FISHING by Dylan Hubbard
HubbardsMarina.com • 727.393.1947
On the cooler days, the best inshore bites have occurred in afternoon once it warms up a bit.
Residential docks and canals, mouths of the rivers or upper bays are all holding fish well. Early morning they are lethargic from the long chilly nights, you can get them chewing but it’s a bit more difficult. As the waters cool, the fish swim slower, so you want to slow down the retrieve of any of your artificial lures.
Snook are being seen around docks and around edges of the mangrove shorelines in shallower water, trying to stay warm. Look for them in the early afternoon in the shallower water along the shorelines or around docks trying to sun themselves. Soft plastics or live bait are great options for these shallow water, easily spooked fish.
There are Redfish in the flats, following schools of mullet towards the mouth of the rivers and bayous, around the residential canal docks and mangrove shorelines too, similar to the snook. Cast some cut mullet in the school of mullet and as they pass, often a big redfish will be ready to eat your bait. Finger mullet, pinfish, big threadfins or ladyfish all work well for the cut bait options on the flats.
Trout are hanging around the edges of the flats and mangrove shorelines and moving up around the rivers with redfish and snook. The trout bite lately has been really good and as the waters cool, they seem to cooperate. Try live shrimp or greenbacks for live bait. On artificials you can use soft plastics, mirror lures or DOA shrimp.
Mackerel have been pretty active along the piers and on the beaches this past week. Especially when the waters are clear and bait is present you can find mackerel and great numbers. Plus, along with the mackerel lots of bluefish, a unique looking fish.
Tripletail are thick around the buoys along the beach and around the mouth of Tampa Bay. Lots of they can often be found easily hiding under the crab trap buoys along our beaches. Prehistoric looking and great eating fish!
Sheepshead have shown up along the docks, bridges, piers and structures around the area. The cooler water will have these guys ready to eat. They get more aggressive and aggregated as the local waters continue to cool. Plus, when the water is murky and stirred up behind the fronts these guys even feed better. Cut oysters or clams are great bait for them but so are those fiddler crabs. Also, in a pinch you can make small pieces of shrimp great sheepshead bait too. The mangrove snapper that have been thick around these same structures from the spring through the summer are definitely thinning out and being overrun by these sheepshead.
You can find Flounder on the flats, sandy drop offs or potholes around the flats. Present your bait naturally to them just on or near the bottom. My favorite is a soft plastic or DOA lure retrieved very slowly, bounced along the bottom at the edge of the flats or in the sandy areas up on the flats.