Inshore Fishing Report
The snook action is definitely aspiring to its summertime feel. We are seeing lots of fish on the beaches already with plenty in the passes too. However, still good numbers around the back bays in a variety of sizes. Seems the biggest fish have been seen in the deeper areas around the passes. We have seen some real trophy sized fish around the pass on the bottom around the docks.
Trout action still persists, we are seeing them more now at night around bridge lights and dock lights. This stays common through the warmer months, while the cooler months they are active in the shallow flats. During warmer months we find them in the deepest flats, shaded shorelines, or on the dock lights and bridge lights at night.
Redfish action steady around the area, hard to find the knot but when you do you can stay on the fish. They aren’t super bundled up, but we are still hearing of good concentrations around the area. We are seeing some sporadically around the docks of the pass and a few on the beaches.
Mackerel are thick around the deeper areas where waters are moving and bait is present. We are seeing them around the bridges, piers, jetties and passes heavily. You can find them on some deeper flats too. Great time to troll around the mouth of the passes or bay for endless mackerel fun. You can also chum and drift around these areas with live greenbacks and long shank 1ot hooks.
Triple tail are showing up in the bay more and more, but definitely present along the beaches. Look for them on buoys, floating debris & markers. They love live shrimp but also will take soft plastics.
Tarpon have shown up around the passes, mouth of the bay and on local bridges. We are seeing threadfins mostly being the ticket, but if we get some good rain we should see some nice crab flushing and they should key in on em quickly.
Pompano are around but very spotty. They will be around one day at the pass then gone the next. We have seen them heavy around blinds pass and pass a grille sporadically too! Pompano jigs are a great idea, but shrimp weighted to the bottom work well too.
Help spread the word about what to do if you hook or entangle a bird. Never cut the line; instead, reel in the bird carefully to dehook and release it. If you accidentally hook a dock, break the line at the hook to avoid leaving any line in the water. Seabirds with fishing lines hanging from them are becoming more common, and this could lead to the closure of fishing areas.
Rising concerns about bird entanglements might result in closing fishing spots, impacting the few available locations around Tampa Bay from shorelines, docks, bridges, or piers. Learn more in our recent podcast with Salt Strong: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/shutting-down-fishing-at-busy-pier/.
Nearshore Fishing Report
Mackerel are thick right now near shroe from the beach out to the near shore structures where bait is present. We are seeing good numbers of kingfish around too. They are being mostly caught by us while trolling, but a few big kings on the flat line too. It’s a great time to target the mackerel and a few kings near shore. Get out and enjoy before the weather changes and they spread out.
Lane snapper are thick near shore and we are seeing more and more while fishing that 60-80 ft area. They love shrimp, squid, and cut threadfin and are super aggressive on our 10 hour all days. We are seeing a handful on the 5 hour half days too.
Mangrove snapper love the live shrimp and we have been getting them best near shore on our private fishing charters or the ten hour all day trips. Mostly using the hogfish methods to target them successfully with live shrimp or small chunks of threadfin.
Hogfish are still around and were catching a few on the half days and a few here and there on the ten hour all day. However, the bite definitely has slowed from what it was during it’s peak in the cooler months. We are still getting them though and we do see them through the summer just more slow and steady.
Red grouper are really biting well, especially as we move deeper near shore. We are seeing a half dozen to a dozen or more on ten hour all days. The private charters are seeing even mor and often limiting out near shore. Once offshore they are really big and more consistent. However, both near shore and offshore we are getting them on the bigger dead baits or big live baits.
Offshore Fishing Report
Red grouper are the focus offshore for now, but we have jacks opening up may first which will add some flavor to our offshore adventures! The amberjack will be open may, September and October this year! They love specifically very large live baits on big tackle. The bigger reels with heavy drags of 40lbs or more with 80-100lb leaders and 8-10ot hooks or more are a great idea. Remember, bigger live baits also mean you need some bigger weights to get them down too! Using mono is a great idea for jacks as they fight so hard and can really abuse you if your using braided line.
Red grouper right now offshore I would be using around 60-80lb leader and 7-10ot hooks depending on your bait size. They are biting well on the big pieces of dead bait and the larger live baits. We are seeing great action on the red grouper on the long range trips like the extreme, 39 hour and 44 hour trips along with of course our customizeable private fishing charters.
Mangrove snapper fishing has been steady offshore right now. During the full moon we had a little challenge with the day time slowing way down, but the night bite has been great on our 39 and 44 hour trips. They are biting best on dead baits like our cut threads on the double snell. However, the big ones always come up on the small to medium pinfish.
Lane snapper are still offshore too, we seemingly can’t escape them. Plus, lots of big vermillion snapper, porgies, and almaco jacks have bene caught lately too. We are seeing solid triggerfish offshore too.
Pelagic action has slowed abit, but we are seeing some sailfish, wahoo and kingfish out there! Great time to do some trolling or have the flat line out because you never know what you might run across.
Remember that when fishing in deeper nearshore and offshore federal waters, the Descend Act requires you to have a descending device or venting tool “rigged and ready.” If you know how to use a venting tool, keep it prepared. If not, here’s some helpful advice: https://bit.ly/3L5HTnv. Using a descending device is straightforward and doesn’t require as much precision or practice as venting. You can even get over $100 worth of descending device gear for free by taking a short course on barotrauma mitigation, which helps more fish survive. The course only takes about 10-15 minutes, and you can learn valuable techniques to protect our offshore fishery. Spread the word by visiting: https://returnemright.org/.
TERMS OF REFERENCE-
Inshore: This covers the areas from the inner bays, through the bridges, and right up to the beaches.
Near Shore: This includes the coastal waters from the beaches up to twenty miles offshore, or up to a depth of 100 feet.
Offshore: This extends from twenty miles offshore or from a depth of 100 feet and beyond.
For more fishing reports, photos, videos, and other content, check out Hubbard’s Marina on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, or Snapchat by searching for @HubbardsMarina. Remember our family motto: “If you’re too busy to go fishing, you’re just too busy!” Thank you for reading our report.
Capt. Dylan Hubbard, Hubbard’s Marina
Phone or text: (727) 393-1947
Website: Hubbard’s Marina
