North Pinellas: Stewart Ames

It’s official.  October 12th is the day that redfish, snook and trout are open. For those wanting to get dinner before the 12th, and for those who like to eat mangrove snapper, it has been a banner year.  Trips to near shore reefs are almost always productive, with decent eating sized fish even being caught inshore. Small whitebait is the preferred bait.
Local redfish populations have recovered from this summer’s red tide.  Although few dead fish were seen, it seemed as if redfish simply vacated the area when red tide showed up. First, smaller redfish in the 20-24 inch range seemed to come back and, just within the last few weeks, larger fish are here again.  Whitebait, pinfish and cut baits are all working well with fishing best on the strong tides.

Snook fishing has slowed from summer but plenty of fish can still be caught if equipped with enough whitebait and patience.  The fish, on average, are smaller and are found in smaller groups but are still being seen from the backwaters to the beaches. Locate fish by aggressively chumming whitebait.  Wait for the boil and throw directly on it and a hook up should follow. Inshore there are many small fish but due to their aggressiveness and abundance, fishing for these youngsters can be highly entertaining. Good luck and good fishing.

Captain Stewart Ames
GONE FISHING CHARTERS
P.O. Box 541
Crystal Beach, Florida 34681
727 421-5291
https://Tampa-Fishing-Charter.com