Snook season kicked off strong and this week the inshore mix of snook and redfish stayed reliable from Clearwater Harbor up through St. Joseph Sound. With bait thick on markers and windward edges at daylight, we’re starting tight to structure and riding moving water along mangrove points, docks, seawalls, and bridge fenders. If you’ve been waiting for the green light to book an inshore mission, this is it. Conditions Snapshot: - Bait: Easy whitebait/pilchards at first light; pinfish on grass edges; glass minnows in the troughs. - Water: Late-summer clarity; best windows on clean incoming or the first of the outgoing. - Tide/Timing: Sunrise and the first 90 minutes of moving water = prime. A second bump later with the stronger tide push. - Launch points: Seminole Street Boat Ramp (Clearwater) and Turtle Cove Marina (Tarpon Springs) for short runs. Snook: How We’re Getting Bit - Setup: Position up-tide of ambush spots—dock corners, seawall shade lines, and the up-current sides of bridge fenders. - Live bait: Free-line pilchards on 1/0–3/0 circle hooks with 30–40 lb fluoro; keep casts past the target and swim baits through the seam. - Artificial: Walk-the-dog topwaters at gray light, then 3–5" paddletails or jerk shads on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads as the sun rises. - Boat handling: Short, quiet moves. Let current do the work; don’t bomb long casts that spook the zone. Redfish: Where & What They’re Eating - Edges that matter: Oyster bars, mangrove points, and shallow grass/sand transitions with a little flow. - Live bait: Pinfish or cut bait placed up-tide so it settles naturally on the edge. - Lures: Gold spoon for covering ground; switch to a paddletail or weedless jerk shad when you find a school. - Tide note: Reds love a creeping flood tide that slides them higher into the bushes—plan accurate pitches into pockets and prop-wash eddies. Tackle We’re Running (Simple & Effective) - Rods/Reels: Medium to med-heavy Shimano 3000–4000 class. - Line/Leader: 20–30 lb braid, 30–40 lb fluoro for snook around structure; drop to 25–30 lb leader on flats for reds when it’s clear. - Hooks/Jigs: 1/0–3/0 circles; 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads; a couple spoon sizes to match depth/wind. Best Trips to Book This Week (Inshore): 2-Hour Quick Trip — $300: Sunrise snook/redfish sampler; minimal run, maximum lines-in. 4-Hour Inshore — $550 (most popular): Work docks, mangroves, and bridge shade on the prime tide. 6-Hour Inshore — $800: Add time to revisit a productive tide window or switch zones without rushing. 8-Hour Inshore — $1,050: Full flexibility to fish both tide swings and multiple structures. Small Tweaks = More Bites - Leader checks: Snook will sandpaper you—re-tie early, not after the heartbreak. - Angles > distance: Cast past the target and work with the flow; most takes happen when the bait crosses the seam. - Steady pressure: Circles do the work—avoid the home-run hookset on live bait. - Quiet feet, quiet hatches: Especially on skinny water redfish. Where We Focused (This Week’s Pattern): - Clearwater Harbor seawalls and dock lines at first light for snook. - Oyster edges and mangrove points north toward St. Joseph Sound for reds as the tide creeps up. - Pass corners only when current speed aligns—short windows but worth a look on the stronger moon. What We Provide - All licenses, premium Shimano gear, bait/tackle, ice, water, and coaching for every experience level. You bring sun protection, snacks, and a small cooler for your car if you plan to take fish home (when allowed).

On our Inshore Fishing Charters this week we were focused on one thing . . . Snook! The calendar finally flipped, the first “bait rains” are pouring off the causeways, and snook season is open. From the Seminole Street Boat Ramp south through Clearwater Pass and north into St. Joseph Sound, fish are pouring off the beaches and stacking on points, docks, bridges, and mangrove edges. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to plan a Clearwater snook charter, this is it. Conditions snapshot Bait: Thick pilchards (whitebait), threadfins, and glass minnows on markers and edges early. Tides: Stronger moon tides = best ambush windows on points, seawalls, and passes. Water: Still summer-warm; snook are aggressive at first light and again when tide speed picks up. Where we’re fishing: Clearwater Harbor edges, ICW points, dock lines with current, bridges, and the up-tide corners of passes. Why early fall is the best snook window Fish are fired up: They’ve spent summer cruising the beaches; now they slide back inside to feed hard ahead of the first cool snaps. Bait is everywhere: Easy to net, easy to chum—perfect for family trips and numbers days. Target variety: We’ll catch snook while picking at redfish, trout, mangrove snapper, and the nearshore mackerel bite can be a bonus on longer trips. Predictable setups: Tide + structure + shade lines around Clearwater make snook positioning more consistent than midsummer. Tackle & techniques (what we run on Tightlines) Gear: Shimano spinning rods and reels in the 3000–4000 class with 20–30 lb braid and 30–40 lb fluorocarbon leaders. Live bait: Pilchards or pinfish free-lined to dock shadows, seawalls, and current seams. Artificial: Topwaters and walk-the-dog plugs at gray light; then paddle tails / jerk shads on 1/8–3/8 oz jig heads when the sun rises. Boat handling: We set up up-tide and present baits back naturally—short accurate casts beat “bombing” long ones. Best trips to book for snook 4-Hour Inshore (most popular): Sunrise launch, fish the first tide window hard, and be back before the heat. Link this text to your 4-hour page. 6-Hour Split: Start with snook on structure, then slide nearshore for mackerel/snapper if conditions allow. Link to your 6-hour page. 2-Hour Quick Trip (families): Perfect for kids—short run, lots of action around bait schools. Link to your 2-hour page. 8-Hour Full Day: Chase the morning snook bite, break mid-day, and hit the afternoon tide swing. Link to your 8-hour page. Where we’re finding them (this week) Dock lines & seawalls: Shade + moving water = ambush. Skip a bait under the catwalk and hang on. Bridge fenders: Fish the up-current side first; count your bait down and keep contact. Pass corners: Clearwater Pass edges on a moving tide—short windows but big rewards. Mangrove points: Look for glass minnows being harassed; toss a pilchard or slow-roll a paddletail. Pro tips to convert bites: Leader check: After each fish or nick, shorten and re-tie—snook sandpaper will cost you. Cast angles: Throw past the target and swim the bait through the zone; don’t land right on their heads. Be patient: Let the snook load the rod on live bait; steady pressure beats a big “home-run” hookset. What’s included on our charters: All licenses, top-tier Shimano gear, bait, tackle, ice, and water. Up to 6 guests. We’ll coach newer anglers and still put advanced anglers on technical setups if you want to sight-fish or throw artificials only. Next Week’s Preview “Open Snook Season = Peak Booking Window.” We’ll lean even harder into sunrise snook missions with stronger moon tides, more bait on the flats, and fish repositioning deeper inside Clearwater Harbor. If snook is your target, lock in a sunrise 4-hour while we have prime dates—this is the stretch we circle on the calendar every year for consistent numbers and shots at slot fish.

Early September is here and the Nearshore Fishing Trips out of Clearwater are HOT! The “bait rains” are pouring off the bridges and markers, and the Gulf just outside Clearwater Pass is alive. Expect Spanish mackerel and bonito blitzes outside on moving water, while beach snook chew at first light along Clearwater Beach. If you’ve been waiting for that window where you can do a little of both—inshore edges at sunrise and nearshore action once the sun climbs—this is the week. ** Don't forget to check out last weeks Blog ** Conditions Snapshot Bait: Big waves of pilchards (whitebait), threadfins, and glass minnows. Look on range markers, shadow lines, and windward shorelines at dawn. Water/Weather: Late-summer temps; clarity fluctuates with wind direction. Light east or southeast morning breeze = best surface feeds. Tides: Stronger moon tides amplify ambush points at the passes, docks, and seawalls; nearshore feeds fire on the first couple of hours of moving water. Launch: Seminole Street Boat Ramp puts us minutes from the beach and a quick hop through Clearwater Pass to the nearshore reefs and bait stacks. Beach Snook at First Light (Clearwater Beach) Snook have been haunting the troughs and the first bar—especially around dawn and again when that first decent tide starts to tug. We’re pitching live pilchards tight to the sand line, then walking baits parallel to the beach. When bait flips in the foam or birds start picking, make a cast immediately—you’ve got a short window. Go-to setup (what we run): Shimano 5000 class spinning on med-heavy rods 20 lb braid → 40 lb fluoro leader Live pinfish on a 3/0 circle; or a for artificials we use NLBN paddletails and shrimp on 1/4 oz jig heads Presentation: Cast up-current/along the bar, keep your bait moving naturally, and let the snook load the rod before you lean. Pro tip: If the surf is too glassy, slide to dock shade or bridge fenders as the sun creeps up. Those edges stay productive longer than the open beach. Nearshore Blitzes: Spanish Mackerel & Bonito Once the sun is up and the beach window fades, we’re easing just outside the pass to run the nearshore edges (2–6 miles, conditions-dependent). You’re looking for birds, bait dimpling, and surface rips. When the screen lights up or the birds pinwheel, it’s game on. Tactics that produce: Chum slick + live pilchards free-lined behind the boat for non-stop mack bites. Casting spoons/jigs (½–1 oz) on 20–30 lb fluoro; add a short, light wire if cutoffs are frequent. High-speed burns for bonito—keep the jig moving and hang on. Trolling small spoons behind planers when the surface gets quiet helps you cover ground and find the next feed. Bonus targets: On 6–8 hr trips with stable conditions, we’ll also check nearby structure for mangrove snapper and the occasional grouper. It’s a fun combo day: bend rods outside, then put a few for the table in the box when the blitz settles. Best Trips to Book This Week 4-Hour Inshore: Hit first light snook along Clearwater Beach, then pivot to docks/bridges once the sun’s up. 6-Hour Nearshore Combo: Start inside for snook, then slide outside for mackerel/bonito and a shot at snapper on structure. 2-Hour Quick Trip: Short runs, lots of action with bait everywhere—perfect for kids and first-timers. 8-Hour Full Day: Max flexibility to chase blitzes, reset on tides, and work multiple zones. What We Provide (So You Can Just Fish) All licenses, premium Shimano spinning gear, bait, tackle, ice, and water. Up to 6 guests. We coach newer anglers, and we’re happy to run artificial-only programs for those who want to sharpen that game. Quick Tips to Convert Bites Leaders: Check for nicks every fish or two; replace before it costs you. Cast angles: Present with the tide whenever possible. Macks/bonito: Keep that retrieve moving—if you think you’re reeling fast, reel a little faster. Snook: Keep pressure steady; avoid the “home-run” hookset—circles do the work. Next Week’s Preview Snook Season = Prime Booking Window. As we slide deeper into September, snook push harder inside Clearwater Harbor with predictable setups on points, docks, and bridges. Bait remains thick, tide speed increases, and the early bite gets even better. If snook is on your list, sunrise 4-hour charters are the ticket—this is the stretch we circle each year for consistent numbers and shots at slot fish.