Florida Middle Grounds 27 July 2012

We hadn't been on the weekend trip out of Hubbards Marina in so long it was almost like we had forgotten how much fun it could be. We finally decided to get it together and make a trip. One of the things we needed was the inside cabins, It makes for a more comfortable trip and in the hot summer days it truly keeps you from passing out in the heat. The 39 Hour trip is just that a trip that truly puts you on the fish and makes you want more...But your hands are cut up your arms are wore out and your tackle has taken a beating so by the end you need to go home to recover. WE left the dock at 3:00pm on the big Friendly Fisherman and we head out. We tied leaders and rigs until about 9pm then woke up when the Captain said we are getting ready to line up on the first spot.

Tim's Gag Grouper

It was 1:12 am and hopefully that little sleep was enough to last until we stopped fishing at 7:30pm the next night. The good thing was we immediately started catching fish. Nice Mangrove Snappers and literally we never stopped catching fish EXCEPT in between anchor runs for Captain Mark to put us right back on another great spot. When he said Mangroves he was right, when he said Grouper he was right. The only thing better would have been to have a School of Mahi show up....

Then they did. The three of us Me, Tim and Steve had our two day limit of Snapper already and some other very nice Grouper, Bar Jacks and BIG Porgies. One of the best trips we've ever been on.

and this video taken by Mr. Bob Harbison really captured the essence of the Trip. I cannot do justice to his write-up but I have to Thank Bob for his great coverage of our entire trip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWK5G4HmO70&feature=plcp

Fishing Report from Website

Joshua Taylor from "SaltyScales.com" www.saltyscales.com sent this fishing report.
"The fishing has been epic in the Tampa Bay with the big linesider reds and snook cooperating on all levels of the tide. The best action has been on the flood tides around the new and full moon, fishing the Southshore with artificial, live and cut baits. Early am try live bait or top water, as the sun rises switch to cut bait. The water heats up in the middle of the day and the fish become lethargic. Look for deep cuts in the mangroves and try and find areas with minimal boat traffic. Lord knows that the fish are extremely pressured. We have been doing really well with the Zara puppy early. For my complete report please be sure to visit www.saltyscales.com."
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Thanks Joshua I know what your talking about the past two weekends have been great we have been hitting the flats in the kayak and finding many Reds and Lots of Snook wanting to be caught. Early in the morning has been key and we have been out before sunup and off the water before 10am.

$13,000 Fishing Tournament Next Weekend

21st Annual Saltwater Fishing Tournament
May 5, 2012

There is a very large fishing tournament happening on May 5th, That is next weekend. Here is the Article I found talking about it
 http://www.examiner.com/article/13-000-inshore-fishing-tournament

and here is the website for the Tournament.

http://www.optimistclubperryfl.com/

Fishing Report from Capt. Chris Haught of Inshore Charters

Captain Chris Haught of http://www.inshorecharters.com submitted this report to the web site.

 "Fishing in and around Tampa Bay has been unbelievable lately. We’ve been fishing mullet schools with live and cut bait for redfish in lower Tampa Bay having good success on the higher tides.

Snook have been on the flats near the structures and potholes eating scaled sardines, large threadfins, and pinfish. King mackerel have been on the beaches when the wind is cooperative out of the east and the water clarity is good. Anchoring up over hard bottom areas and putting out a spread of live baits on the surface and some live and dead bait on knocker rigs has produced kings, Spanish, bonito, key west grunt, red grouper, gag grouper, flounder, mangrove snapper, and more. Speaking of beach fishing, the flounder bite this year off the beaches has been stellar. Many of the flounder have been really nice sized compared to the usual size we see here.

 My Spanish mackerel fishing has mostly been inside the bay so far because of the number of fish hanging near the schools of threadfins. I’m pretty much using live bait on the good tides and cut strips of bait on the slower tides. We’ve been hitting the plus sized seatrout in the real skinny water on live bait, cut bait, and artificials and the smaller fish have been more plentiful in the 3-6 ft. grass flat areas eating the same things.

 Those deeper grass areas are also holding nice bluefish, ladyfish, jacks and more to bend the rod. We’ve been catching plenty of cobia so far but most have been on the small side with not many bigger ones yet. The tarpon are in their normal hangouts and have little traffic compared to May/June so now is the perfect time to target the silver king.

  The sharks are also making an appearance inside the bay on the flats, the edge of the shipping channel and near the passes which make for an exciting battle on light tackle."


Captain Chris Haught
Tampa Bay Florida Fishing Guide
http://www.inshorecharters.com
chris@inshorecharters.com
727-420-4429

TampaBayFish.com - Weekend Fishing Report

TampaBayFish.com  Weekend Fishing Report. Saturday and Sunday are not suppose to be the best weather days. If your going fishing there may be some good chances on Sunday, watch for heavy rains and winds to possibly shut the fish down.

Weather UPDATE: Thunderstorms Saturday with the chance of rain going way down Sunday. It seems like a dip in the temperatures on Sunday but only to 79 so it should be excellent fishing all weekend long.

RADAR LINK

FORECAST LINK
SATURDAY:
high 80-83 70% chance of Rain
low 59-62
NE WINDS 10-15mph
SUNDAY:
high 73-78 60% isolated chance of Rain
low 64-66
N WINDS 10-15mph 

Fishing Report: Look for Fishing to be good if you can get to protected waters and watch for the rain and winds. 

• FISH Redfish are hitting topwaters and trout are hitting popping corks with live or plastic shrimp.
• Spanish Mackerel and Kingfish are making strong appearances. The Kings seem to be running strong 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.

Tampa Fishing Report from Capt. Rick Reddick of Tampa Fishing Charters

Capt. Rick Reddick submitted this report. Visit Tampa Fishing Charters for More info:
April 11, 2012 - Tampa Fishing Charters

Wow what an awesome spring mackerel run we are having. While slow trolling over artificial reefs and other live bottom areas we have barely been able to keep our baits in the water. We have had at least three Kingfish each day and around ten Spanish mackerel. Not to mention all “the ones that got away”.

Obviously we did not catch these two kings in front of this dock, but it was time to take pictures for my happy clients and they did not mind the location. Catching bait has been pretty easy and quick. I am very thankful for the bait we have around and the kings and Spanish love them. While slow trolling it is not uncommon to get double knock downs and we have had at least one on each trip.

When the fishing is this hot, it does not take long to get a large catch like these two professional junior anglers achieved. We should have another month of this awesome mackerel run. Many other species of fish are biting very well this spring:

It has been a pleasure to live and fish in Florida for my whole life, but the months of March and April definitely exemplifies why Florida is the fishing capital of the world. Snook, red fish, trout and grouper have all been caught on recent trips.

In contrast to the previous two springs, bait is easy to find and catch. This mild winter has allowed our fishery the chance to recover a bit, and God knows we need it. While fishing out of Tarpon Springs the past week, we caught this black grouper by free lining a scaled sardine in an edge.

An edge is place were two current flows meet to form a water barrier, that is, two rips moving in different directions. Add a whirlpool effect and you have an Eddie. On the next day’s trip, we caught this snook immediately after leaving the dock:

This happy client had never caught a fish before in his 85 years:

He caught many fish that date.

Here is a picture of a gag we caught while slow trolling for kings:

Fishing for the next few months will be superb, so get out on the water and catch them up!

Captain Rick Reddick
Tampa Fishing Charters |Tampa Fishing Guides
http://www.captainrickreddick.com/
info@captainrickreddick.com
813-787-0249
Tampa Fishing Charters | Tampa Fishing Guides

TampaBayFish.com  Weekend Fishing Report. The wind on Saturday may be a little high but Sunday will be very nice even if the temp drops a little. Flats are working up a lot of action, and the beaches will be heating up shortly. BAIT is everywhere and the schools of mullet are holding some Redfish.

Weather UPDATE: Scattered Thunderstorms Saturday with the chance of rain going way down Sunday. It seems like a dip in the temperatures on Sunday but only to 79 so it should be excellent fishing all weekend long.

RADAR LINK

FORECAST LINK

SATURDAY:
high 80-83 30% chance of Rain
low 59-62
NE WINDS 15-20mph
SUNDAY:
high 79-82 30% isolated chance of Rain
low 64-66
N WINDS 5-10mph 

Fishing Report: The fishing should be excellent in a lot of places around Tampa and the waters North and South. 

• FISH Typical patterns for spring are expected for Redfish, Snook and Trout. Redfish seem to be very active on the flats. Trout are hitting a lot of baits on all the deeper grass flats.
• Spanish Mackerel and Kingfish are making strong appearances. The Kings seem to be running strong 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.

Tampa Bay Fishing Report from Web Site

I received this report from the web site. Thanks for submitting this report and I hope your info can help someone else catch fish. The fishing date was 3/25/2012

"I went wading off of Bayshore Blvd in Tampa, FL. We were out about 300yds off the shore during high tide and we caught three speckled trout ranging from the smallest 17", the middle was 22" and the largest one was 27 1/2" inches. They were all caught on live shrimp. We had to weed through some of the smaller ones before the bigger ones started to hit."

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.

Barracudaville Sportfishing Charters (New Charter Captain in Local Resources)

 

http://www.barracudaville.com

Join Capt. Mark Maloney of Barracudaville Charters for an unforgettable day of fishing in the Tampa Area.
Fishing locally for the past 15+ years in the beautiful, semi-tropical Gulf of Mexico and in its bays and bayous, we have consistently caught everything from giant amberjack, the fish snatching barracuda, hard fighting grouper, drag screaming smoker kingfish, the beautifully acrobatic tarpon, down to the tasty and colorful yellow TAIL snapper.

With a background as a marine science teacher, after a full day charter on BARRACUDAVILLE you are guaranteed to return to the dock with homework. Don't worry, it's only a taste test. We will catch our targeted species or your charter is on Captain Mark.

Whether you are an experienced fisherman hoping to win a big money tournament, a family of five on vacation, or a local fisherman who would like some help finding fish or dialing in your own boat's electronics. Capt. Mark Maloney's BARRACUDAVILLE Sportsfishing Charters will go to every possible effort to provide you with great service and a memorable day of sport fishing.

Captain Mark Maloney
727-776-REEL (7335)
http://www.barracudaville.com
email: CaptainMarkMaloney@yahoo.com

TampaBayFish.com Weekend Fishing report

TampaBayFish.com  Weekend Fishing Report. Looks like another typical early spring weekend with a little chance of rain and some winds but the fishing should be good.

Weather UPDATE: Looks like another FRONT is coming through, we can't seem to get away from them lately on the weekends. However it is suppose to bring only scattered showers around the area. The wind may be one of the biggest factors for fishing this weekend.

RADAR LINK

FORECAST LINK




SATURDAY:
high 64-66 20% chance of Rain
low 54-56
WINDS 10-15mph
SUNDAY:
high 71-74 30% chance of Rain
low 63-65
WINDS 5-15mph 

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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  .

• REDFISH 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 with the slow change in the weather they might still be hunting the shallows in the upper creeks.
• OTHER SPECIES most other fish will follow similar patterns look for the early morning and evening to be your best bets things are only going to get better from this time forward.

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.

NEW Features Coming to TampaBayFish.com

Along with the new web site, some new features will be added to the site. As you can see a New Logo is going into place and I will go over some of new features below.

• HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - TampaBayFish.com will provide free links to Charter Captains and will create a BLOG Post, Facebook Post and Twitter Post when requested through the online form here. posts will remain on the front page for 5 days and typically will start on Saturday or Monday.

• CLEARER INFORMATION - Information is being worked into the layout to provide a clutter free website BUT all the same information you've come to look for.
• WEEKEND Fishing PREDICTIONS - TampaBayFish.com will provide a general idea of what fish will be biting over the weekend. Predictions will be based on weather, tides, season and time of day.
• MORE PICTURES - More pictures will be incorporated into Posts and the web page. This has been a request for a long time to post more images.
• FEEDBACK - A way for you the visitor to send feedback, recommendations and ask questions.

Thank you to the over 100,000 people who have visted and have provided information, pictures, feedback AND valuable learning experiences. Give a man a Fish and he is happy for a DAY, TEACH him to Fish and he is happy for a LIFETIME. Tightlines and I look forward to another 8+ years of providing fishing information to the "everyday fisherman".

Fun Flats Fishing (New Charter Captain in Local Resources)

Join Captain Mark for a great day of fishing Tampa Bay!

Whether you are an experienced angler or a novice, you will enjoy an exciting, fun, action-filled fishing charter. Tampa Bay is home to many species of fish including snook, redfish, trout, mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, tarpon, pompano, and cobia.

With Captain Mark as your fishing guide, you will enjoy all that Tampa Bay has to offer. A Tampa Bay fishing experience includes beautiful back country flats fishing and wildlife vieiwing opportunities such as dolphin, manatee, and rosette spoonbills nestled in the mangroves of Tampa Bay.

"TampaBayFish.com highly recommends Capt. Mark Newton"

Captain Mark Newton

Fun Flats Fishing

http://funflatsfishing.com/

PHONE: (813) 240-6331 or (813) 885-7333

New Tide Map - TampaBayFish.com Tide information

OK so Tim, my good fishing buddy said, "HEY, I need the tides for Anclote River!" so I updated my tide maps and put the new information and new locations on the map. This just makes it easier to find the information. The actual INFORMATION for the tides are located at Mobile Graphics Tides Web Site, You could go there and search for the same areas BUT what I've done is break down JUST our Tampa Area and put the info here http://www.tampabayfish.com/tides.htm. This is also a part of the new TampaBayFish.com that is coming soon!

NEW REDFISH and SPOTTED SEA TROUT regulations GO INTO EFFECT TOMORROW

Starting 1 February NEW Regulations for RED DRUM (REDFISH) and Spotted Sea Trout go into effect for Florida. In the Northern Regions People can KEEP 2 REDFISH per day in the Southern Regions we are still limited to 1 per day.  Spotted Sea Trout will no longer have a closed season. Starting 1 February Sea Trout will be open year round. The map shows which counties are in the north and south. And for more detailed Information make sure you go directly to the Florida Wildlife Commission Web Site.  To see specific information on these changes go to the Saltwater Fishing Regulations Handbook. To find out all of Florida Fishing's Regulations visit the myfwc.org website and get the real information.

Costa Rica Sail fishing

A friend of mine recently returned from a Costa Rica Sail Fishing Trip and sent me this picture. He has some great pictures including some of the ones here.

Fishing in Florida - What do I need - PART 1

Well here is the straight info on what you need to fish while your vacationing in Florida. A great source of information and the basis for my recommendations and information on the "legal" aspects of fishing in Florida can be found here. With the need for licenses here is a general guide. BUT please refer to the website to ensure things are up to date. As of January 2012.

1. If your fishing from a pier or a boat you will need a Saltwater License. If your fishing from the SHORELINE/BEACH you do not need a license as long as your a resident. IF you are vacationing a license is required and the beaches are patrolled. BUT the good news a three day license is only $17 and can be purchased at most bait shops and in just about every Walmart.

2. If you go out with a Charter or Guide they typically provide everything you need, they are knowledgeable about what is legal or not and can out you on the fish without you needing to know anything but where to show up.

3. If your fishing Freshwater you need a license no matter what. If you fishing an Inlet that goes from Freshwater to Saltwater. be careful you may think you don't need a license since it is saltwater BUT if your fishing for freshwater fish you may need a license. (This can be a judgement call by the FWC officer so be careful when your in this gray area of the law) OR just call and ask an FWC officer.

In the next post. Fishing in Florida - What Gear do I need - PART 2 I will discuss what you need if your planning on fishing from the beach or another area on your own without a guide and your wanting to bring your own rod, reel and bait. OR buy it when you get here.

Fishing Report from Web Site

I received this Fishing Report from the website and it has both Fresh water and Saltwater Report.
"Lake Tarpon Pinellas County Florida


Fresh Water Report:

Speckled Perch (Crappie) have really started to show up in numbers. Roadrunner style jigs in Yellow and Green are top producers for good size specs. Live minnows have also been a great bait. I prefer to use a slip bobber with Live minnow or grass shrimp so you can adjust your baits from 1ft to 15ft., also straight line down with Cane sticks is another productive way of using the spider technique. Trolling (slow) through deeper water will result in some nice fish. Mark each fish on your GPS or with a float buoy and work that area well.

Salt Water:

Snook, Redfish, and Big Trout are the hot topic in tampabay right now. Live Shrimp, Tiger Chubs, and Greenbacks are the top choice, but DOA Cal Jigs, Zara Spook, and Jerk Baits are productive as well if your a Lure fisherman. Look to Ft. Desoto, Wheedon Island, Coquina Key,and 4th Street Area for some great action.

Tight Lines and Screaming reels

JSnooker"

Fishing report Submitted by Captain Randy Schoneman Barefoot Bandit Charters

Submitted by Capt. Randy Schoneman, 1/7/2012, "Went out today with my father for some reds as we usually do not keep any and he keeps hearing from his friends that he is telling stories. We did not have to go far as we went to a couple areas close to the house that I have not hit since getting my new boat. We landed six reds from 17" to 24" and kept our two for his friends dinner. They were in with mullet in 1.5' of water and hit on grannies,pin shrimp and a gold spoon. We had 4-5 get off with short bites where they only had half the bait. Great day with my father that will last a lifetime. Tight lines till next report "
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Captain Randy Schoneman
Barefoot Bandit Charters

13707 LAGOON DR HUDSON FL 34667 US
http://www.pasco-gulf-fishing.com/default.html
Phone:
(727)514-4642
(727)863-6718
Email:
CaptainRandy@pasco-gulf-fishing.com