Saltwater fishing: There's an excellent mangrove snapper bite in the Tampa Bay area

1. At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, good numbers of mangrove snapper and Spanish mackerel have been caught every day this past week. Other catches of note include white grunts, a few speckled trout and a 33-inch slot size snook on Wednesday, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2. At Madeira Beach, good numbers of Spanish mackerel are showing up nearshore off the beaches. A few hogfish are being caught around the 40- to 50-foot mark. The mangrove and lane snapper bite remains steady along with a few red grouper. Deeper offshore, amberjack season is open and they are “thick.” Big snapper including lane, mangrove, vermillion and yellowtail are biting, along with gag and scamp grouper, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).

What's Biting: Mangrove Snapper

The mangrove snapper bite is very good right now for Tampa Bay area anglers. Structure, both offshore and inshore is producing good numbers.

Strike Zones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Elsewhere

3. At John's Pass, there’s still a good mangrove snapper bite in and around structure in the pass. They’re starting to thin out, but there’s still good numbers. Snook are also thick in the pass, mostly around the docks. The fish are good size, mostly slot and over slot. A few redfish are biting shrimp on the bottom from the jetty. Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle are also biting from the jetty and there’s a ton of bait, reports Hubbard.

4. At Fort De Soto Park, at the marina and the bridge, there’s big mangrove snapper and sheepshead. Plenty of snook are at the marina. Snook action is good around the boat ramp inside the park. The area grass flats are producing good numbers of trout up to 18 inches. The Tarpon Key area is especially good. Redfish action is also good there and around Jackass Key. A few cobia are also roaming the flats in that area. At the pier, there’s tons of bait, but the bite is slow. Just a few Spanish mackerel are biting in the mornings and some snapper around the pilings. Bunches Pass is good for big jack crevalle and some pompano. The Bunces bridge in the park also has good pompano bite, reports Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5. Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, snook season opened on Sept. 1 and the larger fish are starting to stage up around the mouths of the major rivers. These fish are feeding after the spawn. They’ll soon be heading up the rivers to their winter spots. Good schools of fall redfish are showing up. The mangrove snapper bite remains good along the shipping channel edges, the reefs in the bay and around the Skyway. Decent schools of Spanish mackerel are starting to show up, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). The mangrove snapper bite is “outstanding” on any of the inshore reefs, ledges, most structure and hard bottom. Tripletail are still on the markers along with the occasional cobia. Snook fishing has been good, with multiple fish in the slot since opening season on Sept. 1, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160.

6. At Anna Maria, the sound has really been producing a lot of good size speckled trout over the deeper grass flats and grass ledges. Both the Cortez and Manatee Avenue bridges have good numbers of mangrove snapper all over them. Structure around Longboat Pass is also holding snapper. Spanish mackerel are biting nearshore and some mackerel are making their way into the sound, reports Crawford.

7. At St. Petersburg, the mangrove snapper bite is still really good on all the rock piles, the bridges and structure in the area. Good numbers of gag grouper are biting on the reefs and along shipping channel too. Schools of Spanish mackerel have showed up in 20 feet of water along St. Pete beach and around Blind Pass. Good numbers of mackerel are also around the Skyway. There’s still some tarpon around the Skyway. Weedon Island is producing decent numbers of snook and some cobia on the outside flats. A few pompano are biting off the spoils south of Weedon Island, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).

8. In the north end of Tampa Bay, mangrove snapper are plentiful around the bridges and structure in the area. Black drum are also holding on the bridges, especially the Frankland. A few tarpon, along with sharks are running the shadow lines of the bridge at night. Decent numbers of Spanish mackerel are active around the bridge during the mornings. The redfish bite is very good around Picnic and Weedon islands. Trout are also good on the grass flats off Picnic. The flats near the bridge approaches are pretty good for snook. A few tripletail are still biting on the markers in the bay, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

Elsewhere

• At Homosassa, targeting redfish is the best bet for anglers this week. Some small schools are cruising on the outside keys. The best way to approach a potential spot holding redfish is to shut down at least five boat lengths before the spot and let the wind or current carry your vessel to the fish. If mullet are flipping as you ease in, this is a good sign. The best bait for these redfish is cut pinfish. Edges of the rock grass on hard bottom, in 3 to 5 feet of water, is still producing a good speckled trout bite on soft plastics under a float, reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284).

• At Fort Pierce, offshore the bottom bite has slowed a bit, but mangrove snapper and a few muttons are biting at the 80-foot mark. Up top, mahi are biting at 80 to 120 feet and kingfish are best from 50 to 80 feet. At the inlet, whiting are in the surf and the weeds continue to clear. Some schools of mullet have shown up north of the inlet and a few snook and tarpon are chasing them. Snook are also biting inside the inlet and some redfish have showed up. Mangrove snapper up to 16-inches are biting inside around the bridges and the deeper channels edges, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Mangrove snapper are biting strong in the Tampa Bay area