Fishing Forum - Tampa Bay Area Fishing Report

Tampa Bay Area Fishing Report Captain Charles Walker 7/22/01 Grouper fishing was hit or miss this week with a few fish being caught from 50 to 120 feet of water, but not everywhere that you would expect to find them at this time of year. There have been some small dolphin caught within twenty miles of shore along with plenty of barracuda, little tunny, a few sharks, and even some lost king mackerel. The mangrove snapper are still available but not in the numbers or the same places that we found them last month. The “gumbo” (algae) has taken over a lot of the hard bottom due to the high water temperatures and relatively clear water and it makes it hard to keep a bait on the bottom in many places without your hook being covered in the stuff. The fishing closer inshore is a little better with plenty of large Spanish mackerel still being caught in the area. Tarpon are still around the beaches, the Skyway, and inside the Bay and there is still some decent fishing along the edges of the ship’s channel if you hit it on the right part of the tide. On to the bait house reports: Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325 – Redfish are starting to school up in the backcountry this week. Lots of nice mangrove snapper are coming in from the Bay. Some really big tarpon are showing up in the river near the shop along with plenty of small ones. Lots of anglers are fishing for shark now and getting some great hits. Black drum are biting well in the river, particularly around the bridges. Buddy’s Bait and Tackle on the Courteney Campbell Causeway in Tampa - 813-287-1026 – Lots of snook are being caught by the floodgates on pinfish. Some cobia are biting pins by the big bridge. Lots of blacktip sharks have been caught around the bridges this week as well. Lots of small redfish are being caught around the Red Lobster Restaurant. The night fishermen have been hooking some nice tarpon along the causeway nearly every night. Bonnie’s Bait and Tackle in Clearwater - 727-446-2772- Some nice grouper and mangrove snapper have been brought in from 100+ feet of water. Lots of tarpon have been caught around the bridge on the causeway at night. Plenty of sharks are coming in from the Bay for anglers fishing at night. Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Mangrove snapper are biting well around all the bridges in the Bay. Spanish mackerel and pompano are being caught around the Gandy Bridge. Dogfish Tackle on Redington Beach - 727-392-6644- Some flounder, snook, tarpon, cobia and trout have been caught off the pier this week. There seems to be some nice schools of bait along the beach. Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Snapper, grouper, Spanish mackerel, sheepshead, flounder and angelfish have been along the seawall and off our gas dock. Our offshore boats have been bringing in some mangrove snapper, grouper and the occasional king mackerel. The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Pompano, king mackerel, snook, tarpon, silver trout, and whiting have all been caught in the last few days off the north pier. The south side has also seen some nice Spanish mackerel, stingrays and at night the sharks are biting pretty well. 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