Spring has definitely sprung in tampa bay and the fishing most trips has been fantastic. White bait is plentiful in the bay, the fish are moving, and there are a variety of options and species to target this time of year inshore. We’ve been catching a lot of slot and overslot snook up to 37” which is great news after the extended cold snap we had several weeks ago. The big sheepshead and big trout are also still around, the trout fishing in particular has been fantastic through the winter and early spring with lots of fish over 20” and numerous around the 24-26” mark. In the last week or two, the spanish mackerel have started to show back up as well and we can only hope that the kingfish will not be too far behind. And of course, we’re keeping our eyes out every day for those first early season tarpon that should start showing up soon around the bridges.

Well it’s been a very chilly winter by our standards here in Tampa Bay, and the fish are trying to get through it just like we are. Water temperatures have been hovering in the mid-50s, and some fish are more tolerant than others to these colder than normal conditions. You might find a snook or two tucked up in the backwater canals and mangroves, but most snook will be hunkered down in deeper holes just trying to survive the winter. With this cold water, their metabolism shuts down to almost nothing. I wouldn’t expect snook action to turn on until we get on some warmer weather trends into February. The good news is, there are plenty of other species to target that don’t mind the chilly water. The big gator trout are out there this time of year foraging the shallow flats and mangrove edges, we haven’t found a ton of them but this is the time of year to find the big ones in the 22-24”+ range. Sheepshead action will of course be going all through the winter, we’ve been finding them consistently around most dock structures and deeper mangrove edges close to good water/tidal flow. We’ve been finding plenty of redfish as well in the same zones as the sheeps, but most of the fish have been smaller in the 14-16” range. Fishing with crabs or live shrimp, you may also stumble on some big black drum which are an awesome catch this time of year on light tackle. Out in the bay, the grunt action has been very good some days, with lots of solid eater size fish being caught. There have been plenty of mangrove snapper mixed in as well, but we’ve been getting mostly smaller fish with a few keepers mixed in here and there. Of course, the gags are out there as well so be ready when you get that big tug on your 15lb medium action spinning rod. It looks like the cold weather will persist through the end of this week, barely breaking into the low 50s some days. The good news is it looks like we’ll get on a solid warming trend the last several days of January, with temps in the 70s that will continue into the first week of February. This will be a welcome relief for both us and the fish.

Our trip on Sat Oct 19 was pretty lousy, to say the least. The wind was blowing 15-20 from the ENE, and we simply could not find fish on the flats in their normal early fall spots. I wish I could say I am surpised, but considering everything that has happened the last few weeks, the bay and the fishing is in quite bad shape. At least from what I have seen on the water personally since Hurricane Milton. Before Milton, the fishing was absolutely on fire inshore. Now, the bay is murky and discolored from all the freshwater runoff, there is debris everywhere, and we are getting reports of algae blooms and red tide off the beaches. Much of the bay is looking like the Mississippi River currently. Water temps are running in the low to mid 70s, which is at least 10 degrees cooler than temps prior to Milton. I am sure there are still fish to be found out there, but I would say all bets are off when it comes to targeting your normal patterns for this time of year. Again, this is just what I have seen personally on the water since Hurricane Milton. Maybe there are other people out there finding fish, who knows. I think instead of fishing the next week or two, time will be better spent cleaning our bay and beaches, and trying to get our resources back up and running. I have recommended most of my clients cancel upcoming trips, simply due to the conditions and the quality of the bay currently.

The bait is getting bigger on the flats, and more and more good size snook and redfish are starting to make their way from the beaches, passes, and nearshore structure to the flats inside the bay. As always, its important to hit your spots on the right tide, and with the right bait. Pilchards are still pretty small on the flats, but if you can find some slightly bigger threadfins, greenbacks, or sardines you’ll be setting yourself up for a good shot at nice fish. Cut ladyfish, cut pinfish, and shrimp will also work. There are also still lots of mangrove snapper around inshore, but most of the bottom spots inside the bay will have gotten hammered this past week with people trying to get their keeper gag while the short two week season is open.

A lot of people will be focusing their efforts this weekend on grouper with gag season opening Sep 1. For those unable or unwilling to venture off the flats though, the redfish bite has been pretty good and will likely only get better as we approach the first days of fall. The water has cooled off a few degrees with all the rain we’ve had lately, and this might contribute to improved redfish activity. I like to look around shaded mangrove shorelines with access to deeper/moving water nearby. The best bite will be early in the morning on the incoming tide, and as the pilchards, threadfin, and sardines are getting bigger on the flats, youll find the slot reds will be unable to resist a well presented live bait. However, cut pinfish and shrimp will also work as well. We fished Saturday morning and caught several nice slot redfish along with some smaller ones. Caught quite a few snook as well but mostly smaller fish. As we approach early fall in the next several weeks, expect snook to begin meandering from the beaches and passes back into the canals, flats, and mangrove shorelines.

We are starting to see the first transitions from midsummer patterns into our early fall patterns. Water in the bay is stilled darker than normal from all the rain, but the bait and fish are still out there aplenty. Most of the summer we have been targeting mangrove snapper, but the last few trips have been seeing more and more trout off the main boating channels, with some areas having an even mix of speckled and silver trout. As we progress into late summer/early fall, expect the snook and redfish bite to get better and better around the bay flats, grass beds, and mangrove shorelines.