Fishing Reports by Capt. Stewart Ames

Fishing about to Turn On - Warming waters in late February signal that fishing is about to get better. There may be another cold front or two, but the strength and magnitude of these is usually less this time of year and water temps seem to rebound more quickly. The large se more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay

Cold Water. Tough Bite. - Last week may have represented the worst cold this area has seen since the 2010 snook kill. On a charter yesterday, 2 dead trout, one dead snook and a dead ladyfish were all spotted laying on the bottom. A few seatrout were seem swimming off slowly a more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay

Great Fall Fishing - Late October can be a great time of year to catch a multitude of species. Inshore, assuming water temperatures remain in the seventies, snook still remain a possibility. Although much more scattered than during summer months, small to medium snook c more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay

It's Hot - Predictably, snook fishing has begun to slow…typical for early August. Between warming waters and the spawn concluding, large congregations of fish that have been seen on the beach are beginning to diminish. That said, snook fishing can still be pro more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay

Snook and Redfish Still Viable Targets - Snook fishing has just started to slow after 3 - 4 weeks of excellent fishing. From mid May to Mid June, many large fish were caught…mostly on larger whitebaits, grass grunts and slippery dicks. As is common this time of year, waters are heating up more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay

Big snook are here - As June arrived, so did the very large breeder female snook of summer. Fish exceeding 40 inches are now in the neighborhood so tackle up a bit to be prepared. These fish will take blistering initial runs, usually followed by a strong secondary run more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay

Great Time to Fish - With winds finally settling down to some degree, spring fishing is heating up fast. Snook still remain in three different environments…in the backwaters, inside the intercostal waterway and out on the beach. With strong tides approaching in the nex more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay

Redfish and Snook Action Steadily Improving - Although sea trout fishing has not been as exceptional as it usually is in St Joseph's Sound, the redfish and snook bite has begun to pick up noticeably. Redfish action over the last week has been excellent with 6 to 12 fish being caught on recent ch more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Clearwater

It's Still Winter - Fishing in Northern Pinellas County has been nothing short of strange this year. The big seatout of winter have still failed to show up in their normal numbers. Some days, 4-5 fish will be caught and then the next day these trout are absent. In a more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay

Trout Heating up Soon - As of mid-December, water temperatures were still in the low seventies…pretty much unheard of for this time of year. These abnormally high temperatures affected several fisheries. Large seatrout, a primary target in early winter for those fishing S more...
Capt. Stewart Ames - Tampa Bay