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.

FREE FISHING GEAR

Happy Father’s Day Weekend Sale at Fishing Supply LiquidatorsPRINT UP THIS EMAIL AND BRING IT INTO THE STORE THIS WEEKEND TO RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING SPECIALS!
FREE Fishing Poles for All Fathers!
FREE TACKLE FOR EVERYONE ELSE! (Value to $15 each Family!)
All Tubs OVER 5000 NEW ITEMS ON SALE! Buy 2 Get 1 Free Sale…
which equates to:
MirrOLures only $3.33!
Rapala Lures (including X-raps) only $3.97!
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Sharks and More

Hit the water last nightjust to see if anything was really biting on the hill tide last night. We anchored up just under some lights and a few live baits later and we had our first Shark after that it seemed there just wasn't the warm enough water for the Tarpon to be up near the bridges just yet. we'll try again later in the month when that water hits about 86-88 we should be rollin in em.

Redfish and Snook Action Maybe even Tarpon

If the weather holds off a little this weekend the Redfish, Snook and Tarpon should be good bets this weekend. Target the Redfish near the flats and mangroves. If the tide is high the Redfish will be up in the mangroves and with an outgoing tide look for them to be flushed out onto the flats. Mangroves on the backside of Honeymoon island will be holding a lot of fish. The snook will be prowling the edges of the grass and Mangroves and in the early morning they will be moving along the beaches. Tarpon should be all along the beaches throughout the day. Look for them to move by you if your on the beaches but if you in a boat target the passes and watch for them as they head along the beaches to the passes. Nothing will beat a nice crab laying on the wide open sandy bottom as they pass by. Be Safe this weekend and Tight Lines.

American Red Snapper Season opened

Well my buddies at topdogfishing went out and limited out on American Reds and caught everything else they were after some gags, a few Red grouper and some nice AJ's.

---

June 1, 2009, at 12:01 a.m. and will close August 15, 2009, at 12:01 a.m. The minimum recreational size limit for red snapper is 16 inches, and the bag/possession limit is two fish per person.Charter vessel crew and captain are prohibited from retaining the recreational bag limit.
In addition to your two red snapper per person, you are allowed two red grouper and two gag grouper.

Weekend Snook Fishing - Sat Morning

Looks like tomorrow morning the weather will cooperate and the winds will be perfect. Sunrise is 6:34am and the winds are suppose to be around 3-4knts W - WNW. This should make for excellent fishing early morning with the winds picking up later in the afternoon and our afternoon showers popping up. We will be targting the pass at dunedin and around the beach area of Honeymoon and Caladesi Island. The BIG snook should be laying in the eddy's and slack areas right next to the fast moving current. We should also be on the top of an incoming tide so between the turn there should be ample time to land a few nice sized monsters. Maybe even get lucky and spot a few Tarpon to throw at.
Tightlines!

Excellent Fishing Seminars - Tampa Fishing Outfitters

If you want to learn more about fishing or just want to meet experienced Captains or Shop for excellent fishing supplies. My buddy stumbled on the holy grail of fishing located in the Hillsborough-Dale Mabry Area this store Tampa Fishing Outfitters features excellent tackle and probably the largest selection of Costa Del mar glasses around. But one of the best features are the guides that come in to give fishing seminars. On their web site is the latest schedule but I plan to update my site with their schedule as well. Last night we met with Capt. Ike Carrasquillo of Flats Xpress he did a seminar on Summer time Snook Fishing. This was an excellent seminar and if your an old salt or a beginner he has tips and information for everyone. He typically fishes the Hillsborough River and if you want to fish with him check out his web site You won't be disappointed.

The Fishing Seminar is:
Topic: Fishing for Other Species
Date: June 2nd, 2009
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Good Fishing along the beaches and IN the Passes

We hit the water by 5:30am Mothers Day. It was a little windy and we headed out dunedin pass to cruise the beaches. We had heard reports of kings being caught by kayakers 200-300yds off the beaches. We tried our luck but only landed a few Spanish Macks. The Bait in the passes were attracting all kinds of Jacks and Big Snook during the strong incoming tide. Up on the flats we hooked up with some nice sized trout. We will keep trying and hopefully we can hook a Tarpon or two once the beach run starts.

Weekend Fishing

The weekend fishing should pick up with the stable weather and the calm winds. The Bay should see an increase in spanish macks and bait moving throughout the bay. The coast and flats in the intercoastal should see a big pick up with the reds and trout. ON the beaches just offshore should be good schools of King fish and some reports of early Tarpon.

Somali Coast Fishing Should pick up. (Fresh Chum)

Navy Seals 3 Pirates 0. The fishing should pick up near the Somali coast with the addition of fresh chum in the waters. Nice Shot! 25 Yards, In the Dark, Rolling Seas.

Weekend fishing should be picking up

With the small front that came through the fish should be moving around. Monday Night in our old channel I was able to hook a few snook and landed a 24 incher. Wednesday Night wading near Safety Harbor we saw a lot of hook up but were doing more exploring then fishing. looking for good spots to try at another time. The Kings should be offshore this weekend except the Wind is suppose to pick up so be careful. The Reds should be on some of the flats and the Snook should be coming out to the creek mouths.

NEW HOTSPOTS Posted - And Fishing Report

Well I decided to place another Hot Spot on my list and map so if your interested check out my Hotspots link on the left of the main web site. Now for the report.

On the water by about 5:30pm and we decided to check a few new spots and see what was biting for the night. We launched off the South West side of Dunedin Causeway and headed West into the Caladesi Ferry Bay. We threw a few top waters and a few jigs but nothing seemed to be biting. We then headed south across the main pass channel and fished the drop off off Caladesi Island. Nothing seemed to be biting there either. So we moved further west and south and drifted the flats south of the Caladesi Channel. WOW nothing there either So we ended up drifting the Boat Channel that runs parallel to the Causeway. This was the hotspot. Trout were hitting everytime we dropped our Gulp Jerkbaits. White or Silver and Blue worked Best with a small split shot or weight at the head. Rigged it weedless and dropped it to the bottom. Then Jerked it off the bottom pretty fast. On the fall seemed to be the best hits. We landed 3 keeper trout around 18 inches each and hooked and released about 8-10 small fry about 10 inches. the magic hour was the best time for hook ups and after dark the bite dropped significantly. The tide was incoming and it was a FULL MOON. Fishing was great. Look for a new Trout Recipe sometime shortly.

KINGFISH are coming SOON!

Well its just around the corner and the Kingfish will be making their way down the coast. The next two weekends will be good for early kings and some nice fighting fish. The smokers may not be in yet but they should be around the end of the month. Look for it to really pick up all the way through April and into early May.

This will be the beginning of the Early Kingfish Run along the Coast here in the Tampa Area. Some good spots will be about 10 miles out over any of the major wrecks. Troll till you hit one or two then stop and cast some long plugs for em.

Experienced Pilots Requested to Assist Family in Search

I do not know the family nor am I a representitive of anyone related but I feel if the more people ask the more help they may recieve. The Family of Marquis Cooper, one of the missing boaters is asking experienced Pilots to continue in the search for Marquis, Corey Smith and Will Bleakley. They have requested anyone interested contact them at mailto:nflsearchandrescue@gmail.com



See the related Article here. http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/03/rescued-boaters-details-helpful-search-others/ on TBO.com

Boat Capsizes, 1 Rescued

If everyone here especially fisherman of the area haven't already heard. The nasty wind and weather that blew in caused a horrible incident that many fisherman won't forget nor will they take a simple fishing trip as no serious matter. As reported by TBO.com

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"The U.S. Coast Guard has found one of four missing boaters clinging to the capsized vessel today in the Gulf of Mexico and the Coast Guard said it has rescued Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida football player who was on a Saturday fishing trip with three other people."

-----------



At this point they haven't found the others or indicated any other status. My Thanks as I'm sure of many other fisherman's thanks go out to the Coast Guard, Florida Wild Life Officers, U.S. Air Force Rescuers and all the other civil enforcement and individuals that put forth the extraordinary effort of braving wind and weather to find these men and with any prayers hopefully the other three will be found SAFE.



I own a 21ft Center Console and regardless of planning or watching the weather things happen that are unpredictable and regardless of judgement or skill cannot be accounted for.

Trout and Reds near Dunedin

The trout are hitting regularly and the reds are following. This weekend should be good for the Trout off Dunedin causeway. Live shrimp or Gulp swim baits seem to be the favorite.

TampaBayRays Beat Philly in less then 7

OK, If you haven't been around Tampa the past week then you haven't seen everything turn blue and the RAYS beat the Red Sox. But now its time for the world Series. And with that in mind I found this article on ESPN.com that talked about their simulation software they use to help predict the outcome of games. Here is the Link to read the whole story .ESPN.Com and here are a few Quotes.


"the results of our simulations project the Tampa Bay Rays to continue their "Cinderella" run and defeat the Phillies. In fact, Tampa Bay won over 71 percent of our 2,000 series simulations, the largest winning margin of any postseason projection we've done for ESPN.com." (ESPN.Com, By Dayne Myers and Luke Kraemer).


"When we projected the Red Sox as heavy favorites last year, we gave them a decent chance of a sweep (Boston swept 105 of the 1,000 series simulations). In contrast, Tampa Bay swept 299 of the 2,000 simulations we ran for this year's Series, or 15 percent, and the Rays won the Series in five games or less 626 times (31.3 percent). In other words, the simulations do not bode well for the Phillies, and the odds are against them even making it to a seventh game. "



But enough of the professionals. I predict that Rays Win in 5. Because in order for us to lose. ALL 3 of our major strengths have to go bad. PITCHING, HITTING and DEFENSE. And thats not happening. Tampa Bay "Title Town USA" Super Bowl Champs, Stanley Cup Champs and World Series Champs, Nuff Said!

Scalloping Fishing and More.

Wow this has been a hot summer and a busy one. I blew my Boat Motor twice. Thank god for Mercury Warranties. Both, I am happy to say were not my fault. (Of course thats what they all say right) Anyway LAST weekend we headed to Steinhatchie to do our Annual Scallop trip. we hit the water on Friday Afternoon and south of the channel in 6-7 ft of water we found more scallops then we knew what to do with. Saturday was the same way we loaded up our three boats with some of the biggest Scallops we have seen in a year or two. The jellyfish were not very bad and the water was clear. The scallops were not as abundant as the past two years but they were big.

Fishing on the other hand we did not do there but a buddy of mine was under Gandy and Howard Franklin and caught this nice Keeper 16 inch Flounder. he also noted that the Tarpon were rolling non-stop under the bridges and many people were hanging in the shade workign the silver kings. Hopefully now that I have my boat back I will be able to get out on the water this weekend and chase a Tarpon around myself. See you on the water. Tight Lines

GO RAYS! Vote for LONGGORIA

If your from Tampa or Live Near Here or Just wanna be a RAYS FAN. Make sure you vote for EVAN LONGORIA

Tampa Area Fishing Report

Tons of Tarpon!
Around the area Tarpon have been jumped and landed in a variety of areas. Gandy Bridge at night in the shadow line is a great location. On the beaches all along Caladesi, Honeymoon, 3-Rookers and Anclote Key are also seeing great Tarpon action. Look for the rolling pods and note the depth and their direction, once you find a pods at a certain depth others should be cruising in that same depth. A large Live Pinfish or Shrimp casted in front of the cruising pod shoould do the trick.

Redfish have been spotted on some of the grass flats around Ft. Desoto.

Cobia have been reported around many of the first sets of markers in the passes.

Trout are plentiful on the Flats near Dunedin, St. Joseph Bay and Howard Park.

Tarpon Fishing Is Here

Its that time of year when the Tarpon are rolling across the Tampa Bay Area and The Full moon has made the fish even more active. Look for the tarpon at the mouth of the bay all along the Skyway Bridge and in the Egmont channel. Also look for them along the Gandy Bridge. Tarpon are agressive fast fish and can close the distance between boats quickly so remember to give other fisherman in your area ample room to fight their fish and help out when you can if you can. Tarpon are a great Catch and as you can see they are great to get a picture in then release. The picture in this post was sent in by

Capt. Brook Wallace
Full Boat Charters - Bradenton, FL
www.floridainshoreguide.com
captainbrook@tampabay.rr.com
941-725-0798

Great Fishing Weekend

With the Tarpon Showing and being caught in the bay already and the King fish still hitting regularly. The fishing should be great this weekend. Redfish have been reported on most of the flats, especially near Weedon Island and Cobia have been caught there and seem to be hitting freelined shrimp and small whitebaits. If your not out with your Mother this weekend make it a point to go fishing the weather is great and getting better and the fish know it. Be sure to check the flats near St. Joseph sound and in the 3 rooker. Anclote area for some good steady fishing action.

Tarpon Time

Its getting close to that time of year when the tarpon are all over the Tamp Fishing Areas. Reports are coming in about Tarpon being caught off some of the passes near 3 rookers, Egmont and others. Kings will be in the same areas until the end of the month as well. Don't forget the "Suncoast Tarpon Round-up" is this month. For more information check out the Tournament Web Site. http://www.suncoasttarponroundup.org/main.htm

Tarpon Key Trout

On the water by 5:45am and headed towards Tarpon Key down near Ft. Desoto. The wind was out of the NE and the tide was coming in. We started with a little top water and found that the trout were hitting nicely in about 4-6ft of wate. My wife landed the first nice sized 24" and then I was able to bring in about a 22" We continued catching them all morning and the wind died down and about 7:00am we started with the gulp and I finally landed about a 24" keeper and we saw a lot of fish and even a couple of 30+ snook crusing the shoreline. At about 8:00am we switched back to Top water and the trout were back on top.

We fished about another hour and called it quits. We were really looking for Reds but the trout were a nice steady fight all morning long.

Tight Lines.

3 Rookers Fishing Report

We made it to 3 Rookers Bar on Saturday evening and camped Saturday night. We fished that evening and landed a few small trout and we talked with some fellow campers that had fished all day and had caught some keepers around 20-22 inchers. The next morning we went out and drifted the flats with some nice trout landed, until around 8:00am. We had a report that a few 60-80lb tarpon had been landed in the pass between Honeymoon and 3 Rookers.

Other places around the bay were hooking up with Spanish Macks and off the gandy a 30lb Kingfish was landed last week. Fishing seemed to pick up with the weather but another front moving through might turn them off for a day or two.

Look for my pics from the campign trip soon.

3 Rookers Weekend Fishing

The weekend bite should be good and hopefully the winds will cooperate. Redfish are on the flats and the Snook are in the passes. Kingfish are close to shore from 3-10 miles out. Some Pompano are hitting on the beaches. The spanish mackerel are hitting at the bridges and on the piers. Grouper are hitting in good numbers if you can get your baits past the Red Snapper. Remember Red Snapper are not in season UNTIL 1 June. This is a new law that just went into affect.

I will be hitting 3 Rookers this weekend and the flats around it. I will post a report when I get back.

Weekend Fishing

After this cold front has come through we should see a turn on of the fishing. The Full moon happens this weekend and the weather should change around enough to give us a good bite. Gandy Bridge is having a Good Spanish Mack Bite and most of the flats have trout and redfish on them. Under the Howard Franklin bridge there was a good Black Drum bite on live jumbo shrimp on the bottom.

The flats off Ft. Desoto and Dunedin Causeway were having a good turn-out of Trout and Reds. Snook have also been hitting good in the early morning and early evening on the turn of tides.

Tight Lines

Gas Prices and Fishing.

We all know what it costs to fill our boats and with the prices increasing it's hard not to really notice it when we do. I personally have a 100Ga tank. 3/mtg. I found this and thought it might be useful.

Boat Gas Saving Tips
1. Be sure the automatic choke is disengaged after engine warm up... chokes often get stuck, resulting in bad gas/air mixture.

2. Buy gasoline during coolest time of day - early morning or late evening is best. During these times gasoline is densest. Keep in mind - gas pumps measure volumes of gasoline, not densities of fuel concentration. You are charged according to "volume of measurement".

3. Choose type and brand of gasoline carefully. Certain brands provide you with greater economy because of better quality. Use the brands which "seem" most beneficial.

4. Fill your Tank up and keep it full. Evaporation happens when there is a lot of air in the tank. The more air the more evaporation.

5. Regular tune-ups ensure best economy; check owner's manual for recommended maintenance intervals. Special attention should be given to maintaining clean air filters... diminished air flow increases gas waste.

6. Remove vinyl tops - they cause air drag. Rough surfaces disturb otherwise smooth air flow around your boat's body. Also be aware of anything that may hinder the smooth movement of your boat through the water.

7. Remove excess weight from your boat make sure you have what you need and all your safety equipment but remember the less weight you have onboard the less weight you have to push through the water.

8. Fill Your tank to the top and if friends are riding with you go to the pump AFTER your trip and split the fuel equally.

After the Weekend

Fishing was great this past weekend and alot of people have given me reports on whats biting.

Trout and Spanish Macks have been termendous off the Gandy Piers. Hitting anything shiny and live shrimp have been producing better then average.

It looks like around some of the markers near the Skyway have been seeing Kingfish hitting live greenbacks and some very good Spanish Mack action as well.

The flats have been giving us a mixed bag and inshore slams are common this time of year. Snook are hitting near the mangroves, the Reds are hovering over the Oyster Beds and the Trout are haunting the grass flats.

This cold front coming through will turn things off but I'm betting that the upcoming full moon will turn the fish on after the cold front moves through by Friday and Saturday we should see a feeding frenzy that will give us all a good fishing weekend again.

One other report was that the Shrimp are moving into the normal pattern and if your wanting to try some good Shrimping they seem to be in with a report of over 4 dozen by one of my experienced buddies netting them up.

Tight Lines.

Inshore Slam At Double Branch

Nothing beats that quit early morning calm right before the sun comes up. We hit the mouth of double branch at the exavt time the tide turned around to an incoming. The pollen on the water showed us right where the Fast and Slack areas were and a "Bagley's Jumping Finger Mullet" a great top water bait gave us a couple of the largest swirls and two LARGE hook ups from these snook. Then Finally we put one in the boat. The wind picked up a little then we switched to a Silver/Blue Rattle Trap and hooked a 20+ RedFish. It seemed that the bite slowed so we trolled around the mouth area and finally found some persistent trout that would not leave the top waters alone. An inshore slam right before this upcoming front was a great start to the weekend. We Explored a few other areas and found a couple spots that looked "fishy" but by about 8:30 the rest of the fisherman had showed up and we were already headed back. 5-8 boats in the mouth of double branch makes for a busy area.

Other fish around the area biting are Macks at the bridges and bay waters. Kingfish offshore and some good in the bay fishing is being had over any of the grassy flats for schooling Reds and Trout.

Tight Lines.

Fishing at the Gandy Bridge

Fishing has really picked up with the weather and this weekend should be great. The Spanish Macks are hitting any thing flashy and if your planning to fish this weekend or anytime this week the weather should be good and the fishing should be excellent.

If your hitting Gandy bridge pier check out

Gandy Bait & Tackle
4923 Gandy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33611. Phone:(813) 839-5551

Fishing is Really picking up

Captain Jason Prieto is offering a $50 discount on all 6 and 8hr charters booked thru May 15th.

Mention that you saw this ad on TampaBayFish.com! I received the personal E-mail and he said he was giving a discount if you mentioned the e-mail but hey he may not HAVE your e-mail address so ask him if you read it on TampaBayFish.com if he will put you on his e-mail list.

Captain Prieto has a new radio show and he hopes everyone will listen and call in.

The fishing has been great, we have been catching lots of Snook and Redfish with Trout not far behind. The Tarpon are Starting to show up in good numbers. I also wanted to let everyone know about my new radio show on 860 WGUL AM. Its called Outdoor Fishing Adventures and we talk about anything that has to do with fishing and then some. We also give away a free Tica rod and reel every week to our callers so feel free to call in and talk fishing with us the call in number is 813-289-1860 or Toll free 877-969-8600 . It on every Saturday from 7AM to 9Am on 860 WGUL AM or you can listen live on 860wgul.com. Give me a call and mention this ad to get the special offer!!813-727-9890


Thanks
Captain Jason Prieto
Cell # 813-727-9890
www.steadyactionfishingcharters.com
Steady Action Fishing Charters
Co Host
Outdoor Fishing Adventures
860WGUL AM rafio 7AM to 9AM
Outdoor Writer
Florida Outdoor Adventures
Florida Marine Times

Finding Shrimp Near Tampa

The Tampa Area is great for finding Shrimp. Sometimes not the largest and sometimes not the sheer numbers as other areas but they are here and many people do not realize it. I regularly post information when myself and my friends head out on my Web Site tampabayfish.com

Currently what you want to look for is a nice calf to knee high deep wading area that has a nice grassy bottom. Some of the bext places that we have found are here and here

The next thing you need is a way to see the Shrimp A nice LED Head lamp works great. White is ok but we find that a RED light actually helps see the eyes a little better. This headlamp is great and Cheap but does the job

The next thing you need is a good Shrimp Net or The "Ozello Shrimper" I recommend the "Ozello Shrimper"! I've used a Net and I've used the "Ozello Shrimper" and it catches double the number of shrimp then a Net.

The reason is because the "Ozello Shrimper" comes down on top of the Shrimp and if the shrimp get spooked they shoot right into it. A net on the other hand comes in from below and if the shrimp gets spooked he "teleports" right out of your net about 5-10 ft away. and if you haven't seen them "teleport" then you haven't been shrimping.

Well Our season here in the Tampa area will really kick off about the last week in April and Last until about the first Week in July. Hopefully this will help everyone "Find Shrimp Near Tampa" and if you do find some and would like to send Pictures Remember "Ozello Shrimper" has a contest running so send him your pics and Also send them to Me at [url]TampaBayFish.com[/url]and I will post them on my weekly pics.

TampaBayFish
http://www.tampabayfish.com
"Google's #1 'Tampa Fishing' Web site".

Capt. Bill Miller and Capt. Mel Berman Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow night be at Precision Toyota, 1101 E. Fletcher Avenue in Tampa , Wednesday, from 7-9 pm. will be hosting a fishing conversation for 2 hours. This is a good chance to talk fishing with a few of the prominent and well known fishing people in Tampa.

Kingfish Offshore

Hit the water this weekend and head offshore for some great Kingfish action. The reports are coming in the early kings are being landed on the near shore reefs. Other action is starting to pick up inshore with the arrival of some of the Spanish Macks. Look for early tailing Reds on the grass flats around Desoto and up near Dunedin. Weather should be good and the fishing should be great.

FREE Fishing Weekend

The FWC has designated the weekend of April 5 and 6 as Free Fishing Weekend. Both residents and nonresidents can fish in public fresh waters across the state without a license. All other fishing rules apply (see MyFWC.com/Fishing).

Although its not soltwater you can still hit some great lakes within the state.

Tarpon Fishing Seminar tonight

Since Tarpon season is coming up shortly so to get ready you should start looking to update your tackle and skills. Here is one way to do the skills update.

Capt. Tommy Ziesmann, aka "Tommy Z" of Action Charters will present a free tarpon fishing seminar Wednesday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Boater's World, 9931 Adamo Drive in Brandon, FL. Find out more info here.

Windy Weekend

Looks like this weekend is not the weekend to be out on the water. But with the time change tonight we should see some warmer weather and longer days so that next weekend could be a great fishing weekend. The Trout and Redfish should be back on over the next few days after this front blows through. BUT if your down here vacationing and wanting to fish. Stay off the Offshores since the seas are huge and they probably aren't running anyway and the inshore in protected water may be the best bet.

Tampa Fishing Inshore

Looks like a couple of friends made a few trips into the flats down near Desoto and the skyway area. They told me that it looked like a lot of fish were moving around in the shallows and near shell island the Mullet were swimming on top of large schools of RedFish. The trout were also biting pretty heavily on shrimp and gulps. Looks like I am going to have to make my way to the flats this weekend to see whats biting for myself. I also heard reports of Kings moving in on the closer artificial reefs.

Fishing is really starting to pick up

We hit the water Saturday Night out of Clearwater and decided to head to the Rube Allyn to see if the snapper bite might be on. Once there we started getting bites immediately the snapper where there and we started landing a few a couple of shorts and a few keepers. But the excitement came when we started hooking into the Goliath Grouper. We would start reeling in our little 40lb snapper rod rigs and then about 1-2ft off the bottom the pole would bend over and take us for a ride. They were monsters that we couldn't get turned and didn't have the gear to land one. So 3 times we broke off. We did however land about 5 Gags and 1 Red grouper of the 5 1 was keeper size but since we are out of season we let em all go. All in all a good quick trip we were back at the ramp by 9:30 and had a couple a snapper to fillet.

Tampa Tribune Outdoor Expo and Boat Show

TODAY Friday February 29th is FREE. Tomorrow it is $8.00 if your interested this will be a good time with some great speakers. Here is the link with more information. http://promos.tbo.com/triboutdoorexpo_2008/index.htm

The Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo and Boat Show

Coming up this weekend is the Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo and Boat Show. This is an annual event that has a lot of demonstrations and topics of interest for the Tampa fisherman. It's located at the Florida State Fairgrounds and will run all weekend long. The Cost is $15.00 and you can catch some good boat deals and some good products that you just can't find anywhere else.

GROUPER IN THE GULF

Over the past few weekends the Grouper Fishing has been great here is another example of some catches that a few buddies have sent me. These keepers were caught outta New Port Richey.

Gulf Fishing Over the Weekend

Some weekends are for fishing, some are for Trailer Maintenance. Mine however was for Maintenance BUT, that didn't stop Capt. Doug and the IRISHWAKE from heading out to one of his good stops with a few buddies. Some keeper gags and Snapper but a lot of fishing action. Read all the report and see the Pics of the Beautiful Tiger Shark they hooked at the following link.
http://www.gregandbeth.com/blog/index.php?action=view&id=820

NEW GULF REEF FISHING RULES

Check out the new GULF REEF Fishing Rules. MUST have a Venting Tool, (not a knife or ice pick), Must use Circle Hooks, and a DeHooking tool. http://myfwc.com/whatsnew/08/statewide/News_08_X_SnapperRegs.htm

Red Snapper Season STILL opens April 21st for State Waters But for Gulf Federal waters adjacent to State Waters the Season is closed until June 1st. read more about it at the link above.

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

I know its not fishing but, every year we don our garb and invade Tampa. If you have never seen this from the water it is a must see. Make sure you have all your safety equipment and the captain doesn't drink. You will be boarded and inspected. The number of boats is crazy. The skill it takes to maneuver in the mix is a true test. But the view of the invasion is great and the partying on the water is fantastic. Despite all the rowdiness and close boating there has never been a serious accident during the invasion. (CROSS OUR FINGERS). I will have pictures and post a few shortly.

Redfish and Snook Weedon Island

Received an update on the state of Weedon Island fishing this past weekend. Redfish and Snook were all over the flats there and were taking just about any gulp bait thrown at them. A 35inch Redfish and a 29inch Snook were the highlights and Both are still out there swimming around. The keeper redfish were plenty. All in all about 30+ fish caught between two guys wading the flats.

CHECK OUT THE WEEKLY PICS

Here is another one of the Fish from Last Saturday's Offshore Trip.

OffShore Grouper

We hit the water at 6:30am, Bay Pines Boat ramp and Capt. Doug. in the "IRISH WAKE" was taking me and another buddy offshore for a little day of Grouper. he had been telling us that he had some nice holes and would put us on em. After we launched we headed out John's Pass and about an Hour and a Half later we were on fish. The First Fish caught was a my fish a keeper gag. Then it was everyone elses turn and we caught one after another right away. The next time around for me landed a 30" 12.5lb Black that gave a good fight. We caught a ton of short blacks and reds then we started hitting a few Mango's. We let out a little anchor line and I hit a fish on my Mango 40lb rod that put me in a stand still. I fought him for a while and thank god my drag was set right. Once I got him up it was a 9lb Red Grouper. We ended up with 4 Keeper gags and the big red, a few mangos and a scamp. A real nice little catch for a quick day trip.

Check out the rest of the photos in the WEEKLY pic page. over the next few days.

COLD Weather Killing off SNOOK

Last weeks cold weather Snap had a large affect on our fishing community including some of our favorite targets, SNOOK. If you find that there is a significant number of Snook dead near or at your favorite fishing hole please contact the FWC 1-800-636-0511, or Submit a Fish Kill Report. and inform them of the numbers. This will give them a good idea which locations were affected the hardest. Poaching also becomes easier when finding fish stunned by the cold spell.

Snook Fishing in Double Branch

We hit the water by about 5:30pm our favorite haunt double branch. The water was alive with action and everything we through in the water had some followerers. It seemed the Jacks were the main thing hitting us and so we headed straight to the mouth. Once there on the first pass We hooked a monster snook that pulled the kayak around a little and finally we got him in. There wasn't much more snook action the rest of the night but the Jacks sure hit us hard and this Camera Phone pick is a Little jittery but shows that these were some good sized feeders up in the shallows.

RedSnook (Catch and Relase) Snook Tournament

REDSNOOK Catch and Release Fishing tournament with Roland Martin.

This Friday October 5th. Find all the information here. Redsnook Tournament.

Redfish and More

Headed out early on a Windy Sunday morning towards the South Skyway area. We were going to go east towards Joe Island but the wind kept us on the protected west side of the bridge. Even though the wind was whipping we managed to find some great grass on a strong outgoing tide. The sun had just started giving a little light and we started with some top waters but quickly switched to Nuclear Chicken and Natural Gulp shrimp.
The bite was good we were hitting a lot of smaller trout and some to keeper size 18+. Then we hit a grouper nursery wow the little gags were smacking our baits in half. BUT 8 inch grouper need to go grow up a little and we were looking for Big Redfish. After spotting a few large disturbances I casted into a strong down current and jigged slowly back up current. About the second bounce on the bottom and WAM, the redfish I was looking for hit. After landing the 22" (nice slot size) fish we kept working the area and found our other to make the limit. We kept fishing and searching the area. A Small Snook and some puffers rounded out the inshore slam and we headed back in before the Winds pushed us to the gulf. PLUS we had to get back in time to watch the Bucs take care of Carolina. Tight Lines......and GO BUCS!

OFFSHORE MANGROVES

We hit the water by about 6:30pm we headed out of Bay Pines ramp and hit the tripod marker out of John's Pass for some good sized Pin Fish. After about 15 minutes we had a baitwell full and we headed out to our first stop in about 44 ft. of water about 20 miles offshore. The bite was ok and we pulled in a few large Mangos. But the short Red grouper were relentless and we decided to move out to our primary spot. another 25 miles out and about 120ft and the bottom really had hardly any structure but we were marking fish. So we thought lets give it a try. It was on then non-stop from the time we anchored until we left about 3:30am. Hardly no moon and calm seas gave us a good bite that produced 1 keeper Red Grouper and between the 4 of us 31 Keeper Mangos. We made it back around the time the sun was coming up and then it was time to hit the bed until the first college football games came on. All in all a good night of Snapper fishing.

Trout At Dunedin

We hit the water by about 6:00am and headed right under the bridges to the smaller spoil islands on either side of the islands are nice grass flats that seem to be holding trout and lots of em. We used a lot of topwater for the early strike. We caught probably 15-20 trout in about a 2 hour period all under sized but fun to land. After the sun was up and it started warming a little we moved to gulp shrimp to keep them interested. For the most part all fish were around 12-15 inches and it doesn't seem the larger fish have moved in yet.

Scalloping in Steinhatchie

Spent Friday and Saturday on the water off Steinhatchie Scalloping. Last year was great so this year we rented a House and Had 12 people with us. We took two boats and had a TON of fun. The scallops are all in the same general area so if you find the boats you'll find the scallops. We headed out of the river and at the last marker turned straight North and made a run about 7 miles until we found the boats. Lots and Lots of boats. We limited out per boat 10 gallons each. in about 2 hours. Cleaning em was a different story but about an hour and a half later and we had more then we could eat thats for sure. We came out with between 12-14lbs of meat. Its a great time and like an easter egg hunt for adults. The season only lasts until Sept 10th so get to em while you can. and have fun. Watch for the manatees and Remora. They'll both follow you around.

Around the Bay

It seems the Mangrove Snapper bite has picked up quite a bit along the ships channels in the bay. Find rock pilings or other structure along the deeper drop offs and you should hook up with some good mangroves. Snook are in the outer passes running in the current. Tarpon are at Gandy and Howard Franklin and should pick up with the new moon strong currents, a good blue crab or lady fish near the top can always hook something to fight. Might be a shark so be prepared. I personally won't be able to enjoy the fishing over here I am heading to San Diego for a week and will be fishing a little here and there in between work. But I am taking my poles and camera so look for a California Fishing Report when I return. Won't do much good here but anxious to see what the fishing is like on the other coast.

Sunshine Skyway

With the onset of the summertime Weather Patterns. we are seeing calmer water and the fishing turn to Summer targets. Tarpon are moving across the outer beaches and within Egmont pass. Grouper and Sharks seem to eb a good bet at the skyway and it seems many of the other species are active across the bay. Look for more reports of Bridge Tarpon being caught and released. The Offshore reefs are holding a lot of action and with the flat waters it should make for a pleasant if not HOT trip out on the water on most weekends. Keep an eye on the thunderstorms and take the proper precautions.

Gandy Tarpon

Tampa Fishing Report: On the water by about 5:45pm headed out of gandy ramp looking for bait we found the bait on a marker near the bridge and filled the livewell with about 30+ Threadfin. Got in place and Anchored under a light and started fishing with the Threadfin. Had a few strong hits nothing exciting and caught a few monster sail cats. Couldn't get a lady fish to hit until the sun hit the horizon then we couldn't get them to stop. We saw a few tarpon rolling and figured it would be on any minute. The Tide and New Moon were at prefect points. BUT we had no luck hooking up. we pulled anchor around 10:00pm and decided to call it since it was Thursday we still had to go to work in the morning.

Apollo Beach Trout

Tampa Fishing Report, On the water by 7:00am we headed out of Apollo beach one of our good friends flats boat and he knew where to take us. South towards Cockroach bay and the grass flats that seemed to be alive once we got on them. Hooked up a couple Gulp Shrimp and started working the grass. Almost right away we hit some good trout and after a couple 15 and 16 inchers we really seemed to be in the middle of em. About 20 fish later and we called it a day. Trout seemed to be the primary fish that were out and about but a small Bonnet head 3 1/2 footer and a couple lady fish also made their presence known. Thursday Night is a Tarpon night and we should have some good pics. My other Buddy Fishing Gandy Bridge said the reds are hitting from the bridge and the Tarpon are rolling early morning in pods looking for schools of bait.

Dunedin Causeway Fishing

Dunedin Causeway was a good spot this weekend for fishing although it seemed that some of the fish turned on only at certain times. One thing we noticed was that at around low tide during the evening hours the Trout seemed to bite better on live and fresh dead shrimp. During the morning hours the Spanish Macks still hit shiny Spoons and jigs and during the hotter times of the day the flounder seemed to be feeding on the bottom on bits of Shrimp. The weather has really heated up and so has the water and the feeding and fishing should be getting just as hot.

Ft. Desoto Shrimp

Snook Season is over and they know it, hanging out by the shorelines, watching you, knowing you can't keep em. Teasing you. SO switch gears. Headed to Ft. Desoto to find some Shrimp. and Man did we find them. between 4 of us we caught 550+ large - jumbo Shrimp. This is one of the easiest things to do if you love Shrimp or just want to catch your own bait. A red Headlamp (makes the eyes glow better) a Small Diameter Hole Net, a Bucket (that floats w/lid), Good dive boots or wading shoes. and a nice calm shallow stretch of water. Look for the eyes glowing in the water then just scoop them up. The Snook are also hanging out too so if you just would rather fish keep your poles along and try it out but if the fish aren't biting. Scoop up some great shrimp and have some Shrimp on the barbee!

SNOOK at Dunedin

Tampa Fishing Report:
Well the season was closed and wouldn't you know it we landed a 30" last night. Dunedin so far is great for us catching Big Snook Last May 1st I landed a 34". But most of the fun is the fight so we went with it, Took a good picture and let em go. We were actually out for a night of Redfish and Shrimp. We took the Kayaks right off the second bridge to Honeymoon Island and went up into the bay where the Caladisi Ferry is. We could see Schools of Mullet and bait fish all over the Bay and the Extreme Low Tide (Full Moon) was making things much more shallow. We thought for sure the reds would be laying under the Mullet Schools. BUT we found only Snook. So after a few hook ups and the 30 incher it was getting dark and we thought we would Shrimp for a little while. We found some perfect grass and found about 200 or so and called it a night. Although Smaller then the Skyway/Desoto Shrimp there seemed to be more. Later in the season we should see a size increase.

Sunday Afternoon Spanish Macks

Tampa Fishing Report,
Spanish Macks were all over the Gandy Fishing Piers Sunday afternoon. The trick was to get the bait to the correct depth. Using a small trolling weight or slip weight and longer leader helped out. Most fish landed were in the 20-24" range with a few smaller and some larger. With the Water temperature picking up to should the fishing.