Snook have been arriving in Johns Pass in large schools, moving along the seawalls, some in the forty pound range and many of the smaller models too. The Snook push onto the beaches as the water warms up and they gear up for their spawn. The last week of April is a great time of year to get a Snook or two before the season closes on May 1 and they are shut down until August 31 to protect the spawning fish. The red fish seem to be hiding as the Snook move into the area. Trout are still biting well at night.
Mackerel are still around the beaches following the bait schools. Lots of small white bait schools moving around attacking the hunting mackerel. Pompano still on the beaches and jetties biting on sand fleas, fiddler crabs and pompano jigs like Docs jigs. Sheepshead still biting on the fiddler crabs inside the pass around the structure too, they have thinned out quite a bit but we’re still seeing them come up when targeted.
Late April near shore – The Kingfish bite has really heated up as the weather got warmer. We caught a Kingfish weighing nearly 40lbs aboard our 10-hour all-day using our Bass Pro Shops offshore angler ocean master jigging reels on the flat line rods. Mackerel are still being caught on the near shore trolling set ups as well.
The Snapper bite near shore has continued to be spectacular from the lane snapper to the grey snapper and all the species in between. We have been catching a steady amount of Hogfish. The bite has been picky of late, but as the water clears they seem to be more willing to chew.
Offshore – A recent 39-hour offshore fishing trip did very well on big scamp Grouper and got a few red grouper too. The largest scamp was in the 8-10lb range and nearly twenty were landed. While the mangrove snapper bite has been very slow, the big Vermillion Snapper have been thick and biting very well to make up for them. Also, the triggerfish have been plentiful. Some are monster sized. Tuna and Kingfish were very active and plenty were around biting on the troll or flat line. One of the Kingfish landed was nearly 38lbs during this recent 39 hour, plus over a half dozen tuna landed too and some were fatties. Amberjack are ready for the opening of Jack season May 1st.
Manatees are plentiful around Johns Pass now.
Tampa Bay Ferry riders and the Hubbard’s Marina Johns Pass dolphin tours have been spotting them frequently, especially around Boca Ciega Bay. There is a new Shell Key ferry from Fort De Soto County Park to the beautiful shell key preserve! This is a great way to see the island, go shelling and enjoy a day on the water with a flexible schedule. For info on the Madeira Beach water taxi by Tampa Bay Ferry, visit www.tampabayferry.com.
By Captain Mark & Dylan Hubbard 727.393.1947
John’s Pass Boardwalk, Madeira Beach
www.HubbardsMarina.com