http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/Captain-s-Corner-Redfish-bite-strong-on-afternoon-high-tide_168572984

Early morning stops at jetty rock piles have produced excellent action for a variety of species. Snook, redfish and trout are the targets. Free-lining live pilchards against the rocks at the strong part of the tide is your best opportunity for snook, while lightly weighting your pilchard with a split shot and working the area just off the rocks works better for trout, reds and flounder. Redfish have been feeding well on the afternoon high tide. Full-moon tides bring in enough water for reds to get back underneath the mangroves where they can feed on crabs. Pitching cut pieces of ladyfish or a weighted pilchard in the small openings between the branches puts your bait in the right spot. Tarpon have been migrating along area beaches in good numbers. With the full moon approaching, fish have been less into feeding and more into mating recently. Many will head offshore to spawn early next week. A few days after the full moon has passed, fish should start returning to the beaches looking to feed. They will be traveling north and south after the full moon, making anchor fishing your best option. Anchoring just outside the swim buoys is a safe bet for a start, however, a more productive lane might be detected after sitting a while. Live pinfish and pumpkinseeds are great baits for this type of fishing as they’re very hardy and will swim down away from the float.

Tyson Wallerstein runs Inshore Fishing Charters in the Clearwater/St. Petersburg area and can be reached at (727) 692-5868 and via email at flatsmonster.com.

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