Snook, Trout, Jacks and more
Capt. John Rivers
May 23, 2019
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Summer heat has shown up early, May is usually not in the low 90's this quick, but it's been hot the past couple of weeks. One good thing about the heat is the bait has shown up on the flats which is awesome, because I'm not throwing a heavy net on the markers.
Let's talk about how exceptional the fishing has been over the past two weeks.
The Snook bite has been outstanding so far the first three weeks of May. The bigger female snook are just starting to migrate out off the beaches to spawn, and will do so over the next 6 to 8 weeks. But no worries, we still have a lot of fish that never leave Tampa Bay and spawn in the bay. So there are still pleny of big girls around if you're looking to hook up a trophy snook in Tampa Bay. Red fishing in Tampa Bay has been hit and miss for me, as one day I'm on them pretty decently and the next day, they've moved and I can't seem to find them. Trout fishing is also still decent, but they have moved off into deeper holes as it's gotten much warmer.
Spanish Mackerel are all over Tampa Bay and they are running big; they are eating live and artificial baits.
Tarpon have showed up in good numbers and they are chewing in a few areas around the Tampa Bay area, like the Skyway Bridge, Bean Point, Egmont Key, the Gandy Bridge at night, off Clearwater and St. Pete Beach, just to name a few places
With this last full moon it started the crab flush and the Tarpon are chewing them up. The afternoon tides the next few days are perfect for Tarpon; they call them the Hill Tides and it's one of the best times to hook up with a Silver King.
So as you can see May fishing is as hot as the May weather.
June will also be a productive fishing month here, and I'll keep you posted by writing a report every two weeks.
Thanks for stopping by, have a great day,
Tight Lines... John
Rivers to Bay Fishing Charters - R2B Fishing with Capt. John
727-313-1781
www.tampabayinshoreguides.com
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