Summertime Fishing
Capt. Troy Mainzer
June 16, 2013
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
The fishing this week has been very good. I made it offshore one day where we caught tons of red grouper and amberjack. Literally every drop we were hooking up. The key right now is to go DEEP. Past 100 feet if possible. The temperatures are getting really high which means the fish are pushing out deeper, especially the grouper. There are plenty of gag grouper out there and I expect some big reports on July 1st when the season opens up. As far as red snapper, they are out further than usual right now. Reports off Anna Maria say there are good numbers of fish as shallow as 120 feet. Up further north near John's Pass, many anglers are having to run out 150 feet and deeper. The deeper you go chancer are the bigger the snapper will be.
Heres a nice amberjack that Dillon caught in 125 feet.
On the inshore side of the things, the tarpon are still around and will be here in big numbers for the next few weeks. If catching a tarpon is on your bucket list then now is the time to do it. Fish will start thinning out in July but I expect good numbers of fish through the rest of June, especially during the full moon in about a week. Some days we are really having to work for the tarpon, as they can be very finicky. Finding the fish has been very easy but getting them to eat is a different story. Patience and persistence pays off. What I love about tarpon fishing is the opportunity to catch a variety of species at the same time, such as mackerel, cobia, grouper, and sharks. Heres a nice gag grouper caught by future high school quarterback Shane. He'll be a freshman in the fall.
Thats it for this week, if you want the chance to catch a tarpon book your trip now as the dates are running out and the peak season will start to wrap up soon! I'll be switching my focus to redfish and snook in about a month or so. Feel free to call me at 813-293-4750 or email me at [email protected]
Troy Mainzer
www.totallyriggedcharters.com
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