Saltwater: Mangrove snapper bite remains very good for Tampa Bay area anglers

Fish of the Week

Mangrove Snapper: The mangrove snapper bite continues to be very good for Tampa Bay area anglers and locations elsewhere.

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

1: At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, mangrove snapper have been the most consistent catches again this week. A few speckled trout and some sheepshead were also caught. Sharks, including some blacktips and a nurse shark, also came over the rails this week, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2: At Madeira Beach, the red grouper bite is pretty steady, there’s a few keeper size, but a lot of shorts. Big mangrove and lane snapper are biting around the 60-foot mark. The hogfish are spread out and hit or miss with the warm water. There’s a few mahi here and there. Deeper offshore, good numbers of triggerfish have been caught since season opened. The gag and red grouper bite is steady, but anglers should note, red grouper season closes at the end of the month, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).

3: At John's Pass, the mangrove snapper are absolutely thick in the pass and biting around just about any structure. Snook fishing is good and there’s also plenty of them in the pass. Good size sheepshead are still biting around the docks. Flounder, speckled trout and a few mackerel are biting off the jetty. There’s also a lot of sharks, mostly blacktips and spinners from the jetty. Trout are also biting around the bridge and dock lights at night. Redfish are biting inside around the islands and a few tarpon are still rolling around the pass, reports Hubbard.

4: At Fort De Soto Park, there’s a lot of mangrove snapper and snook around the marina and the docks. Good size sheepshead are also being caught and a few flounder have finally shown up. The area flats are loaded with bonnethead sharks. Tarpon Key is still producing a good redfish bite, but many of the fish are under slot size. The trout bite is good and most of the fish measure around 15 inches. Some flounder are biting at the boat ramp area. The Gulf Pier is producing good numbers of Spanish mackerel. Plenty of snapper, whiting, sheepshead and jacks are also at the pier. Most of the snook have moved off the beach and back inside. Bunces Pass is producing mostly whiting and jacks, reports Capt. Claude Hinson at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, the gag grouper and mangrove snapper bite is good right now in the bay. They are biting live scaled sardines on 1/8 oz. jig heads on the bottom. The bite is best on the slower part of the tides. Snook are biting in the pot holes on the lower part of the tides and up in the mangroves with higher water. Some tripletail are showing up on the channel markers inside the bay. Good amounts of Spanish mackerel are showing up throughout lower Tampa Bay. As far as live bait, scaled sardines have been tough to come by for the past week. This has many guides puzzled, as the small hatch bait should be all over the grass flats, but they’re just not showing up, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). Fishing south of the bridge has been absolutely “on fire.” Mangrove snapper are all over the reefs in the bay as well any good, hard bottom ledge that has good moving water, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160.

6: At Anna Maria, mangrove snapper are holding on just about any structure. The area bridges and rocks around Longboat Pass are producing good numbers. Limits of mangrove snapper are also biting on any of the nearshore reefs and hard bottom ledges. Some tripletail have shown up on the crab trap buoys, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160.

7: At St. Petersburg, mangrove snapper are biting on just about any structure. The Skyway, other area bridges, rock piles and the reefs are all producing. Snapper along with gag grouper are also biting on the edge of the shipping channel. The docks around Big Bayou are also good for snapper. Good numbers of pompano showed up this week at the Bunces Pass, Skyway approach bridge. The bar system south of the bridge is especially producing. Blind Pass is also producing a good amount of pompano. Pinellas Point and the docks have been good for snook and redfish. Weedon Island is also producing good numbers of both fish. Some tarpon are still around, mostly in the back waters and bayous, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).

8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, good numbers of mangrove snapper are still around the bridge and most structure in the area. A few sheepshead are also biting. Schools of black drum are still holding at both the Frankland and Gandy bridges. The snook and redfish bite is good on the flats around Picnic Island, Cypress Beach and Weedon Island. Redfish are also biting around the causeway and the upper bay. Good numbers of speckled trout have shown up on the deeper edges of the flats. There’s a lot of shorts, but a few keepers are in the mix. Spanish mackerel have shown up early in the morning around the Gandy and the deeper points around Picnic Island. Tripletail are biting on the markers in the bay, but there’s no reports of cobia. Big schools of jack crevalle are also cruising the bay around the Gandy, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

Elsewhere

• At Homosassa, it’s August, this is the time of year for redfish in the Big Bend area. Look for the mullet schools and you’ll find the reds. When the redfish are schooling, just about any bait will produce. Gold spoons, such as an Eppinger Rex are an excellent bait. A wobbling spoon that imitates a dying pinfish will produce multiple strikes and also cast a “country mile,” reports Capt. William Toney of Homosassa Inshore Fishing Charters (352-621-9284). Most any structure including the natural rocks and ledges, to the channel markers are holding keeper size mangrove snapper. Live shrimp are the best bait, whether freelined or on a jig head. Keep an eye on all the markers for triple tail. The deeper buoys have been producing the most fish, reports Toney.

• At Fort Pierce, offshore, the mahi bite has slowed, but some kingfish are biting at the 50 to 80-foot mark. A few sailfish have been caught south of the inlet, out to about 120 foot. The bottom bite is slow with the cold water. Mangrove and mutton snapper are biting shallow at 30 to 50 foot and some cobia are also at that depth. At the inlet, whiting are in the surf, but the seaweed is thick. Snook are biting in the inlet on live baits during the day and jigs at night. Inside, the mangrove snapper bite is good around the bridges. Some lanes and muttons are also biting, but most of them are short. There’s a decent trout bite in the river on live bait along the deeper water mangroves, 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: Saltwater: Mangrove snapper bite still good for Tampa Bay area anglers