. You'll probably cactch a lot of Trout but A few Reds will be there too.

HELP TRACK SNOOK IN OUR AREA

If you're a regular fisherman and you have been catching and releasing SNOOK. You can help FWC Biologists track and record our snook population. Just remember these details.
1. Where you caught the fish. (then go to google maps, find the location, Right click and say "whats here" it will show you decimal gps coordinates)
2. Measure the Fish.
3. RELEASE THE FISH (at least until September)
4. GOTO http://www.snookfoundation.org/data and enter your information.

VERY SIMPLE and its for a good cause.

Kayaks, Snook and some Redfish

Hit the water around 5pm up near anclote river and attempted to target some Redfish. But they weren't cooperating. We ended up catching a couple small Snook. This was actually a good thing being this far north we figured we would see a bad effect from the cold earlier in the year. The Snook were about 18-20 inches and they were strong and healthy. This is a good sign that the Snook population is still doing well and should come back strong. We did see a lot of Reds swimming the shallows even one that was swimming in such shallow water about 10 inches along his back was exposed and he just kept swimming along.

Kingfish Just offshore - few tarpon showing

The kingfish are still out there and they seem to be hitting good starting in about 12-20ft of water. Trolling the beaches just outside of Clearwater all the way to johns pass should produce look for bait schools and for birds and you should find them. Also I have heard reports that Tarpon have been seen just outside of Ft. Desoto rolling off the beaches. Hoepfully the warmer water will keep them here and we should see them move into the bridges soon. Trout are a steady bite on the grass flats on outgoing tides and the Red fish seem to be hanging out as well on some of the flats off Dunedin and down near Desoto. Snook are there too but they are off limits best to just leave em alone and target the Reds and Trout, there are enough of them around to satisfy the bite.

Early Tarpon Reports, Redfish Hangin out.

I have heard from a few captains that the Tarpon are already here, and with the weather warming up like it has and the water following suit I believe it shouldn't be much longer before the bridges are a good place to find em rolling. Redfish seem to be hanging out on the flats and the early morning and evening should be your best bets. If your wanting to stay out after the heat hits by midday find the beaches and look for tarpon. Remember those lady fish can be good bait so bag one or two and freeze em up for the next trip out.

OIL SPILL IMAGE

(CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE)

As you can see from this image the Oil Spill is HUGE. Hopefully it will not reach our shores. The effect on the local habitat would be devastating. I hope that we as local fisherman can help in some way to protect our shores if it comes to that. Maybe with all of the boats we have we would be able to put out some of the barrier devices that hopefully our FLORIDA GOVERNMENT is acquiring now.

Spanish Mackerel Favorite Lures

Just so you know what your looking for when you hit the bait shop. Make sure you get a nice long Steel Leader and some swivels as well. These are a few of the local favorites that have produced many fish. take a look at the "Straw Lure" I like this one it has strange action in the water BUT for some reason the macks really take to it. I like the McDonalds straws that are thick and have the nice red lines down the side. about a 3-4 inch long piece with a small treble hook at the end works excellent.

Spanish Makerel Invade Tampa Bay

With the warmer weather and the excellent bait situation in the bay the waters are teaming with Spanish Makerel. They seem to be around every bait pod and just about anywhere you go within the bay there will be Macks looking to feed. This coming weekend if your looking to catch fish then Macks are it. Of course there are other fish around and the Redfishing is still excellent as well up on the flats.

Redfish Action is HOT in the Tampa Area

Just about every flat is holding Redfish right now. If you think you are going fishing this weekend at all. LOOK AT THE TIDES and hit the water at High Tide and find a Nice Flat to Drift accross.....My Favorite, GULP SHRIMP "New Penny" or "White" are excellent choices for Redfish this weekend. you can't go wrong if you are out there the fish are there too....Check out my Map for more places and exact locations.

Kayaks near Anclote River, Spanish Macks in the Bay. Snook here but still tired

Hit the water during the week and along the banks of a Small Salwater Lake off the Anclote river we found the Snook and Small Reds were very active. Hitting just about any top water or small swimming lure we through at them Hooked up 4 times and landed about a 29" Snook. She came up slow snapped the line next to the Kayak and laid there waiting for me to pick her up and take the hook out. She was BEAT jumped 3 times and came to the boat. I got the hooks out with no damage to her and towed her behind the kayak to get the oxygen flowing. She bit my finger and flipped her tail and was gone. other fish were active in the small eddies near the shore and tide currents.
   Another Tip was in the bay near Gandy Bridge the Spanish Macks were out in force over the weekend. Trailing behind large schools of glass minnows and other small bait schools. Anything Shiny and darting was a good bet. Easy to land about 10-15 in as many minutes. Bait seems to be all over in the shallows and across the bay. The cold doesn't seemt o have affected them much. Bad thing is walking the shoreline you can see the reminders of the cold on the Snook. Snook Skull bones were plentiful in the upper bay along the shores.

Hunting for Reds and only get Trout

We hit the water late morning but with the wind and the previous cold weather, really we were just relieved to be back on the water. A beautiful day 71 degrees and one small cloud. The wind was a little strong but behind the mangroves we found calm water and a few trout that seemed to be slow but hungry. The good news is we found a few Reds, Large but not very hungry or happy to be chasing our baits.  SO all in all it was a good day to be a fish. BUT the weather was excellent and just getting out there made it a fantastic day Sometimes just going out and looking at new locations is what fishing is all about.

Warmer Weather means Warmer Fish

Well if we can read into anything about the weather and the fishing situation this weekend it should tell us that the Fishing should improve over this past week. The Fish should be a little more active and they should be feeding, SO the bite should be good. Look for Redfish to be active as soon as the morning CHILL is knocked off and look for the regular Trout bite to be happening on your favorite Grass Flat. From the shore off Dunedin causeway should be great fishing this weekend. Also fish around Desoto area and other causeway haunts should be pretty active.

REDFISH - IN abundance

It seems the Redfish are making an appearance. The warm weather got them feeding and it seems in Cockroach Bay they have been schooling and hitting anything thrown at them. Also around Ft. Desoto reports have been good of schools and biting redfish. This is great news and hopefully it continues. BUT with the cool front moving through we may see a slight slow down BUT hold onto your hats cause it seems with the Warm Weather on its way fishing could be Heating up....LOL literally. look for early morning reds and early evening reds to be some of your best bets Although with the water getting to it's max in the middle of the day the Bite even in the heat of the day should continue to be good for a while.

Warm Weather - Better Bite....Hopefully

Well with the expected warmer weekend there should be a little better bite. If nothing more than we hear more about it because MORE fisherman are out and about able to report it. The Trout are still very active in some of the main areas near Dunedin, Ft. Desoto and the bay and grassy flat areas. This is a good sign if your out and about trying to fish, if nothing else you should have a great day on the water. Best bet is still Live Shrimp free lined on a Cork OR a scented plastic like a DOA or a GULP twitched along the bottom.

FWC Announces Snook Season Closure

FWC Announced that the Spring Snook Season will not take place. This means that Snook Season will remain closed until 1 Sept 2010. Catch and Release only. On the other hand Trout seem to be the hardy fish in this cold weather, if you can get out there a good bet is a DOA or Live Shrimp under a popping cork. If you find fish and they are not eating move to another area and maybe your luck will be better. Leaving Fish to Find Fish is never a good idea but in the cold weather and shock to the ecosystem we have had it may be your best bet to catch fish.

Charity Fishing Tournament

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Benefit-Slam-Tournament-for-Hannah-Brannan-and-Family/176336891282

When: Saturday – December 12th, 2009. 6:00am until 2:00pm
MUST SIGN IN BELOW. ALL TEAMS MUST PAY VIA CASH during morning check in @ 6:00am.
What: Artificial Lure Photo release format that will count total inches of 1 Redfish, 1 Snook and 1 Trout. $20 dollar per person buy in or $40 dollars per team.

Where: Cockroach Bay boat ramp Boat Ramp. Check-in will be from 6am til 7am. The tournament will end promptly at 2:00pm. You must be at the ramp by the 2:00pm deadline. Any boat showing up after 2:00pm is disqualified. Period! Weigh-In will be at the Cockroach Bay ramp.

Rules:
1) This is a artificial lure tournament "NO LIVE BAIT!"
2) This is a 2 man per boat, team tournament. Kayaks will be allowed 1 person per kayak. 2 kayaks = 1 team. All teams must launch from the Cockroach Bay boat ramp boat ramp. You cannot tow/carry the yak by boat. Kayaks and Canoes are welcome!
***Team Kayaks must stay within 100yds of their team mate. ***
3) You will weigh in total inches of 1 Redfish, 1 Snook, & 1 Trout. Every boat must have one (1) digital camera with a corresponding USB cable on board. Cameras must be cleared with no photos on them. Each boat must have one (1) measuring devise on board. All measuring devices must be inspected by tournament officials. Each photo must have the entire fish, measuring board and tournament marker in the frame. No exceptions!
4) Wading is allowed.
5) Fly Fishing is allowed and encouraged.
6) Fish must be above the FWC minimum slot requirements, over max slot is ok. Any fish under slot will be DQ’d.
7) Each angler may only use one rod at a time. No soaking or trolling un-manned rods.
8) Since this is a photo release tournament, I encourage live release but if you’re going to take fish home for dinner, so be it. You will not be penalized.
WINNERS WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE TOTAL INCHES OF THE THREE SPECIES – 1 Red, 1 Snook & 1 Trout.
9) You must check in at the Cockroach Bay boat ramp boat ramp between 6-7am. We'll visually inspect each boat, before launching "No cast nets, no live bait etc. shall be on any boat". Trailering is not allowed. All boats/kayaks will leave from Cockroach Bay boat ramp Boat Ramp. NO EXCEPTIONS!
10) No Chumming of any kind!


IF ANYONE HAS ANY GOODS, SERVICES OR GIFT CERTIFICATES THEY WOULD LIKE TO DONATE FOR THE TOURNEY, WE'LL HAVE A DRAWING AT THE END OF THE DAY. Please shoot me an email at erik.r.nixon@gmail.com. If you are unable to attend but would like to donate, please email me.

PAYMENT METHOD:
***Entry Fee: $20.00 per person or $40.00 per team****ALL TEAMS MUST PAY VIA CASH AT CHECK IN AT 6AM ON TOURNAMENT DAY.
We will take entry fee and donation money at the boat ramp.
This is a 30% payback tournament Prize Structure:
Prize Structure: 70% of the total pot will benefit Hannah’s family. 30% will paid out for Top 3 teams:
1st. 15% of pot
2nd. 10% of pot
3rd. 5% of pot

*** Special: Most spots on a legal Redfish will win something TBD ***

The rules are set. If you can't abide by them, please do not fish this tourney. This is meant to be a fun gathering of like minded folks to assist a family in need first and foremost. Monetary reward is secondary.
Good Luck and let's have a good time.

Fall Fishing in the Tampa Area

After a few outings in the kayaks I have to say fall is one of my favorite times to fish. The snook are very active knowing that the weather is changing and the water temps are moving all the fish around letting them know its time to eat. Look for the Redfish to be moving across the flats on high tide feeding near the mangroves, the Snook to be moving into the winter haunts in the upper creeks and areas where the water will warm during the day, and well the trout will be active all winter across a lot of the grass flat areas. The offshore should pick up also with some of the mangroves and grouper moving into the closer reefs. Remember to BUY AN EPIRB. Or at least ask Santa for one. It can save your life!!!

OCTOBER Fishing should Be Fantastic

October, the weather starts to cool the fish start feeding heavily there is a change of season adn movement in all the fishing areas. It looks like the beaches should be gettign prowled by some large Snook and Spanish Macks and the shorelines of Tampa Bay, South Shore, Phillipe Park and the like should see an increase in Redfish and Snook action with live and cut bait. Don't forget the fish are hungry and the change in the seasons is making them move from their summer hideouts transitioning to their winter haunts. This whole month should be fantastic.

Beach snook seem to be what's biting. Snorkling around the rock jetties yielded a wealth of Info on where the small schools of snook are.