Fall Tampa Bay Fishing

December 5, 2016 By Capt Jim

Fall Tampa Bay Fishing

Fall Tampa Bay we are starting to see some cold fronts starting to rolling in to the Tampa Bay Fishing area it’s also dropping the water temps down to the mid to low 70’s and has the bite fired up inshore and offshore fishing right now, With the holidays around the corner and the weather looking good its time to get out and enjoy Tampa Bay Fishing.

What’s Hot:

The Tampa Bay area reefs and wrecks are holding a lot of Sheephead, Mango Snapper, and some keeper Grouper this time of the year and over the next few months. When you are bottom fishing these places I like fishing the slower tide so I can use the smallest weight possible to get down to the bottom and start adding as the tide picks up. I will also put out a flat line for some Mackerel.

Snook

The Snook fishing is on fire with these cooler temps at night. We have been finding them around and up the major rivers, creeks, and residential docks. A ton of smaller snook along with some over slot snook mix in. the best bait is still a scaled sardine or whitebait with a white 4-inch jerk bait coming in second.

Redfish

tampa bay redfish

The Redfishing is just starting to get better on the flats. I look for mullet schools in the 1 to 3 foot of water on the flats and use your trolling motor to get in position and setup. If you just chase them like is what’s happened over at Weedon Island no buddy will catch them. The best baits are live baits like Sardines or pinfish for artificials a Jerk Baits or paddle tail jigs.

Mackerel

Fall always means big schools of Mackerel in the bay and off the beaches along with some drag screaming fun. It’s some of the best fun fishing and just not for the kids but for the adults to. I use a 2x long shanked hook in a 3/0 a short piece of 60 or 80-pound fluorocarbon leader and hold on.

Capt Jim Lemke charters out of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater and can be reached at (813) 917-4989 and at [email protected]

Tampa Spring Snook Fishing is on

March 21, 2016 By Capt Jim

Tampa Spring Snook Fishing is on

Tampa spring Snook fishing has been off the hook off the mangrove shore lines around the Tampabay area. April is typically one of our very best months for flats fishing and so far it has lived up to my expectations. The Snook, Redfish and Trout fishing has been on fire.

Tampa Snook fishing has been the great over all with many small to giant over slot Snook. I have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of number of big trophy Snook we have been catching. The last few years have been ok but this year I have boated more trophy Snook then years past. We have been averaging around 12 Snook per day and we have been landing a few over slot size Snook per a trip. The Snook fishing is excellent right now.

Redfish have also been doing very well. On most days I’ve been getting plenty of redfish mixed in with the mullet schools. Most of the Reds mixed in with the Mullet have been in the 18 to 27-inch class and a hand full over 30 inches. On the lower tide days, I have been getting the larger 30 plus inch Reds.

Trout fishing has also been really great with a lot of big Gator Trout, I haven’t been catching in the same place as they have been mixed in with the Snook and Redfish. Most have been ranging from 16 to 25 inches with some just under 30 inches. The Trout fishing is very doing very well this year.

If you have a livewell go catch bait and go to the area, you want to look at and throw a hand full or two out and see if you get any fish start to pop the bait. This is the time of the year when the Snook and Tarpon start their migration to the beaches and passes.

Capt Jim Lemke charters out of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater and can be reached at (813) 917-4989 and at [email protected]

Tampa Bay Snook Charters

March 2, 2016 By Capt Jim

Tampa Bay Snook Charters

Clearwater, St. Pete, and Tampa bay and the rest of the west coast of Florida it will be Snook season March 1 2016. Over the last few years Tampa Bay snook have had a good come back from the freeze in 2010 with lots of 10 to 20 inch Snook being caught all along the shore lines of Tampa Bay and the west coast of Florida from the Florida Keys all the way up to crystal River. With the main areas being Tampa bay and Boca Grande being the most heavily fished. It’s not uncommon to catch 40 to 50 small Tampa Bay Snook on a 4-hour charter in the warmer months. The bigger Tampa Bay Snook what we call over slots or breeder Snook are from 33 inches and up that are only catch and release are still going strong also. It’s the slot fish from Not less than 28” total length (TL) or more than 33″ TL that are future breeder fish are what we need to manage better.

The regulations for the Gulf Coast of Florida are the Snook must be between Not less than 28” total length (TL) or more than 33″ TL with a closed season from Dec. 1-end of February and May 1-Aug. 31 with a 1 per day harvest.

The Snook like the water temp to be in the range of 70 to 85 degrees to feed best. When the water drops below 58 degrees the Snook’s metabolism slows down where they will die. On the other end of the spectrum when the water temps get in the upper 80’s and lower 90’s they get lazy.

The Snook in Tampa Bay area there are many different ways to fish them the most popular way to catch them is live bait like pilchards, sardine’s, pinfish, and the most popular is live Shrimp. The second way is throwing artificial like soft plastics or hard baits.

You find Snook in many different areas in the Tampa region depending on whether it is Spring, Summer, or Fall. In the spring when the Snook move out of there winter homes in the rivers, creeks, and back water canals where they are heading toward the front of those creeks and rivers where they start to stage up before heading to the passes and the bay area bridges their summer home where they get ready to spawn. Than when Fall rolls around they start working their way back to the creeks and rivers.

Capt Jim Lemke charters out of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater and can be reached at (813) 917-4989 and at [email protected]

Tampa Bay Redfish Report

November 21, 2014 By Capt Jim

Tampa Bay Fishing Report

Tampa Bay Redfish on Fly

The water temperature is dropping and the fishing grows better every day. The snook, redfish and trout are starting to roam around the flats.

What’s hot: The biggest impact of cooler temperatures will be on inshore fishing. Snook may start to migrate toward their winter haunts like the back side of Weedon Island and the creek mouths around the bay. Redfish are abundant at Weedon Island. We have been catching them on white bait, cut ladyfish or pinfish on the bottom. Mackerel are all around the bay and around artificial reefs like the one between the Gandy and Howard Frankland bridges.

Cobia are starting showing up on the flats around the power plants on the back of Rays and Manatees. I would also check buoys and markers and the flats around the power plants also keep an eye out for sharks on those same flats. I like anchoring up and putting out a chum block out and waiting for the Cobia and the sharks come to me and stead of chasing them unless they are up on top. When working the same flats at the power plants, I have also been catching lots of Jack Crevalle and ladyfish.

Structured approach: The annual kingfish migration is starting up in the mouth of the bay. You will find them around the old bridge rubble near the Skyway. Mangrove snapper are still plentiful around any structure in the bay. Just drop a small chunk of cut bait or whole shrimp to the bottom.

Tip: As the water temp starts to drop, the fish start moving up the area rivers and creeks in search of warmer water.

Capt. Jim Lemke charters out of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Contact him at [email protected] or (813) 917-4989.