Capt. Rick Reddick of Tampa Fishing Charters posted this on his site

TAMPA FISHING CHARTERS
The Mackerel are everywhere and the bite is Spectacular. The wrecks just off shore and the live bottom areas are his spots to target the fish. read more about it here at his website.
http://www.captainrickreddick.com/2012/03/28/tampa-bay-mackerel-bite-spectacular/

Saturday Fishiing Philippe Park

It was a windy afternoon (4:30pm), there was a minor front moving in and it was suppose to bring rain Sunday so the winds were up a little over 15knts. They were out of the southwest and we thought that Philippe Park (Map Link) might be a good protected area. As you can see from the picture the waves were a little large for Kayaks, But they weren't bad enough to keep us off the water and the water was very warm.

It looked a little nicer from shore than it actually was. We launched right from one of the pull overs towards the south end of the park. and fished from creek mouth south about 200-300 yards. The mangroves were nicely covered with water.

Tim caught the first fish of the day a nice 18" Redfish. The water was pushed way up and we hit the place right at high tide and the mangroves were in the water and the treeline was flooded. With the murky water conditions we though that it might be best to use White Soft Jigs. I used a New Penny color and Tim was using solid white.

We caught a few more fish a couple of trout and some Ladyfish and as you can see Tim's catches of Redfish were right up in the Mangrove shallows. the water was about 2ft deep here and is normally less than 6 inches.
The wind isn't always your enemy as a matter of fact a nice South wind is a great thing in the upper Tampa Bay area where the water can be pushed into places that it normally isn't and the fish are there too.

TampaBayFish.com Weekend Fishing report

TampaBayFish.com  Weekend Fishing Report. This weekend is suppose to be excellent weather, warmer than usual including the water temperature being at levels near the normal MAY timeframe. This will lead to fish being very active and we should see a definite increase in Spanish Mackerel activity in the bay and along the beaches and the Kingfish run should be going on strong this weekend.

Weather UPDATE: Excellent weather Until Sunday with another little rain storm in scattered areas. It seems like a dip in the temperatures on Sunday but only to 79 so it should be excellent fishing all weekend long.

Submitted Report from the Website: "caught a twenty one inch and 19 inch red off of live bait while tide was going out at 4 o'clock pm." Not sure of the Exact Location but they are out there.

RADAR LINK

FORECAST LINK


SATURDAY:
high 83-85 20% chance of Rain
low 69-71
SW WINDS 10-14mph
SUNDAY:
high 79-81 30% isolated chance of Rain
low 51-53
W WINDS 8-11mph 

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Fishing Report: Look for both days to be good fishing this weekend the winds may keep a lot of people off the water but if the wind is from the south like expected look for the upper creeks and shallow areas to hold more fish due to the NEW water being pushed back into those areas.

• FISH Typical patterns for spring are expected for Redfish, Snook and Trout. 
• Spanish Mackerel and Kingfish are making strong appearances. Look for Kings out over the close wrecks and off the beaches and the Spanish Macks should be all over the Bay.

Any Florida Fishing Reports or Tampa Area Specific Fishing Reports are welcome please submit comments or other information here and maybe we can help others catch fish too.

Ozello Shrimper - New Product

Every once in a while I have went shrimping in Tampa Bay and have had Great luck the guy who taught me had a nice shrimp catching tool bought from Ozello Shrimper online. The tool worked amazing and he always caught more shrimp than me. NOW The Ozello Shrimper has redesigned the product and made it even better. Here is the Link to his site. If you truly want to catch some Shrimp in Tampa you should get one of these they are amazing. Also if you haven't read my post on "Finding Shrimp in Tampa bay" here is the Link again.
Also I get nothing out of this other than knowing a great product when I see one and if it helps someone to catch more Shrimp or to Catch more fish than you know that is what my site is all about anyway.

Update to Redfish and Trout Regulation Changes

Image is for reference and accuracy purposes.

My good fishing buddy Tim let me know that the fishing area designated as the Northwest region includes all of the water NORTH of the Howard Park Causeway. This is actually good news for those fishing that area. It means that two Redfish per person or 6 Per vessel can be kept if you are on the North Side of Howard Park Cause way. See the picture which comes straight from the Florida Wildlife Commission Website which shows the demarcation line between North and South regions. To read more see the new release here.

New Charter Captain Listed on TampaBayFish.com

On my Local Links Page I have many Local Charter Captains that are more than willing to help you find fish and provide you with a great fishing experience. Whether your a local wanting to learn more or visiting from out of state be sure to check them out if your in the market for a Florida Fishing Guide.

Capt. Chris Haught is a Florida native, born and raised in the Tampa Bay, Florida area fishing these waters as a boy in search of the same species he now guides others to. Capt. Chris is very knowledgeable of his home waters and knows the surroundings and conditions it takes to make a fantastic Florida charter fishing adventure.
As a licensed and insured guide, safe boating habits are practiced at all times.
For the fishing adventure of a lifetime Capt. Chris will customize the trip to your needs just complete the form below (call or email is fine also) for information regarding Tampa Bay, Florida fishing charters. If you are on a business trip or don't have a fishing partner please contact Capt. Chris for special single angler rates. We'll look forward to hearing from you!!

Capt. Chris Haught
Home: 727-773-0299
Cellular: 727-420-4429
chris@inshorecharters.com

TampaBayFish.com Fishing report

Saturday was a good day to be on the water with the winds out of the South some of the protected areas turned out to be productive. the only problem encountered it wasn't until after the sun had just set that my buddy was able to hook up with four nice sized Redfish one after another. The Winds were pretty helpful being out of the South but the fish seemed a little slow to respond. The fishing seemed a little slow However due to the warm air and mild winter it looks like maybe the fish are already starting to move out of their winter haunts. The water temperatures are near their normal "MAY" temps and this could make a change in the fishing sooner this year and we could see Snook out on the beaches soon and some of the other fish transitioning to thier spring areas sooner than expected. The Hotspot Map has been updated with these 4 catches in the Anclote Salt Lake area.

TampaBayFish.com Weekend Fishing Report

TampaBayFish.com  Weekend Fishing Report. This weekend is suppose to be excellent weather, warmer than usual and this should bring out some fish hunting and prowling for food.

Weather UPDATE: Excellent weather Until Sunday with another cold snap. It seems like the weather can't put two nice days back to back unless it's during the week. Look for a little coldness and potential rain Sunday..

RADAR LINK

FORECAST LINK



SATURDAY:
high 80-83 20% chance of Rain
low 61-64
WINDS 10-20mph
SUNDAY:
high 67-69 40% chance of Rain
low 51-53
WINDS 15-20mph 

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Fishing Report: Look for both days to be good fishing this weekend the winds may keep a lot of people off the water but if the wind is from the south like expected look for the upper creeks and shallow areas to hold more fish due to the NEW water being pushed back into those areas.

• REDFISH Sunday might be the slower of the two days with Saturday providing the best bet but when the flats heat up towards the middle of the day it may be just right for the fish to be out and about. Look for the schools of mullet and the reds may be under them.
• TROUT will be hanging in the grass flats like always and should come after some live baits.
• SNOOK Look in the back and upper shallow creek areas which may have more water with the southerly winds.
• OTHER SPECIES Soon we may see some Spanish Macks heading into the bay and along the beaches..

Any Florida Fishing Reports or Tampa Area Specific Fishing Reports are welcome please submit comments or other information here and maybe we can help others catch fish too.