Fishing Reports by Capt. Fred Everson

Tampa Bay - South Shore - Monday evening I fished the mouth of the Little Manatee River at Sand Point with Capt. John Arico of Arcadia. I was hoping to get to the Spoil Island for the swift, falling tide and some catch and release snook action, but the stout wind out of the W more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - Cold fronts and wind dampen angling prospects A pair of cold fronts earlier this week shut down the snook and the redfish bite fairly hard. Capt. Danny Guarino said that Monday throught Friday the action was very slow in the Southshore holes nor more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - Spanish mackerel have been pounding bait pods on Southshore Tampa Bay this week. In 12 years of fishing here, I’ve never seen anything like it. I found huge schools of macks starting just inside the Skyway continuing north to the range markers off more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - The absence of scaled sardines on the southshore flats of Tampa Bay continues to perplex recreational anglers and guides alike. There has been some bait to be had at the normally reliable Skyway fishing piers, but even that source has been inconsist more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - Sheepshead bite continues to roll in deeper water The best sheepshead bite in years shows no signs of letting up, but the fish have moved. They spent all winter in the holes and passes of the mangrove backcountry south of the Little Manatee Rive more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - Snook bite’s on, but where’s the bait? Snook fishing picked up a couple of notches this week, but the guides working out of Shell Point are still running 18 miles to net bait. On top of having to travel that far, the bait that they are netting i more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - The snook bite hasn’t happened yet, but it’s primed. Capt. Danny Guarino said he plenty of snook Wednesday while on a scouting excursion. He said big pods of small snook were staging in the backwaters of Little Cockroach Bay, and that there were im more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - After a week of very winter like weather, the wind finally died down and temperatures became more angler friendly. It was so cold in the beginning of the week that the shrimpers were unable to catch enough to justify a trip. Consequently, most of t more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - Southshore flats fishing centered on redfish this past week, and though conditions were harsh, the action was steady. I poled the flats south of Apollo Beach with clients on Tuesday and had no trouble finding redfish. We left the dock at nine a.m. more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay - South Shore - A relentless incursion of cold fronts is keeping most anglers off the bay. Those braving the weather are catching a few fish but it’s nothing like a blitz. Fishing has been typically slow for more than two weeks, but that’s hardly unusual in midwin more...
Capt. Fred Everson - Tampa Bay