Crazy to think there is only one month left in 2022, this year really flew by! December will bring cooler temps in the next week or so but the last few weeks of fishing have remained steady and productive. We are seeing our typical pelagics making their way closer to shore with the cobia bite heating up in the bay and off the beach, as well as a good kingfish and mackerel bite going on currently. The Gag Grouper bite inside the bay and near shore has been hot. Live pinfish this time of year are plentiful and have been the ticket while cut bait and sardines can get the job done. We do have some unfortunate news to report for the bay as we’re seeing reports of red tide all the way up to 7 miles or so off the beach. Although we are not seeing any fish kills, the water is a dark brown color, as the water has made its way north from Ian hitting the Fort Myers area. I’ve also seen some reports of Lake Okeechobee potentially needing to release water, which would be bad timing with this looming bloom. We usually see red tide blooms in the summer months as the high water temps and high nitrogen level pollutants cause extreme blooms that suck the oxygen out of the water and kill fish and marine life. However, during the hotter months we always hope for a storm to push the bloom offshore or we have to wait for a cold snap to kill it. Seeing the water such a dark brown this time of year is uncommon and must be attributed to our late hurricane activity this season. Making our way inshore, the trout bite is turning on with the lowering water temps and abundance of small baits on the flats. Work swim baits and jerk shads over the potholes on the flats. When scouting a new area, I typically like to start shallower and work deeper until I find the size range I’m targeting. Trout will stick in similar size groups; so if you’re consistently catching small 12-14in trout in 2-3ft of water, try bumping out to 5-6ft of water where the 15-20+in fish may be sitting. I enjoy targeting trout with funky colors in the winter months like pink and chartreuse. The snook bite has remained steady with the big fish starting to feed heavier as they prepare to make their way up the creeks and rivers getting ready for cold-water temps and more lethargic feeding patterns. They have started to thin out in the passes and beach areas, but just as one species vacates another files in. The pompano and sheepshead bite is beginning to pop off for the winter. Goofy jigs and shrimp tipped teasers are an easy go-to when targeting them. You have a lot of options in the winter months with Grouper being open another month, pelegics off the beach are firing, and redfish, trout, and sheepshead are getting right, get out there and try your luck! Until next year, Capt Skylar

Thankfully, so far this hurricane season Florida has been spared. However, with Ida sliding by Florida’s west coast it did bring surf, bands of rain, and wind, which may have blown some Red Tide blooms back into our region. There have been some reports since Ida that the coastline is registering blooms and the blooms have brought back some of the stench, although there have not been too many reports of dead fish, which is a positive. The Bay is looking clean and clear over these last few weeks with the snook and trout bite remaining steady for summer as the inshore redfish bite starting to take off as we get closer to fall. Soon we will have a steady concentration of big bull redfish moving throughout the deeper parts of the bay and passes as they spawn. Live shrimp has been an easy ticket to a good day inshore in Tampa Bay as the sheepshead are getting plentiful, the snapper have been firing off, and the snook, redfish, and trout are happy to find an easy meal drifting through the current. Bait around Tampa Bay has been tough for the past several weeks but we are now starting to find bigger concentrations of “fishable” pilchards as the fry bait continues to grow. The tide has been forcefully moving as it typically does in the summer, which makes for great fishing at both the end of incoming and beginning of outgoing. As the water begins to fill up the mangroves for high tide it’s a great time to pitch baits around the trees and points of islands where the current gets swept through and with it a continual flow of bait and nutrients for predators. Fish the up-current side and drift your baits through those ambush points and corners until the water is just about touching the hanging mangrove limbs and then try your luck skipping baits under the limbs into the shadows when the sun gets up high. High tide is a perfect time for cut bait such as ladyfish, pinfish, and mullet making them a great alternative if you’re confident fish are moving through the area but using the cover of the mangroves for protection. As the tide flips and begins to move out, work your way out of that area with the tide and you will continue to find fish exiting the area making their way to deeper pockets and passes. Get geared up for the Fall KOB! Capt. Skylar

November Fishing is Heating Up as the Temps Cool Off Congratulations to those who participated and to all who enjoyed themselves at this year’s King of The Beach! There was a great turnout for the circumstances and the weather was… well…king fishing weather! I sure am hoping and praying that we can put hurricane season behind us as we close out a very active year with Florida fairing pretty well. As I wrap up this report, Eta just came through causing some damage to our coast and some serious storm surge and flooding through the night. I hope everyone stayed safe and dwellings and personal property damage was kept to a minimum. November fishing around Tampa Bay is a fun and versatile time of year to continue targeting some species that enjoy feeding freely in warmer temps such as snook and redfish, as we also transition towards our more active colder temp fish. Included in this list is one of my personal favorites, tripletail, in addition to mackerel, kingfish, and sheepshead. The beach is extremely lively this time of year as bull redfish are roaming in big schools, Spanish mackerel are tearing through bait schools, and the kingfish are lurking just on the outskirts. Trolling deep diving plugs for gag grouper in the shipping channel is heating up, as we still have more than a month left until their closure that will wrap up the year. I enjoy switching things up this time of year and trolling Rapala X-Rap Magnum 30’s in purple and green. Varying your speed from high speed trolling of 10+kts down to 4-6kts can help you find the best bite and action from the lure and give you a good chance of hooking both kingfish and grouper. Many of my recent trips have been spent off the beach catching Spanish mackerel until we’re tired, running the crab traps looking for Tripletail, and bump trolling kingfish. However, we’re coming into a great time to bump docks and fly through countless shrimp as grouper, snapper, and sheepshead will be getting right with these cooler temps inshore. Sheepshead are a great table fare in the winter that require a 12 inch minimum total length and allow a daily bag limit of 8 per person. Make sure you have a sharp knife as sheepshead and tripletail both have thick skin and a large rib cage that make filleting them a bit of a project. However, both fish will reward you with delicious mild and flaky meat that makes all of the work worthwhile. I have been using a 9-inch filet knife made by Seamule this entire season and it has performed and held up beautifully. The German stainless steel blade cuts like butter and holds a sharp edge for many trips before needing a quick swipe on the stone. With so many fishing options this time of year and the gorgeous weather we’re starting to come into, get out there and hook into a big one! Until next month, Captain Skylar Wilks