Tampa Bay Area Flats Report
Capt. Troy Mainzer
May 16, 2014
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Hey guys,
This past week the wind has really changed the way we have had to fish but the fishing has still been great. Since it has been so windy the past few days I haven't focused on tarpon much and have been doing more flats fishing. We've been really successful on all different ends. The snook bite has been on fire around Tierra Verde. Lots of fish in the 23-26 inch range and some fish much larger than that. After catching a ton of smaller snook the other day we decided to try a spot that I know holds some big snook. We tossed out some big baits and were rewarded with a 38 incher! This guy put up a tough fight, making long runs and trying its hardest to find a way off. He was safely released.
We also caught one snook that had a pretty odd looking stripe, check out my picture below.
This snook bite should remain strong all summer. The fish are both on the flats as well as on the beach. A huge advantage of the Tampa Bay Area is the variety of islands, allowing us to fish spots that keep us out of the wind when the weather is bad.
The redfish have been schooled up on just about every flat in Tierra Verde. I've seen everything from schools of over 100 to schools of 6-8 to single fish. Low tide is my favorite time to target them because I can get my poling skiff up on some shallow flats and look for them tailing. When they are tailing and digging in the mud looking for crabs, they will eat about any dead bait that you throw at them.
Tarpon are around in their full numbers and ready to be caught as soon as this wind dies down! I plan on tarpon fishing Sunday and a lot next week since the weather looks better. They have been around the bridge, on the beach, and in the passes.
If you want to get out on the water and enjoy some awesome fishing shoot me an email at [email protected] or call me at 813-293-4750. The peak of the tarpon season only lasts for about 2 and a half months so don't miss out on the thrill!
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