Tampa Bay is squarely in its fall transition, and the bite showed it this week. Cooling mornings and steady northeast breezes pushed big schools of whitebait and glass minnows onto the flats and around the bridges, drawing predators tight to current edges. Water temps slid into the low–mid 80s, with the best action on early high tides and the first of the outgoing. Snook fired on live greenbacks free-lined along mangrove points and potholes at first light from Weedon Island to Fort De Soto. Work the shadow lines and let baits sweep naturally—most fish were mid-slot with a few overs. Redfish patrolled shallow grass and oyster edges; cut pinfish, fresh ladyfish strips, and gold spoons produced solid upper-slot fish on the top of the tide. Look for mullet schools on the flats near Picnic Island and the back lakes—reds were underneath. Trout were consistent on 3–5 ft grass with scattered sand holes; soft-plastic paddletails and popping corks with live shrimp did the damage. Mangrove snapper stacked on the Skyway fender systems and channel markers; drop small pilchards or shrimp on 20–25 lb fluoro leaders for quick limits. Sheepshead activity ticked up on docks and rock piles with fiddler crabs or shrimp bits—expect more as fronts strengthen. What worked this week Live greenbacks; chum light to keep fish interested 25–30 lb fluoro for snook/reds; 15–20 lb for trout/snapper Early high tides and moving water around bridge pilings, points, and creek mouths Gold spoons and bone-white topwaters at dawn on wind-blown shorelines Looking ahead: As the first real fronts approach, expect the redfish schools to tighten and the snook bite to hold on mangrove points and creek drains. Keep an eye on water clarity after any blow; downsize leaders and hooks if it clears up.

Tampa Bay is hot right now. As we come out of this last cold front, the bite has really picked up. Tampa Bay water temps are between 78 - 81 degrees. As the water warms up the fishery has started to come to life. Snook, Redfish, Trout, and Tarpon are making their way into the bay in massive numbers. On this trip, I had one gentleman that had never fished before and another that is one of my regulars. The bite started off hot and never let up. Both anglers caught their first snook. Even though snook is out of season, the fight alone made their trip. A couple of nice reds where caught in the mangroves feeding on live greenbacks. We even had a nice 38in Bonnethead caught. This was a great trip for both and with the bite being non-stop it made for an easy trip.