Saltwater fishing is picking back up after storm, and redfish appear to be the stars

1. At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Spanish mackerel have been caught nearly every day since the storm.  A few redfish, flounder and whiting too. Sheepshead are starting to bite around the pilings, and a good number of sharks of various species have been caught, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2. At Madeira Beach, nearshore the hogfish bite is picking up. The lane and mangrove snapper bite is good, and more gag grouper are moving in. The Spanish mackerel are “thick,” and we also caught our first two kingfish this week. Deeper offshore, there’s triggerfish, big gag and scamp grouper, lanes, mangrove, vermillion snapper and amberjack, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).

What's Biting: Redfish

Before the hurricane, the redfish action was good and the bite is picking up again as area waters clear and begin to settle.

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3. At John's Pass, there’s “a ton” of redfish in the pass around the bridge, the jetty and the nearby beaches. There’s still snook around the bridge and dock lights at night and a few biting during the day. Sheepshead, mangrove snapper and a few flounder are biting from the jetty. Spanish mackerel are also biting from the end of the jetty and along the beaches, reports Hubbard.

4. At Fort De Soto Park, there’s a few mangrove snapper and sheepshead around the marina and the bridges. At the pier, the water is still churned up and looks like “chocolate milk.” There’s some Spanish mackerel to the north around Blind Pass, reports Capt. Claude Hinson of Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

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5. Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, leading up to the hurricane, the fishing was great. There were large schools of redfish in the area and “we were having some 50-fish days while fishing the large schools." After the storm, the fishing is getting better day by day. The water is still very churned up and looks like coffee, but luckily there is plenty of bait around and the fishing is still good. The gag grouper fishing inside the bay has really picked up. Keeper gags are biting while trolling and bottom fishing with live pinfish, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096).

6. At Anna Maria, the majority of the snook, redfish and trout are bunched up in the deeper channels and the edges of the flats nearby. Mangrove snapper and sheepshead are holding around the bridges and structure at Longboat Pass. Spanish mackerel are nearshore off the beaches and their numbers are increasing each day after the storm, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160.

7. At St. Petersburg, before the storm, Spanish mackerel were everywhere off the beaches and they are returning as the water clears. Mangrove snapper are biting on the reefs in the bay, most of the bridges and along the edge of the channel. Trolling for gag grouper is also producing good numbers along the channel from the Skyway out to Egmont. The sheepshead bite is picking up around rock piles, docks and structure especially around Pinellas Point and the St. Pete Pier. There’s a good snook bite in the creeks around Bayboro, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).

8. In the north end of Tampa Bay, the redfish bite is good around Picnic Island and on both sides of the bay leading to the upper bay. Cooler weather has brought better numbers of Spanish mackerel to the bay. The speckled trout bite is good on the flats around the bridges. Mangrove snapper are biting around the bridges, rock piles and the deeper channels. The sheepshead bite is picking up around the pilings and docks. The snook bite is good around the bridges approaches and the flats around Weedon Island. Tripletail are biting on the markers. Some pompano were caught to the south off the beaches at Simmons Park, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

Elsewhere

• A Homosassa, the speckled trout bite is good in 3 to 4 feet of water around rock grass beds. Soft plastics under a popping cork rig will get the bite and the outgoing tides are best. Redfish action is also good, but that bite is best on the incoming tides. Outside keys, when the tide first turns, is the best way to luck into a school. However, when tide fills in the backcountry, there is plenty of opportunity to work the rocky edges of the keys with a gold spoon for redfish and snook. Cut pinfish is also a good choice for bait. The nearshore rocks have been “fantastic” for mangrove snapper. Chumming with live shrimp is the best way to get the bite fired up, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).

• At Fort Pierce, offshore it’s been a little rough, but there’s some kingfish at the 80-foot mark and mahi from 80 to 100 feet. Good-size mangrove snapper are biting on the bottom on the 80-foot ledge. At the inlet, there’s a good snook bite on live baits. Mangrove snapper are biting from the jetty and around the bridges. The Juanita spillway is good for snook with all the rainwater run off. The mullet run is on, and there’s scattered schools of mullet just about anywhere, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: As saltwater fishing picks back up after storm, redfish are biting well