Guide bites
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George reports that all his fishing over the past week has been around St. Pete and around both ends of the Gandy Bridge, where the action has been pretty good. Live shrimp or scaled sardines fished around docks and mangroves has been producing some redfish. Conditions have been warm enough that a few snook are hanging out in the same places, taking the same baits. Chumming with the sardines as the day warms up has been getting both species into a feeding mode. Don’t overlook fresh cut bait, though, as often that is what will produce best on snook and reds. Trout fishing has been solid in residential canals and on grass flats with sand holes in 5 to 7 feet of water. Shrimp, sardines and Sea Shad soft-plastic tails on jig heads have been working. The artificials allow covering more water quickly, helping locate pods of fish. For a fish fry, fishing rocky bottom in 12 to 15 feet of water with shrimp will get nice-sized grunts, mangrove snapper and sheepshead. While not prized on the table, schools of jacks are showing up in many areas, with fish 3 to 8 pounds providing great sport on light tackle. When found, they will take about any natural or artificial bait thrown at them.
Tackle shop roundup
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Zack says anglers are reporting pretty good action on sheepshead, with more and larger fish around bridge and dock pilings, rocks and other structure in the Gandy Bridge area. They are taking live and frozen shrimp, but live fiddler crabs produce best. Trout fishing in the same area has been pretty good. The fish are moving up on shallow grass flats as the day warms up. The bigger fish are hanging a little deeper, just off the drops from flats. Live shrimp is working well. Redfish have been abundant on the shallow flats around bars and mangroves, though the numbers of undersized fish has been very high of late. Those finding the slot-sized fish have been fishing the top of the Bay above the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Anglers targeting snook have been finding them inside the rivers that empty into the Bay, as well as residential canals, where they find refuge in warmer, deeper water. Some anglers continue to net live sardines and do best with them, but as bait is scarce, most just opt for live shrimp when snook fishing.
Riviera Bait & Tackle (727-954-6365): Jacob reports that trout fishing in the bay has been on fire over the past week, with anglers scoring nice catches and some big fish from the northern to southern end. Live shrimp, jigs or plugs take them. Reds have been cruising the flats in much of the Bay, though anglers should note that the numbers of undersized fish have exploded. Those concentrating on oyster bars have been having the best luck with the bigger ones. Sheepshead have been thick, with Ft. Desoto, Weedon Island and the St. Pete artificial reef all producing some good numbers of them. Small to medium live shrimp works, though live fiddlers are best. Offshore, hogfish have been taking live shrimp on the bottom in 50 to 70 feet of water. Jacob says the endeavor requires lots of live shrimp, as hooks get picked clean quickly by every small fish that swims. A few offshore anglers have been having fun with schooling bonito and tuna. Top-water plugs fished near the Whistler off the mouth of the Bay have been taking both.