The waters of the Tampa Bay Estuary continued to clear over the past week and pockets of stained water became much less prominent as we approached the end of the week.  Spanish mackerel remained on a good bite and anglers fishing certain tidal & daylight windows were still able to catch some mackerel limits.  Jack crevalle were perhaps the most visual predators at the piers this past week as schools of these fish demolished baitfish schools on the surface throughout the day.  Blue runners and ladyfish also joined in baitfish attacks and were often caught alongside the big jacks.  Mangrove snapper & gag grouper action was great, but anglers had to sort through lots of fish to land those fit for the cooler.  Snook and spotted seatrout remained on solid bites in the shallows.  Tarpon activity was high – especially at the tide change windows – and some fish could be seen rolling all day long.

Late afternoon outgoing tides this past week provided the best window to target Spanish mackerel.  Indeed, while some anglers struggled to catch a few legal-sized fish during the heat of the day, late afternoon anglers were able to take limits of macks and had many fish that exceeded the 18″ mark – a size range where this species really begins to fill out in girth.  Gotcha lures, spoons, jigs, straw lures and larger sabiki-style baitfish rigs were the primary artificial lure choices.  Small to medium-sized scaled sardines were a close second choice to the artificial lure choices.  Anglers that stayed on the move performed the best on mackerel.  Some fish fed at first light in the shallows by the tollbooths & dumpsters and then gradually moved their congregation out as the day progressed.

Most anglers that target Spanish mackerel do not consider this species to be a common feeder after dark, and they are certainly right to a certain extent.  Mackerel mainly feed by using sight, water clarity and light to their highest advantage, but there are times where this maxim is challenged.  When mackerel are feeding on baitfish schools as sunset passes and then twilight sets in, some of these fish will indeed continue to feed and thus be vulnerable to anglers after darkness falls.  The presentation most successful for these fish could not be simpler.  It consists of perhaps 24″ of monofilament or fluorocarbon leader material in the 25 lb. range, a long shank hook in the 1/0 or 2/0 range and a float or split-shot sinker for depth adjustments.  Use scaled sardines or threadfin herring kept on ice in a zipper bag for bait and cut slender strips from the belly and/or back section(s).  Hook the cut bait strip right at one end so it flutters with the tide and deploy it in a free-lining method.  Try all of the water depths until you find success unless there is a clear signal from the fish.  For example, surface “pops” after dark would suggest using a float and even popping the float every few minutes to attract strikes.

Mangrove snapper and gag grouper were both aggressive this past week and many visitors fishing the artificial reefs had nearly constant action from these species.  Many catches of both species were below the legal size limit promulgated by the FWC, but when anglers reported catching 20+ gags or mangos in a short fishing window, they did not seem disappointed that they had to release some fish.  Of course not all fish were small – with plenty of mangrove snapper iced for family fish fries and some big gags exceeding the 30″ range also taken.  Many visitors reported moving only slightly upon their chosen artificial reef section or switching baits in an attempt to entice larger fish.  Neverdiscount a whole squid parked on the bottom with a live bait rig right off of the reef line in order to tempt almost everything in the area.  Cobia, gag grouper, grunts, porgies, rays, snapper, tarpon and sharks in the upper size range have all taken a whole squid presented in this manner.

Snook have been very active along the approach sections of both piers this past week.  Fish can be both spotted and caught all day long, but the hours after dark represent the best shot at a keeper or even trophy class line-sider.  Snook absolutely love the rock retaining walls that line the entrance to each pier right by the tollbooth.  While it is easy to see the tidal breaks created by both the large main bridge pilings and the rocks, always be mindful that years & years of storms and erosion have dropped many large rocks into the bay and moved them many feet away from the visible wall.  These are virtually untapped spots, not only for snook, but also for spotted seatrout, snapper and even grouper.  Free-lining a live shrimp or scaled sardine in these areas is one sure way to connect.  Artificial lures ranging from jigs & soft plastics to plugs & poppers all take fish – and even tempt some of the monsters.  The largest snook your author has ever seen was taken when it hit a diving Rapala plug about 7″ long right along the rocks several years ago.  The leviathon pushed 48″ during a quick measurement (taken by the rod) but the angler (rightfully / immediately) rushed it back to the water.  The fish swam away healthy & I suspect I might never again see a snook in that size class.

Paul Bristow
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