Tampa Bay Area
Fishing Report
Captain Charles Walker
4/20/03
What fantastic weather and fishing we've had for the past week. This is what spring is supposed to be like on the Suncoast! There are still kings in the area and some really beautiful, large Spanish mackerel. Grouper and mangrove snapper are biting well if you really want to fish for them instead of kings. There seems to be bait at all the usual places this week, the buoys, piers, and bridges, and as long as we don't get another strong front that runs them out and muddies the water, we should have great fishing for the rest of April and May.
On to the bait house reports:
Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325 - Bait is showing up on the flats and lots of trout have been coming in. Reds are being caught around the mangroves. Kings and Spanish are coming in from around the bridge. Grouper are being trolled up from the ship's channel. Snook are starting to come around again now that the water is warming back up after the last cold front.
Buddy's Bait and Tackle on the Courteney Campbell Causeway in Tampa - 813-287-1026 - Trout and reds are biting well this week all over the flats in this area. Snook are biting at the floodgates and everything is eating live shrimp. The greenbacks don't seem to be this far up the Bay yet for some reason.
Trappman's Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414- Spanish mackerel are biting well around the range markers in the Bay. We've seen reds and trout come in from the flats around Weedon Island and the snook are slowly starting to bite again as the water warms back up.
Don's Dock on Madeira Beach - 727-391-3223- Lots of kings have been caught this week just off the beach. The usual wrecks and reefs are holding kings as well. Grouper and mangrove snapper are still biting well in the shallower water, but lots of anglers are going out past 80 feet for some large fish.
Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Keeper grouper have been coming in daily off our gas dock in the last week. Some flounder are being caught as well. Spanish mackerel are being caught on the Gulf side as well as off our dock. Our offshore boats are brining in some grouper, mangrove snapper and plenty of Spanish and king mackerel.
The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Trout and Spanish mackerel were the fish of the week even though the tides have been long and slow all week. Some grouper have come over the rail this week despite the slow tides.
Folks, feel free to call any of the places in my report for more information, and be sure to tell them that you read about the fishing in their area in Capt. Charlie's fishing report on the Internet.
If you want more information about fishing in the Tampa Bay area or wish to book a charter, simply e-mail me at [email protected] or if you wish to arrange a charter faster, call me at 727-546-7257. Be sure and visit my web site for lots more Tampa Bay Area fishing info at: http://www.floridasaltwater.com .
Good fishing and tight lines,
Capt. Charlie
http://www.flfish.com
