If there’s been a year with more productive mangrove snapper fishing in Tampa Bay , I don’t remember it.  They have at times stacked up on many of the artificial reefs in the bay.  A fish/dive chart will provide the coordinates to most all of them.  They’ve ganged up along the rocky edges of the channels leading to Port Manatee and Port Tampa.  Others have schooled up at each of the major bridges in the bay, most notably the Skyway.  They have been on seemingly every rock pile we know of.  Mangos have gathered on the rock jetties and in the marinas with all the structure they provide.  You’ll find them while dock fishing in residential canals as well.  There’s been mangrove snapper in the mangroves, imagine that.  Many of our most productive trips and biggest fish have come from the many mile stretch of the rock laden edges of the ships channel from the Skyway Bridge to well up the Bay.  Many of the mangos are full grown and have packed on extra weight for their spawning ritual.  Much of our success lately may be attributed to the abundance of perfect size whitebait (3 inch) that has settled onto many of our areas flats.  While a frisky whitebait will seldom be beat, some of our largest mangos have chewed small pinfish that have also been cast netted.  Take some heavy tackle if you go.  There’s been some big gags mixed in with the mangos and we wrestled a 100 pound goliath grouper off his ledge on a recent trip.

Captain Jay Mastry 

CapMel Staff
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