1. At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Spanish mackerel have been caught almost every day since the storm. A few redfish, lings and whiting too. Sheepshead are starting to bite around the pilings and good numbers of sharks of various species have been caught, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
2. On the beach of Madeira, near shore, the hogfish bite is picking up. The lane and mangrove snapper bite is good, and there are more snapper grouper. The Spanish mackerel are “thick” and we also caught our first two brown fish this week. Further offshore, there are walleye, bigmouth and grouper, rails, mangroves, red snapper and rimer, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).
Prior to the hurricane, redfish action was good and the bite is picking up again as the waters in the area clear and begin to settle.
3. In the footsteps of Joan, there are “lots” of redfish in the neck around the bridge, jetty and nearby beaches. There are still mosquitoes around the bridge and pier lights at night and some bites during the day. Sheepshead, mangrove snapper and a few walleyes are biting from the jetty. Spanish mackerel are also biting off the end of the jetty and along the beaches, Hubbard reports.
4. In the park of Fort De Soto, there are a few mangrove snappers and sheep around the marina and bridges. At the dock, the water is still choppy and looks like “chocolate milk”. There are some Spanish mackerel north around Blind Pass, reports Capt. Claude Hinson of Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).
5. Around the Sunshine Skyway and down Tampa Bay, before the hurricane, the fishing was great. In the area there were large shoals of hen fish and “we were spending about 50 days of fish while pessimistically the big shoals”. After the storm, the fishing is improving day by day. The water is still very agitated and looks like coffee. , but luckily there is plenty of bait around and the fishing is still good. The snapper fishing in the inner bay has really picked up. Keeper jigs are biting while trolled and bottom fished with live pinfish, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863). -838-5096).
6. To Anna Maria, most of the walleye, redfish and trout congregate in the deeper channels and near the edges of the flats. Mangrove snapper and sheepshead are holding on to the bridges and structure of Longboat Pass. Spanish mackerel are near the beaches and their numbers are increasing every day after the storm, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160).
7. In Saint Petersburg, before the storm, Spanish mackerel were everywhere off the beaches and are returning as the water clears. Mangrove snapper are biting the reefs in the bay, most of the bridges and the channel edge. Trolling for gag grouper is also producing good numbers along the channel from the Skyway to Egmont. The sheepshead bite is picking up around rock piles, docks and structure, especially around Pinellas Point and the St. Pete. There is a good bite in the creeks around Bayboro, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).
8. At the northern end of Tampa Bay, the hen bite is good around Picnic Island and on both sides of the bay leading into the upper bay. The cooler weather has brought better numbers of Spanish mackerel to the bay. The speckled trout bite is good on the flats around bridges. Mangrove snapper bite bridges, rock piles and deeper channels. The sheepshead bite is picking up around the pilings and docks. The snook bite is good around the bridges and on the flats around Weedon Island. Tripletail is crushing the markers. Some pompano were caught south of the Simmons Park beaches, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).
• A in Homosa, the speckled trout bite is good in 3 to 4 feet of water around rock grass beds. Soft plastics under a popping cork rig will get the bite and outgoing tides are the best. Hen action is also good, but this bite is best on incoming tides. The outer keys, when the tide first turns, is the best way to get lucky at a school. However, when the tide fills in, there is plenty of opportunity to work the rocky edges of the keys with a gold spoon for redfish and snook. Cutfish is also a good choice for bait. Inshore rocks have been “fantastic” for mangrove snapper. Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284) is the best way to get the bite with live shrimp.
• In Fort Pierce, offshore has been a little rough, but there are some walleye in the 80 foot mark and mahi in 80 to 100 feet. Good sized mangrove snapper are biting the bottom of the 80 foot ledge. In the inlet, there is a good live bait bite. Mangrove snappers are biting from the dock and around the bridges. The Juanita spillway is good for snook with all the rainwater that runs off. The mullet run is on, and schools of mullet are scattered everywhere, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).