Guide bites
Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George reports he’s been working docks on the Pinellas side of the bay from around Pinellas Point to the Gandy Bridge area and doing well on sheepshead and redfish. Shrimp and fiddler crabs have been doing the job on the sheepshead, with shrimp and live sardines taking the reds. Some of the sheepshead have ranged up to 18 inches, with reds running from about 15 inches up to the occasional big female of 33 inches. Capt. George says anglers should concentrate on older or abandoned docks with lots of barnacles on them, as they produce better. For bigger sheepshead, he’s been working rocks in 10 feet of water in the open bay. Trout fishing has been pretty good, with fish around the drop-offs of grass flats below the Gandy Bridge, as well as in residential canals. Soft plastic Sea Shad tails on jigs are working well, with live shrimp and small scaled sardines also working. Some of the deeper canals also are holding silver trout and whiting. Both feed near the bottom and shrimp is the best bait. For some fun catch-and-release fishing, the shipping channels in the bay have been producing some gag grouper, as have docks in Tierra Verde.
Capt. Chuck Rogers (813-918-8356): Capt. Chuck says he’s been putting anglers on plenty of sheepshead. The artificial reefs and deep rock piles in the bay have been the best producers, with some big fish being landed. Live fiddler crabs have been best, though live shrimp also works. Schools of scaled sardines have shown up with the warmer weather. They are hanging deep in channels and around the bridges, as with bay water temperatures below 70 degrees, they are seeking the depth for more warmth. Trout are in 6 to 8 feet of water falling off shallower grass flats, though deeper pockets at the mouths of residential canals also are producing. Fish range from undersized to in the slot range, with jigs and soft plastics, live sardines or shrimp producing. With some warm days in the forecast, he expects the trout will be more abundant on the shallower grass beds. Using the jigs while drifting allows anglers to cover more water quickly to locate the schools. A few redfish began moving to the outside points and mangroves along the bay with the warming, and that pattern should continue going into next week. Work the growth when the water is high, fall back and working deeper water around rocks and bars as the water level drops.
Tackle shop roundup
Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551): Zack says recent warming has meant a stronger bite all over the bay. Customers have reported that redfish that had retreated to the backwaters began moving out along the flats at Weedon and Picnic Islands, and at the top of the bay, they moved out of Rocky and Double Branch creeks to explore the mangroves and bars near the mouths of both creeks. Warming also has seen the return of baitfish schools, with anglers netting live sardines and threadfin shad at the Gandy and Howard Frankland bridges. The threads also have been hanging around some of the markers and tripods in the bay. A sure sign that things are heading in the right direction has been that some school mackerel have worked in from the Skyway Bridge area up to nearly the Gandy Bridge. A few customers also reported that while most snook remain in the rivers and other backwaters, a few have been spotted working out the bay shorelines and points. Another good sign is that a few cobias have shown up around markers, with Hillsborough Bay being a good place to keep an eye out for them. Trout fishing picked up. Most fish are just off the shallow flats in deeper water, though by the weekend it’s expected warming water may see more fish in shallow water. Live shrimp, small live sardines or jigs with soft-plastic tails are good bait choices. For sheepshead, work the bay bridge pilings, reefs and docks. There are plenty of them around, and live fiddler crabs or shrimp takes them…