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Sheepshead remains the best bet in Tampa Bay

January 10, 2023 by Molly Brenneman

Fish of the week

Sheepshead: Sheepshead remain the largest and most consistent catch for anglers in the Tampa Bay area and elsewhere.

strike zone, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Elsewhere

1: at Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, both speckled trout and silver trout, along with whiting, have been the biggest catches this past week. A few white grunts have also been caught. Local and regular anglers who know how to target sheepshead are also catching decent numbers around the balls, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2: On the beach of Madeira, Lane snapper season opened on January 1st and they are thick. Good-sized rails are biting from shallow water near shore to 150 feet deep offshore. Red grouper season also opened, and there are good numbers, but anglers have to break out a lot of shorts to land a keeper-sized fish. The hogfish bite is good in 30 to 50 feet and Spanish mackerel schools are biting at that depth as well. Deeper in the sea, large red groupers are more numerous. Grouper, along with mangrove, lamb and yellowtail snapper are also biting. Pelagic anglers are catching billfish, blackfin tuna and some catfish, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).

3: In the footsteps of John, the neck is loaded with sheepshead right now and they are starting to school around the bridge pilings. Black drum are biting around the bridge, jetty and near beach. Silver trout and whiting are also biting from the jetty and in the surf. Speckled trout are biting during the day in the shallow grass flats and mangrove lines inside the neck. At night, they bite the bridge and pier lights. Snook are biting in the back of the pass near Bay Pines and Long Bayou. The redfish bite is good on residential docks inside the pass, Hubbard reports.

4: In the park of Fort De Soto, there are good numbers of sheep around the marina, but mangrove snapper and mangrove snapper are hard to come by. Banks of loins run through the floors of the area with a lot of chicken coops following them. Pompano are biting at the Pass-A-Grill Jetty on Doc’s Goffy Jigs and shrimp. The dock is producing a sheepshead over the shrimp piles. Fiddler crabs are producing if you can find them, reports Capt. Claude Hinson of Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, Sheepshead are the hot topic at the moment. Water temperatures from the recent cold front over Christmas led to a big push of sheepshead into the bay. They can be found around the inner bay, on man-made reefs, bridge pilings and on the natural rock bottom throughout the bay. Shrimp and fiddler crabs fished on light tackle are the best baits. Trout fishing continues to be good over shallow grass flats in 3 to 7 feet of water. Now that the water temperatures are warming, the snook fishing has improved. Boat docks on the Manatee River are producing good numbers, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096).

6: To Anna Maria, bridges, rock piles, levees, residential docks and just about any structure in the area are producing good numbers of sheepshead. Speckled trout are biting the deeper holes and ledges of the grass flats in the sound. Snook and redfish bite the mangrove lines on the east side of the sound later in the day after they get a good amount of sunlight, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160.

7: In Saint Petersburg, good numbers of sheepshead are biting all over bridges, rock piles, reefs and just about any structure in the area. Snook fishing has been good this week in warmer water streams and rivers. Residential channels are also producing a good bite and Bayboro Harbor has been particularly good this week. Offshore off Pass-a-Grill, there has been a good red grouper bite on the swiss cheese bottom about 30 miles. A few mangrove snapper are also in the mix, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).

8: At the northern end of Tampa Bay, sheepshead are biting on all bridges and most structures in the area. Shrimp and fiddler crabs are the best baits. If you can’t find fiddlers, mud crabs will work too. Whiting and silver trout are biting in the deeper channels. Speckled trout are biting the deeper flats and artificial lures such as paddletails are still producing in the potholes and ledges. Some chicken coops run through the floors of the area and the upper bay. Cobia keeps the runoff at the power plant and the hot water at the Big Bend power plant is producing pompano. A few bass are biting in the deeper channels and south near the Skyway, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

In another part

∙ In Homosassa, with warmer weather this week and good tides, fishing for walleye and speckled trout is good around the edges of the keys and river mouth. Rocky spots that retain heat from sunlight are good areas to target. There are a variety of lures that produce trout, but nose hook baits are especially productive. The key is to work the baits very slowly as the water is still very cold. In the river, there is good fishing for black drum. Deeper water, along the channel from Hell’s Gate eastward, is the best area to try. Live shrimp in a 1/8 oz. The jig head has been the best bait, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).

∙ In offshore Fort Pierce, there have been mahi again this week on ballyhoo around 200 feet. Kings are biting while trolling live baits near the surface in depths of 50 to 80 feet. Good numbers of lane snapper along with a few mangroves and mullet are biting on the bottom of the 80 foot bar. At the inlet, the Pompanos bite the surf as far south as Jensen Beach. Mackerel and bluefish are biting from the jetty at the mouth of the inlet. Some beaches are biting again in the south pier cove this week. The catch-and-release snook bite is good inside the inlet. Sheepshead and black drum are also biting in the inlet and around the bridges. The Melody Lane Pier is good for sand bass, reports the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

Filed Under: Saltwater Fishing

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