Tampa Bay Fishing Reports and Gulf of Mexico Fishing Trip Reports from Capt. John and Island Lure Fishing Charters. Looking to see what the fishing action is like here in sunny Tampa? Below are photos and reports of the local hot bite and what we have been catching.
Another EPIC day with my local guys! Started the day on a pretty hot snook bite! A bunch of small ones but managed to pull a 29″ snook also! We let him go to catch him again some other day! Then went to our redfish hole and had an awesome time again catching another 20 redfish! Good times with awesome people! The bite is EPIC right now! Book your trips!
EPIC day today catching redfish! We couldn’t keep the lines in the water fast enough! The boys from NY had a ball catching 30-40 redfish and some snook mixed in! Bite is awesome right now! Book your trips!
Hey Folks,
The long awaited Gag Grouper / American Red Snapper Fishing Season has Finally Arrived!!
Couple notes and points before I get into my Offshore St Petersburg, FL / Tampa Bay Fishing Report..
Like last year, American Red Snapper Season has Two Separate Seasons for Fishing outside state waters, and remember, there are no Re Snapper inside State waters anywhere Near St Petersburg Florida..
First The recreational season
– Begins June 1st and ends June 9th.
Secondly, Charter Captain Season
– Begins June 1st and Ends July 19th
– ONLY FOR Charter Captains with a Valid Federal Permit!
For Both, the minimum Length is 16″ and Each Angler is permitted to keep 2 American Red Snapper. The Size Limit on Gag Grouper is 24″ and Each Anger is also allowed to keep 2. The Season on Gag Grouper is June 1st to December 31st for both recreational Fishing and Charter Captains.
As for the Offshore Tampa, FL Fishing Report…
The 1st 3 Days of the season the bite for Red Snapper (ARS) has been Sluggish West of the 40 Fathom (240ft) Break. The fish have been chewing, however the Moon Cycle has made Currents a little Stronger and the fish lethargic. On my offshore trips we have been Targeting the ARS around the Morning Solunar then peeling off to Hunt Gags when finished. The key to success has been Getting Lines on the fish and doing so While the fish are chewing early in the AM Around or before first light. Even though Gags and ARS live together on Most of our spots, Take the Time to Get the ARS in the box. Water Clarity West of the 40 Break has been spectacular. Fluorocarbon Leaders, Lighter weight (Which also poses a problem when fishing the currents) have been helpful. We have been fishing Dead Bait Exclusively for ARS.
Gag Grouper has been easy to target. Same rules as years past. Dead Bait to start, Live Bait to seal the deal. I like using a 100+ Pound Leader to keep from changing out knicked leaders all day. Scamp in this area have been easy targets. Dead or Live Sardine will get the job done.
One thing to note is Shark Activity has been an issue on some areas. Nothing worse then having a 8ft Lemon Shark pull up behind a 25 pound ARS just to rip it in two. Bring Plenty of Cold water to stay hydrated as the weather has been HOT and the Winds have been almost non existent the last three days. Eating a banana will keep any dehydration cramps away.
Heres Some Pictures from this Week, Remember.. Me and Capt Gene post all our Trip Pictures Daily on Facebook and Instagram.
/ Capt John
Island Lure Fishing Charters St. Pete Beach, FL
727-565-0202
And Now some Photos:
Good day this afternoon. Caught overslot reds and a bunch of snook. Great time with the boys from michigan. They sure do know how to party!
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Beautiful day today. Had Mary and friends out for an onshore trip today. We got the redfish and snook pretty good. We lost a 40+ in fish to the mangroves. Caught a handful of redfish and a bunch of underslot snook. Good day and clients were happy. Book your trips!
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Kingfish is what they wanted and that’s what they got. Had Joe and family out yesterday for a morning bite. Caught 10-15 kingfish. The biggest 25lb. They had a blast. Good action still this spring. Bite is good and tarpon are starting to get right! Book your trips!
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Great day today with slick calm conditions. Had Erick and his son today to get the kingfish off his bucket list. We caught about 20-25 fish. Biggest 25lb. Had an awesome time with a bunch of laughs! Book your trips!
#fishislandlure #smithoptics #boatersrepublic #aquasport222 #fishing #tampabayfishing #stpetersburg #dtsp #snook #redfish #trout #tarpon #allworldcharters #charterfishing #fishingcharters #guide #lovefl #inshorefishing #doncesar #shimano #twresorts #stpetebeach #instafish #fishflorida #tampabay #florida #yamahaoutboards #tarponfishing #silverking #smithfishing
Weather was awesome this morning and got to get my buddy Steve out for some fun kingfish action. Bite was on fire. Catching his personal best 30lb. We had an awesome time catching our limit and back at the dock by 12. Awesome bite right now. Book your trips.
#fishislandlure #smithoptics #boatersrepublic #aquasport222 #fishing #tampabayfishing #stpetersburg #dtsp #snook #redfish #trout #tarpon #allworldcharters #charterfishing #fishingcharters #guide #lovefl #inshorefishing #doncesar #shimano #twresorts #stpetebeach #instafish #fishflorida #tampabay #florida #yamahaoutboards #tarponfishing #silverking #smithfishing
Had an awesome day yesterday with my good friend Nate and his family from Michigan. We started our day off catching some sardines and white bait and went out in search of kingfish. We went to our first spot and caught 3 pretty quickly and then the bite kinda died. So we switched it up and went to a little rock I had and the bite was on fire. We couldn’t keep the baits in the water. They were firing. The biggest was 25lb but non stop fun all day. Book your trips. Tarpon and kingfish bite is on fire.
#fishislandlure #smithoptics #boatersrepublic #aquasport222 #fishing #tampabayfishing #stpetersburg #dtsp #snook #redfish #trout #tarpon #allworldcharters #charterfishing #fishingcharters #guide #lovefl #inshorefishing #doncesar #shimano #twresorts #stpetebeach #instafish #fishflorida #tampabay #florida #yamahaoutboards #tarponfishing #silverking #smithfishing
Had an awesome day despite the wind in the morning the weather was beautiful! I had my good friend Gary and his buddies from work out for a good wade session. We caught a 38″ snook right off the bat and then caught a bunch of redfish and trout mixed in. It was an awesome day with Jeff catching his personal best snook. Book your trips
#fishislandlure #smithoptics #boatersrepublic #aquasport222 #fishing #tampabayfishing #stpetersburg #dtsp #snook #redfish #trout #tarpon #allworldcharters #charterfishing #fishingcharters #guide #lovefl #inshorefishing #doncesar #shimano #twresorts #stpetebeach #instafish #fishflorida #tampabay #florida #yamahaoutboards #tarponfishing #silverking #smithfishing