TAMPA FISHING ~ Reports and Articles

The Tampa Bay redfish and trout bite continue to keep anglers happy and rods bent. The redfish bite continues to be hot and will continue through the end of the year. The Tampa Bay redfish continue to school up preparing to spawn and are willing to eat most baits. Take a look at one of my latest Tampa fishing charters. Follow the link to my You Tube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtWRJ7shVs8 

The Tampa Bay trout bite has been good all year and will continue to get better as waters cool. We have been fishing Tampa Bay’s deeper grass flats to escape the warmer waters and have had some great days. The Tampa Bay trout have been eating scaled sardine (aka. green backs) on a #1 Daiichi circle hook, 18” Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon leader and a popping cork. Fishing Tampa Bay for trout can be loads of fun for the whole family. The action is steady and they also offer excellent table fair. They are one of my favorite fish to fry. The picture is of the Garcia family with a 24” trout caught while fishing with Tampa Bay fishing guide Capt. Will Shook. To book a Tampa Bay fishing charter call Tampa fishing guide Capt. Will Shook 813-732-5971 or email CaptainWilliam@live.com

The Tampa Bay charter fishing for redfish starts to heat up. Redfish start to spawn in August and continue through November. Redfish will school up and feed heavily to prepare to spawn. Tampa Bay fishing offers a variety of redfish schools and they are eating. We are fishing these schools of redfish in water no deeper than 4 feet making it easy to sight fish them. Schools of redfish range from 10 fish to a couple hundred fish. Seeing the lager schools is an awesome sight. Watching a couple hundred redfish that range 8-15lbs in 3 feet of water is something everyone should experience. I have had some great Tampa Bay charters my last few trips with multiple redfish landed. Some of the schools have been holding some oversize fish. Here is a picture of a client on a Tampa fishing charter with an oversize redfish that measured 35” and weighed over 14lbs. The redfish size limit for Tampa Bay and all of Florida, is 18”-27”. Redfish have no closed season and have a bag limit of 1 redfish per angler. The offer excellent table fair with blackened being my favorite. To book a Tampa Bay fishing charter  call Tampa Bay fishing guide Will Shook 813-732-5971 or email CaptainWilliam@Live.com

Tampa Bay’s heat and afternoon rain showers can make August a very challenging month. Just take what Mother Nature gives you and roll with it. The same pattern holds true from last month. Get out early and fish Tampa Bay’s shallow waters for snook, redfish, and trout. When temperatures rise, move deeper and target the mackerel, snapper and shark. Fishing Tampa Bay, offers a wide variety of species.

Shark

                This is an often overlooked species which I have targeted more this year than ever before. They offer good drag pull and are just flat out fun to catch. Sharks follow the food source. Find areas in Tampa Bay that are holding mackerel and other pelagic species and the sharks are not far behind. As far as rigs go, I like to use a Penn Sargus 8000 with a 40lb class rod. An 80lb Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon leader with a 6/0 Daiichi circle hook will do the trick. Spanish mackerel is my bait of choice. They are extremely bloody and oily. You will run into reef sharks, black tips, nurse, and hammerheads to name a few.

Mackerel

                The Spanish mackerel fishing in Tampa Bay bite has been off the hook all summer and will continue to go strong in August.  Long shank hooks with 40lb Trilene fluorocarbon leader will make the perfect rig. Use a chum block and live chum baits and you are sure to attract some mackerel action. Any of our ship channels, markers and artificial reefs will attract mackerel. Mackerel not only keep rods bent, they also are delicious to eat. If you haven’t tried them blackened, you don’t know what you are missing.

Snapper

                We haven’t seen the big push of mangrove snapper in the Tampa Bay region yet but are hopeful the full moon in July will bring these fish in. Most all the ledges, rock piles, and ship channel ledges will have snapper on it. The key to success is to use as light a tackle as possible. 20lb fluorocarbon and a 1-1/0 Daiichi circle hook will do it. Small white bait will be the best bait. Use live bait to chum the snapper up and drift and live bait back into the chum line and fish on. Also look for these fish to show up inshore around docks and flats with a good bait presence and tidal flow.

Redfish

                We should start to see the redfish school up the Tampa Bay region. Look on the flats out front of Simmons Park and the flats south of Cockroach Bay. Get out early and approach these schools quietly and keep your distance. Live white bait (greenbacks), cut threadfin, or cut pinfish will be hard for a redfish to turn down. As the sun gets higher and the water temperatures rise, look to fish the mangrove trees. The redfish use the trees shade to stay cool. The mangroves around Simmons, Little Cockroach, Cockroach Bay, and Joe Island will hold fish.

  Best of the Rest

                The trout have been plentiful and willing to keep rods bent. Fish any of our regions deeper grass flats in the 5-6’ range and you are sure to catch plenty of fish. Scaled sardines work the best, but don’t forget about artificial. A Berkley Gulp! is hard to beat. There are still plenty of post spawn tarpon hanging around. The bite at the end of July was insane. Look for the fish to move up our region from the Skyway all the way up to downtown. Most live bait will work but a D.O.A Baitbuster trolling series is a great artificial to fool a Tampa Bay Tarpon.

Captain Will Shook is a full-time charter captain and grew up fishing Tampa Bay. To book a charter call 813-732-5971

Here is my Tampa fishing forecast for the July issue of Saltwater Angler Magazine.

Summertime is here and so is the heat. The key for success the next couple of months is to get an early start to avoid the heat and the afternoon thunderstorms. The Silver King (aka tarpon) has topped our list the last couple of months, but don’t say goodbye yet. You will still have a chance at a late season Tampa Tarpon. To keep the rod bent and drag screaming, spanish mackerel will be the ticket. Mangrove snapper will keep you busy this month as they prepare to spawn. Don’t overlook shark, grouper, or cobia. Look to fish deeper waters as our water temperatures heat up and the fish search for cooler water.

July Saltwater Angler Issue

Tarpon

            The Tampa tarpon fishing bite in the previous two months has been one of the better bites I have experienced. The July bite tends to wind down, but there will still be some fish around. The Skyway Bridge will provide a good possibility for a hook up. Heavy gear is essential for success to land a tarpon around the bridge’s structure. If you want to venture out of the region, the beaches off Anna Maria, Egmont and Ft. De Soto will still hold pods of tarpon. The key is to get out early and be stealthy. Look for pods of fish cruising the beach and setup ahead of the school and present bait. Crabs and threadfins are the bait of choice. Scaled sardine or pinfish will also produce.

Redfish

            Fishing Tampa bay for redfish is still going strong. Look for them to take refuge from the sun’s heat under mangroves. Areas like Simmons Park, Cockroach Bay and Joe Island are prime spots to score a catch. Cut bait seems to be the more popular bait, but don’t overlook artificial. Dead stick a scented bait under a mangrove and it is sure to produce a bite.

Snook

            I have tried to stay away from fishing snook in Tampa this year. We need to give them as much of a break as possible. The only time I have fished them is for a few charity tournaments. Our region around the Alafia River is holding a good number of healthy fish. I fished a charity slam tournament last month and had a very promising experience. We had several big snook caught that looked very healthy. 33” took biggest snook for the tournament. We also had 32”, 29” and several that were 27” and below.

            If you do catch snook this month, remember season will remain closed. Be sure to handle each fish with extreme care and get them back in the water ASAP.

Mackerel

            If you are looking to keep the rods bent, drag screaming and for decent table fair, the spanish mackerel will be your target. Find any shipping channel, range marker or any other structure in our region and you are sure to run into the mackerel. Anchor up tide, create a chum slick and hang on. I prefer small scaled sardine on a long shank hook with 40lb of fluorocarbon leader. You will have more cut off’s compared to steel leader, but I believe you will have more hookups. Areas to try: Skyway Bridge and ship channel, Port Manatee artificial reef, and the Bahia Beach reef.

Best of the Rest

            The cobia run has started off with a bang this year. We have had multiple hookup days. This has been the best cobia run in recent years. Have rod rigged with a pinfish, check the makers on your way to your fishing holes, and you are sure to encounter the brown bomber. Snapper fishing should start to kick off this month. Mangrove snapper will start to school up and prepare to spawn. The ship channels and other ledges will hold schools of snapper. A small newly hatched scaled sardine will be the best bait. Scale down your tackle as much as possible to ensure lots of action. While fishing the same areas, have a heavy rod rigged and ready to battle the man in the grey suit that may be lurking under your boat for an easy prey. Black tip, hammerheads, spinners and others will be willing to play.

Captain Will Shook is a full-time guide in Tampa Bay and has been fishing the waters of Tampa Bay for over 20 years. To book a Tampa fishing charter with Capt. Will Shook, call 813-732-5971

Tampa Bay mackerel fishing has been hot and will continue to be hot all summer. Light tackle fishing Tampa Bay for mackerel can be fun and challenging. Most all the Tampa Bay’s ship channels, rock piles and artificial reef s will hold mackerel among other species.

Tampa mackerel fishing

 Tampa mackerel fishing is a blast but they also are great to eat. Tampa Bay offers a wide variety of species during the summer. Shark, snapper, tarpon and of course redfish, snook and trout.  If you want to book a Tampa Fishing Charter, give Capt. Will Shook a call today! 813-732-5971

The summer heat is here in Tampa Bay and it brought along with it the sharks. With water temperatures on the rise, you have to think outside the box. Fishing deeper cooler water is a must.

Nurse Shark

Sharks are a fan favorite due to their size and strength. Sharks migrate into the Tampa Bay area following the different pelagic species like the  spanish mackerel. Fishing Tampa’s ship channels, artificial reefs and bridges, should produce a nice shark you will be talking about for years.  My bait of choice for Tampa Bay shark fishing would be spanish mackerel. They are plentiful in the bay and easy to catch but any fresh bait will work. Sharks to look for are black tip, bull, spinners, hammerhead and nurse. While fishing the same areas, free line a large sardine looking for anything to take the bait. You may run into a cobia or even a tarpon fishing Tampa.The picture is of a 6′ nurse shark caught by Connor from Dallas, TX. Call now to book a shark trip of a life time. 813-732-5971

You still have time to catch that trophy Tampa Tarpon you have been wanting.

150 lb Tampa tarpon

Fishing Tampa Bay for tarpon has been on fire. Tampa Bay’s area bridges and beaches are holding fish. The bait of choice has been live crabs but live scaled sardines, threadfins or pinfish will do the trick. Look to get out on the beaches early before the boat traffic picks up. Around the new and full moon tides, fishing the afternoon tides has been very productive. We are also seeing a lot of fish around the Skyway bridges. Fishing the bridges structure can be very challenging. Heavy tackle is essential. You still have time to book your Tampa Bay tarpon fishing charter.

  The Tampa Bay Snook fishing is still ALIVE! I have stayed away from Snook fishing in Tampa Bay due to the stress these fished had

33" Snook

 on them from the cold winter we had but fished a Grand Slam charity tournament and Snook spices was on the list of fish. I didn’t have high expectations but boy was I surprised and very happy. We fished a spot that has held good Snook in the past but I didn’t expect it to produce the way it did. We had several nice Snook landed while fishing Tampa Bay. We had a few 25″ a 29″ and a 30″. All the fish were very healthy. We had 2/3 of the slam caught with a very good Tampa Bay Snook so we decided to finish off with a Redfish. We pulled up to a Redfish spot. First bait in the water was railed. Drag screaming off the reel and the rod doubled over as the fish headed straight toward the mangrove. As soon as it headed to the mangroves, I knew what it was and how good of a fish it was. We landed the beautiful 33″ Snook, took a couple of pictures and had a healthy release. We didn’t with the total slam but we did win the Snook division. It was good to see that Snook are alive and healthy. I don’t plan on fishing Snook very hard. We want to give them as much of a break as possible.  Click here to book a Tampa Fishing Charter

The Silver King (aka Tarpon) has arrived. The months of May and June bring the Tarpon migration to the Tampa Bay area. There are different ways to fish Tampa Bay for Tarpon. The areas bridges hold fish all season.

Tampa Tarpon Fishing

 Heavy tackle is a must to be successful in landing a Tarpon around the structure the bridges have to offer. It can be very challenging to land a fish but also very rewarding. Beach fishing is another way to catch a trophy size fish. We search the beach for schools of Tarpon and try to present bait ahead of the school and let the fish come to the bait. This technique requires an early start due to the boat traffic. Once the boat traffic gets heavy, the fish shut down. Another technique is to fish Tampa Bay’s area passes. Fish will gather in our passes and feed on the bait that is flushed out of the Bay. We drift the pass with live bait and wait for a taker. If you are looking to experience the thrill of a 150lb Tarpon jump 6’ in the air while hooked to your rod, book a Tampa fishing charter now!

Spring has sprung. With all of the cold weather behind us, the fishing charters in Tampa have been awesome. You name it and

Young Tampa angler with Redfish

 it is chewing. Water temperatures are starting to get back to normal. The bait has made its way into Tampa Bay and so have the pelagic fish. King Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel have been the hot topic. These species make their way up our coast following the bait and make Tampa Bay a stop on their migration move. They are exciting to catch with big bursts of drag screaming fun. Great for kids, nonstop action and easy to catch. They also make for good table fair. Blackened Spanish Mackerel is hard to beat. The Redfish and Trout bite continue to be off the hook. Sounds like a broken record but we are having numerous days with multiple over size fish and a few keepers. These fish are getting a lot of pressure so the key is to stay as far away as possible and bring the school to you with chum. Picture of a young angler with a 34” Redfish caught on a Tampa fishing charter. To book a charter with Capt Will Shook call, 813-732-5971