Tampa Bay Inshore Fishing Report for November '18

November in Tampa Bay has been off to a great start. With the first batch of cold fronts pushing through the state, things have really cooled down on the water and the bite has been hot! Coming out of the summer months here in Florida, it can be some of the best fishing year around along with Spring. Water temps go from the upper 80’s and even 90’s on the dog days to the mid to lower 70’s once a few of the cold fronts come through. The fish can be like us in the heat, fatigued, staying in the shade cooling off, not doing much. Now that we have nice water temps from the fronts, the bite is taking off, producing high numbered catches on our trips! Some honey holes are producing numerous slams in one spot. Can’t complain when you are catching all 3 of the prized inshore fish without having to move a lot.

Bait is still very easy to get all over the flats with sizes varying, making a nice mixed well. The time change has the sun coming up a little earlier - first light showing up around 6:30am and thats the money hour to get your bait. Chumming while fishing can really spark up the bite but isn’t really necessary with the cooler temps, the fish are pretty active as it is and are willing to feed if the bait is presented in front of them.

The water has really cleared up from all the summer storms. As you go across the flats here in Tampa, you will see how clear the water is with a lot of life moving around. Bite has been productive on both the incoming and outgoing tides. Some spots better than others depending on the tide, but if you do your homework, you should be having success on the flats and up by the mangroves. Snook and Redfish have been getting caught off the mangrove lines not tucked all the way up underneath as the summer tends to have them. They are producing a wide range of sizes, mainly in the 20”- 32” range, with the occasional big fish coming through causing a great fight with a little chaos on the boat lol.

Trout have been showing up and that’s expected this time of year. As we get closer to winter, numerous schools of trout are gearing up for their winter holes and frisky to jump all over your baits. Whether you’re throwing live bait or artificial, they are a productive bite and showing up in all sizes. The Gator Trout (larger trout) will only get better as the water cools even more. Find yourself some clean water, which stated before is most of the Bay right now, healthy grass flats with potholes and edges to them. look for depths anywhere from 2’ to 4’ of water.

November has started off great with no signs of red tide anywhere IN the bay, so don’t hesitate to take your vacations and book your fishing trips. November is filling up, but we’ve got a few days still open, so give us call and let’s get you out to enjoy this beautiful weather and great fishing!

August Fishing Report

It’s finally August in Florida and I’m sure most of us are looking forward to Fall. This summer has been so hot that on most charters we’re off the water by noon. Staying hydrated, wearing proper fishing attire, Costa del mar shades and plenty of sunblock has been key on every fishing trip; Redfish, Snook, Speckled Trout, Mangrove Snapper and Spanish Mackerel have taken care of keeping us on the water.

Bait has been around in large numbers on the flats and deep channel markers. We have been finding smaller baits on the flats in the 2’ – 4’ depth, using an 8’ Humpback cast net ¼” mesh size to prevent Christmas trees. Once you get the bait chummed up it has been easy to black out the live well, but beware of overcrowding your livewell during the summer. Water temperatures can near 90 degrees and baits can easily start dying off if not properly managed, I suggest to maintain a constant high pressure flow of fresh water pumping into the livewell and giving the baits oxygen. Oxygen will help keep the baits lively and you should see a difference in their life span.

Fishing has been great in the Tampa Bay area this summer! With all the bait around and afternoon thunderstorms cooling off the water temperatures, fish have been feeding and anglers have been catching. As mentioned before early morning has been the best bite for the flats. Snook and Redfish have been tucked in under the mangroves on high tides and are feeding on the smaller baits so make sure to match the hatch. Spanish Mackerel have been on deeper drop offs, artificial reefs and main channels, these fish like deeper water and tidal flow. A 1/0 longshank hook will help catch these toothy Pelagics. Mangrove Snapper are holding near rocky bottom and structure, a knocker rig with a 1/0 Trident circle hook has been doing the trick.

That’s all we got on our report for August be on the lookout for next month’s fishing report!

Wishing you tight lines and fair winds from Inshore Society.

Have fishing questions? Feel free to contact our Captains.

When It Rains It Bites

Its mid-May, and as summer approaches you can expect the afternoon storms to roll in. Now, it doesn't necessarily mean that we must stop fishing; it can actually improve the activity in the water. Fish are already wet, so the rain doesn't bother them. However, there are some factors that will affect how these fish feed and react to the falling barometer caused by the incoming storms and rain. A falling barometer can really get the fish going, causing a total feeding frenzy. The drop in air pressure right before a storm approaches and at the beginning of a front is a great time to catch fish.

If you are on the water, you always want to check the forecast and make sure you are able to find safe cover or worst case scenario, wrap it up and head in. The bite might be really good, but nothing is worth risking a lightning bolt to the dome. If it’s light rain and no thunder or lightning, then you should be fine and can fish through it. At the end of the day, it’s your judgment and determination that will decide on what weather is safe or not. Be sure to look at your local weather radars and listen to your weather radio periodically when on a boat.

On a recent wading fishing trip, Kenny and I experienced some late afternoon thunderstorms. As we saw some weather building up in the distance, we also noticed the flat activity increased with surface strikes and heavy mullet movement. Before we could fish for long the fast moving dark clouds were upon us and we could actually feel the temperature drop and could see the rain curtain approaching. We quickly maneuvered ourselves into safe cover and decided to wait out the storm.  

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When the rain passed, we quickly realized that the water was now stirred up and cloudy with sea grass floating on the surface. We made the change from our top water lures and adjusted for the sea grass and decided to use ¼ ounce DOA jig head with a dark colored DOA CAL Shad Tail to help with the murky water. From our experience we have proven that darker baits work better in darker water and lighter colored baits work more effectively in clearer water. As we reached two oyster bars we could see fish pushing in the shallow water and finger mullet jumping around. We quickly used a stealthy approach and put ourselves into a good position to make a cast at the fish. Wasn't too long before Kenny was hooked up on what seemed like something from the show River Monsters! The fish made several long runs taking Kenny for a ride of his life, after what felt like a 15 min battle (actually 5 minutes) he managed to bring the beast to the shore as I used my grips to land the fish of his life! 

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40" Snook weighing well over 30lbs! Moral of the story is not to let a little rain ruin your fishing trip when it can actually improve your chances of catching more fish.