Fishing Forum - Tampa Bay Area Fishing Report

Tampa Bay Area Fishing Report Captain Charles Walker 7/21/02 Red Tide! What a horrible thing, but it’s here. From John’s Pass offshore three miles and up to Redington Beach. Offshore it’s moving around and has been found near the Betty Rose. Lots of dead fish are on the beaches north of John’s Pass as well. It looks like if you are planning to fish offshore this week you might just as well start as far out as you can go to get past it. My fishing is going to be inside the Bay along the ship’s channel edges for grouper, mangrove snapper, and Spanish mackerel I think. I’ll probably be doing that for the rest of the summer, as long as the water stays clean. I figure why bother taking a 1 ½ hour boat ride to get way offshore and then maybe not catching much? The Bay holds lots of opportunities for fish if you can get the right bait and catch them at the right part of the tide. Just remember, when you are in the deeper parts of the Bay, most fish are biting based on the tide flow more than the tide height. On to the bait house reports: Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325 – The Bay is producing lots of mangrove snapper, The snook are biting around all the islands and shallows right now. The mouth of the river has lots of big drum right now and there are lots and lots of Spanish mackerel all over, no matter where you go in the Bay. Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Pompano are still biting along the Gandy Bridge for anglers using fiddler crabs. Mangrove snapper are also being caught along the bridge. The tarpon seem to be holed up around the 4th St. bridge and there are some cobia being taken both on the flats at high tide and around the bridge. Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Lots of mangrove snapper are being caught off our gas dock this week. Our offshore boats are bringing in some grouper, yellowtail snapper, plenty of grunts and the occasional amberjack. The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Cobia, lots of black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, pompano, silver trout, flounder, and mangrove snapper have all been caught during the past couple of days, and at night the shark are biting well for those anglers that are targeting them. There’s no evidence of the red tide inside the mouth of the Bay, so come on down and go fishing. Folks, feel free to call any of the places in my report for more information, and be sure to tell them that you read about the fishing in their area in Capt. Charlie’s fishing report on the Internet. If you want more information about fishing in the Tampa Bay area or wish to book a charter, simply e-mail me at captchas@flfish.com or if you wish to arrange a charter faster, call me at 727-546-7257. Be sure and visit my web site for lots more Tampa Bay Area fishing info at: http://www.floridasaltwater.com . Good fishing and tight lines, Capt. Charlie http://www.flfish.com/fl Capt. Charlie Walker http://www.flfish.com