Fish of the week
Redfish: The redfish bite has picked up this week for anglers in the Tampa Bay area and locations elsewhere.
strike zone, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Elsewhere
1: at Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Good numbers of speckled and silver trout were caught each day last week. Sheepshead are constantly biting shrimp and crabs. White grunts are also biting on shrimp and a steady number of whiting have also been caught. The usual sharks and catfish have also been plentiful this week, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).
2: On the beach of Madeira, good sized lane snappers are biting in shallow water near shore to deep water far out. The hogfish bite is good from 30 feet to 70 feet deep. The best numbers of red grouper and keeper-sized mangrove snapper are biting in 60 to 70 feet. Further offshore, there are grouper, mangrove and red snapper. Pelagic anglers are catching decent numbers of albacore and a few wahoo, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).
Month:Freshwater: Bass, spots both stinging in Polk County lakes
Month:Central Florida Bass Fishing News with Power-Pole Pro Bass Tip of the Week
3: In the footsteps of John, Surprisingly, a good sized snook was caught around one of the docks just over the pass this week. A few chickens are also biting. Speckled trout bite at night around the bridge and pier lights. During the day, the bite is good inside the back bay flats. Around the bridge, docks at the neck, along the jetty and from the dock, there are lots of sheep biting. Black drum and cat crevalle are biting in the early morning and a few cats will bite throughout the day and into the afternoon. Silver trout, whiting and sharks were biting from the jetty and in the surf, Hubbard reports.
4: In Fort De Soto Park, a few grunts are pecking around the marina and bridge but most are sheep and there are lots of them. Good numbers of redfish and speckled trout are being caught on the East Beach. Redfish are also following large schools of mullet running off Tarpon Key. At the pier, a good number of sheepshead and a few mangrove snapper are biting around the pilings. Most snappers are small, though. Keepers are hard to find. A few beachies are biting around Shell Key, reports Capt. Claude Hinson of Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).
5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, Sheepshead are all over almost any structure in the area. The bay bridges and reefs are producing good numbers, but the docks in the area are especially holding sheepshead. Good numbers of redfish are starting to bite on the schools of mullet roaming the area. Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160) is reported.
6: To Anna Maria, good numbers of speckled trout are found in the sound from as far north as Anna Maria as far south as Longboat Pass. Sheepshead will bite any area with structure. Bridges, levees, residential docks and rocks around the neck are producing good numbers. Decent numbers of redfish are biting around the residential docks and along the mangrove lines in the sound. A few grunts can be found in their usual winter spots away from cooler water that gets good sunlight, Crawford reports.
7: In Saint Petersburg, Many anglers are focusing on sheepshead right now and there is a good bite on fiddler crabs and shrimp around the deeper water bridges and docks. Bottom fishing is also taking off. Redfish, snook, black drum and the occasional giant-sized creval are biting the mangroves and residential channel systems. Minnows for bait are easy to come by and shrimp are also getting the bite, reports Capt. Neill Holland of GoFishTampaBay.com (727-200-7781).
8: At the northern end of Tampa Bay, Sheepsheads bite all bridges and almost any structure. Decent numbers of redfish are biting again on the flats in the area. Speckled trout are also biting flats in 4 to 5 feet of water. Larger trout are biting dead and cut baits. Artificial and live baits are also producing good bites, but the fish are smaller. Schools of black drum hang around both the Howard Frankland Bridge and the Courtney Campbell Causeway and there is a good bite on shrimp and crabs. A few snook are biting the white sand bottom and shallow water areas around the Picnic Island boat ramp. Davis Island is producing redfish, black drum and a few snook. The Weedon Island Pier is producing a few pompano, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).
In another part
– In Homosassa, January is one of the best months to target sheep around Homosassa and Crystal River. Two of the best areas to target are in rivers and near shore rocks. On rivers, holes with lots of rock and structure are best. A 1/8 oz. Jig head with a live shrimp is an excellent bait. Wharves with adjacent oyster shell bars are also excellent places for sheep. In nearshore waters, rocks with a higher profile will more often harbor more fish. More often than not, sheepshead will hit a lure with a “peck, peck,” followed by a slow, deliberate pull. That’s when you set the hook. Decent numbers of redfish and speckled trout are biting on the keys and island points, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).
– In Fort Pierce, offshore, there are a few mahi biting in the 120 to 200 foot mark. Kings are biting on the surface at a depth of 50 to 80 feet. Mostly lane snapper, but a few mangroves, rams and scattered cobia are biting the bottom of the 80 foot bar. In the inlet, good numbers of Spanish mackerel are biting the surf down to 30 feet deep, south of the inlet. Mackerel are everywhere, just look for the concentration of boats. Pompano, blackbird and corvins are also biting the surf around the inlet. Beaches still bite into the cove from the south jetty. Sheepshead, mangrove snapper and a few catch-and-release snook are biting at the jetty entrance. Good numbers of black drum and sheepshead are biting on the bridges. Melody Lane Pier is producing good numbers of sand perch, reports the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).