Guide bites
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George reports there’s some great fall fishing in the bay right now. The schools of scaled sardines are all over the shallow grass flats from the Gandy Bridge area out to the Skyway flats. Deep water in the open bay and around channels is loaded with threadfin shad schools. Fish the threadfin schools for Spanish mackerel using either spoons or live sardines. Trout are on the grass flats in 4 to 5 feet of water from the north approach to the Skyway Bridge and on flats around Tierra Verde. Look for grass with patchy sand holes. Live sardines under a popping cork are taking them, but 4-inch Sea Shad soft plastics on jig heads also work well. Trout fishing also has been good off Weedon and Picnic islands. Reds are around the mangroves when the water is up, along with some snook. Chumming with live sardines gets the snook bite going. The reds have been taking live sardines, cut bait, and some days, prefer live shrimp. The action has been good around Tierra Verde and in the Gandy Bridge area on both sides. While he hasn’t found any cobia on his trips, he has some guide friends who have been picking them up around the Gandy Bridge and on drop offs from shallow flats there. Some schools of small jacks have been popping up here and there around the bay. The bigger sheepsheads are showing up in greater numbers around structure, including submerged rocks, bridge and dock pilings. Live shrimp is a good bait for them, as are live fiddler crabs. The big ones he’s seeing are ahead of schedule this year, and typically show up after the Bay is much cooler.
Tackle shop roundup
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Zack reports customers have been scoring lots of redfish, which have been schooling above and below the Gandy Bridge north to around the Courtney Campbell Causeway. The only complaint has been that many of the fish have been very small, ranging from 8 to 15 inches in many places around the Gandy. The bigger fish have been near the top of the bay and around Big Island. Live shrimp or cut bait works. Snook catches have been good at night in the lights under the Gandy Bridge. Moving water around flooded mangroves during the day is producing a few, as well. Trout fishing has been solid on the shallow grass flats off Weedon and Picnic islands. A few tripletails are being taken around markers in the bay, with live shrimp the best bait. Spanish mackerel have been schooling in open water and feeding on schools of baitfish. Look for the bait by following flocks of diving birds. The big, winter sheepshead are moving into the bay in better numbers. Live shrimp or fiddler crabs fished around rocks, dock and bridge pilings will take them.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727-954-6365): Jacob says the numbers of cobia showing up in the bay continues to grow. Anglers need to keep an eye out for the big ones on the flats and around structure like bridges and pilings. They like any large, live bait like a sardine, pinfish of threadfin shad. Spanish mackerel in schools are a sure bet about anywhere in the bay from the Skyway Bridge up to near the Gandy Bridge. They are feeding on baitfish in deeper water and often are around range markers, as those structures tend to attract baitfish. Redfish schools are abundant, from areas near the mouth of the bay to well inside. Snook are pushing their way into the northern areas of the bay as we get closer to winter conditions. The big sheepsheads are starting to show up in greater numbers. Look for them to begin feeding actively as the water temperature drops a couple more degrees. They are a staple catch over the winter, with live fiddler crabs the best bait. Live shrimp are the next best alternative. Boats fishing the Gulf not far off the beaches have been picking up some decent numbers of kingfish.
Angler 360 (727-669-5455): Anglers fishing above the Courtney Campbell Causeway have been taking some reds around the creek mouths and mangroves on high water. The odd snook is being hooked along with them. Open grass flats there have been producing some keeper-sized trout on live shrimp. Some have been heading over the beaches and passes along the coast, with the Clearwater area giving up some pompano on jigs. Flounder have been common along the beaches and sandy patches around the passes, but anglers should note that the season is closed on them until December.