Guide bites
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George reports he’s been pounding residential docks along the Pinellas side of the bay from around Coquina Key to about the Gandy Bridge, doing well on sheepshead and redfish. Live fiddler crabs work best on the sheepshead but also produce some of the reds. If not available, shrimp gets it done. The sheepsheads have been running a bit larger over the past week, though most of the reds his anglers are landing have been smaller, with fish 15 to 22 inches. One dock he pulled up to had about 30 redfish under it. A few small black drum are on these docks, as well. Trout have been hanging in deeper canals, where some silver trout also have been found. Holes and channels also have some whiting right now. Jig heads with live or frozen shrimp works well for the silvers and whiting, while live shrimp is best for the speckled trout. Rock piles in the open bay are holding some nice-sized sheepshead, along with grunts and some small mangrove snapper. When the winds are down, these are good places to score the makings of a nice fish fry.
Capt. Chuck Rogers (813-918-8356): Capt. Chuck says bay water remains pretty chilly, limiting the types of fishing that are productive. The bull sharks have moved in off the Big Bend power plant to stay warm and he’s been having some fun with them, his anglers taking fish from 20 to 200 pounds on dead bait set on the bottom. The fish are cold and don’t put up as much of a fight as they do in warmer conditions, but the larger ones are still great sport. Anglers looking for trout will find them in backwater holes, creeks and canals, with fish hugging the bottom and taking shrimp. Deeper pockets and channels are the place to find whiting and silver trout, with fish taking live and frozen shrimp on the bottom. Sheepshead have been hanging on residential docks, with those on or near the open bay producing better over the past week than docks farther back into residential neighborhoods. The water has been very clear, and Capt. Chuck recommends anglers stay well away from docks and make long casts to prevent spooking the fish. His anglers have hooked a few black drum while sheepshead fishing. The sheepshead hooks with weight molded in have been his go-to rig.
Tackle shop roundup
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Zack says customers have been reporting that tripletail have been hanging around some markers in Hillsborough Bay and just outside of the closed boating zone around MacDill Air Force base, taking free-lined shrimp. They also have been finding some around floating weeds or other debris, where the small minnows gather that are one of their favorite foods. Trout fishing can be productive, despite the chilly bay water. Anglers are finding them in deeper pockets beyond the drop-offs on grass flats, in holes and channels early in the day and when it’s overcast. But once the sun is up and warming the shallows, they move up onto the grass flats, where live shrimp under a popping cork will take them. Sheepshead fishing is strong, with fish on bridge and dock pilings, as well as submerged rock piles. Live shrimp is the top bait with fiddler crabs are not available. Snook have retreated to escape the colt water, with anglers reporting finding them all the way up at the dam on the Hillsborough River by the Rogers Park Golf Course. The weekend forecast is for daytime highs in the mid-70s, which Zack expects will go a long way toward sparking the bay bite.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727-954-6365): Jacob reports the cold bay water has slowed the bite over the past week, though things should improve if the projected warming over the next few days comes to be. Many anglers have been taking advantage of a great sheepshead bite, as the species is not negatively impacted by cold water the way some are. Jacob has been tapping into that action, as well, finding large fish around structure and rigging a half of a shrimp on a No. 1 hook. With the very clear water, he’s using 15-pound-test fluorocarbon leader, which is much harder for the fish to spot and increases the number of bites. Redfish are bunched up all over the bay, though there are loads of undersized rats. Jacob says once the pods of small ones are found, set out a chunk of fresh cut bait like ladyfish to entice a larger one. Snook have been in full retreat to warmer backwaters over the past week but may respond to a little warming in the days ahead. Look for them to wake up later in the day after the sun has warmed things up, but generally they are lethargic and in “recovery mode.” Offshore, those fishing inside of 90 feet of water have been reporting very slow action due to the colder Gulf water. At that depth and beyond, a number of species are being landed, including gag and red grouper. Live or frozen shrimp will take grunts, mangrove snapper and hogfish, while cut mullet is the ticket for the grouper. Gag grouper are out of season, so it’s sport fishing only right now.