Despite windy weather, good numbers of snook continue to be caught

Fish of the Week

Snook: Despite the windy weather, good numbers of snook were caught again this week around the Tampa Bay area and locations elsewhere.

Strike Zone, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Elsewhere

1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, some snook started showing up this week. Several fish have been caught including a snook over 40 inches on Wednesday evening. Good numbers of Spanish mackerel have been caught in the mornings. A couple of cobia and some pompano have been caught again this week. Other notable catches include speckled trout, sheepshead, mangrove snapper. Plenty of the usual jack crevalle are also biting, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2: At Madeira Beach, a lot of Spanish mackerel are off the beaches out to about 30 to 40 foot. The hogfish bite has slowed, but there’s plenty of mangrove snapper, lanes, porgies, and big grunts starting around a depth of 60 feet. The red grouper bite is also good and there’s the occasional kingfish still around, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).

3: At John's Pass, more snook are showing in the pass and they’re moving out onto the beaches. More and more mangrove snapper are up showing every day and a few sheepshead are still around. Some redfish are biting around the docks on the bottom. Spanish mackerel are biting in the pass, from the jetty and around the markers outside the pass. Speckled trout, pompano and whiting are biting from the jetty, reports Hubbard.

4: At Fort De Soto Park, mangrove snapper up to 17 inches are biting around the marina and the bridge. There’s also plenty of snook and big sheepshead. The outgoing tides have a good pass crab flush and there’s good numbers of tarpon around the marina, the bridge and the Tierra Verde area. Deeper grass flats around Tarpon Key are producing decent numbers of redfish. Snook are biting along the mangrove lines and moving out to the passes. The Gulf Pier is producing good size Spanish mackerel. Sheepshead and mangrove snapper are biting on the pilings. Whiting and plenty of sharks are also biting. A few snook are in the rocks and also running the beach. Bunces Pass is producing whiting, some flounder and the occasional pompano, reports Capt. Claude Hinson at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, tarpon fishing has really picked up this week. Good numbers of fish are on the beach from Anna Maria Island south to Longboat Pass. The fish on the beach are feeding more aggressively than the fish around the Skyway. Some schools of tarpon are also starting to stage up at Bean Point. Snook are in the passes and on the beaches preparing to spawn. Plenty of snook are also on the inside along the Seven Pines shoreline area along with some good size redfish in the mix. Some really big trout are being caught from Miguel Pass to Emerson Point in 3 to 7 feet of water. “Mangrove snapper fishing is about as good as it gets around the bridges, structure, the reefs and rock piles throughout lower Tampa Bay,” reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). Tarpon are all over the Skyway area and most of the area passes. They’re also running the nearby beaches. Once the winds lay down, the bite will be good, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160).

6: At Anna Maria, the Seven Pines shoreline is holding the usual mix of snook and redfish. Perico Bayou is also holding a good amount of snook. Anna Maria Sound is producing plenty of trout and deep grass north of the Key Royale flat is especially good. There are also a bunch of trout off Egmont in the deeper grass. Palma Sola Bay is producing a good bite for snook, redfish and trout. The flats inside Longboat Pass is also producing trout. Snook are holding on the jetties around the pass and starting to move out onto the beach, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160).

7: At St. Petersburg, it’s been very windy, but the back waters and residential canals out of the wind are producing decent numbers of snook, redfish and trout. Pinellas Point, inside the bar, is good for all three as well. Tarpon are in all the usual seasonal spots. They’re along the beach at Pass-a-Grille, around Tierra Verde, the Skyway and the Snell Isle reef, Once the wind lays down, the bite will be good. The mangrove snapper bite is good on structure out of the wind. Flounder are biting inside Bunces Pass and a 26-inch “flattie” was caught this week. Some good size trout are biting on the inside edge of the pass as well, reports Mastry.

8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, mangrove snapper are biting around the Gandy Bridge pilings and structure in the area. Some black drum are also biting around the pilings. Tarpon are biting around the lights and shadow lines of the bridge at night. There’s a good redfish and snook bite in the upper bay around Rocky Point. The deeper grass flats around Weedon Island and Fourth Street are producing good numbers of trout and redfish. The Picnic Island flats are producing snook and redfish and the pier there is Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

Elsewhere

• At Boca Grande, over the weekend, most of the tarpon were offshore and scattered. The tarpon that were biting were mostly smaller males in the 80 to 100-pound range. But, big females starting showing up and fish are moving into all the passes. On Monday, we jumped 11 fish and caught eight, with the largest weighing an estimated 190 pounds. Two other boats working with us, had similar numbers. On Tuesday, we had five tarpon to the boat. Crabs have been the best bait over threadfins. Some snook, redfish and a few trout are biting on the flats just inside the pass. Most of the snook are transitioning toward the passes for the upcoming spawn, reports Capt. Greg Penix of Lakeland (863-860-2502).

• At Fort Pierce, the best reports of mahi in years are coming in from offshore. Good numbers of fish in the 20 to 30 class have been caught, including a few fish up to 50 pounds. Ballyhoo on the troll from 120 to 250 foot are pulling in the best numbers, but freelined pilchards are also producing. Kingish are biting at the 50 to 80-foot mark. On the bottom, mangrove snapper, triggerfish and a few muttons are biting. At the inlet, whiting and a few pompano are being caught in the surf. Some snapper and sheepshead are biting from the jetty. The snook bite is really good inside the inlet and around the bridges during the day on live bait, mainly croakers. At night, Hogies and Live Target lures are producing. The bridges are producing mangrove snapper up to 15 inches and some black drum, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

Compiled By Michael Wilson / Ledger Correspondent

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Despite windy weather, good numbers of snook continue to be caught