SALTWATER: Mangrove snapper can be found on structure all over the area

Fish of the Week

Mangrove snapper: Anglers targeting mangrove snapper can find good numbers right now on structure all over 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, fishing is very good and a large variety of fish have been caught this week. Most notably, A few tarpon were caught, along with decent numbers of snook. Spanish mackerel, snapper, flounder, pompano, trout, black seabass and grunts have also been steady catches, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2: At Madeira Beach, nearshore there’s plenty of lane snapper, porgies and grunts. Mangrove snapper are decent, but the bigger fish are out further. Deeper offshore, the American red snapper is very good this season. Big grouper are also biting and a 35-pound gag was caught this week. Some scamp and red grouper are also in the mix, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).

3: At John's Pass, the snook are absolutely thick in the pass and the bite is steady throughout the day and night. Mangrove snapper are biting around structure and the bridge. Redfish are biting on the bottom around the docks and inside the back bay. There’s still tarpon in the pass and also running the beach. The jetty is producing Spanish mackerel in the morning. Pompano, mangrove snapper and whiting are also biting there. Mackerel are also biting at the Gulfport Pier in the mornings, reports Andrew Schleissing at Gulf Coast Bait and Tackle (727-343-4181).

4: At Fort De Soto Park, there’s lots of snook and tarpon around the bridge and marina early in the morning and during the evening. Tarpon are also just outside Bunces Pass. Mangrove snapper have also been caught around the bridge and marina. The shipping channel out to Egmont Key is producing some gag grouper and mangrove snapper. Good size trout and small redfish are biting on the flats northeast of Jackass Key. Some nice flounder have been caught around the boat ramp area. The Gulf Pier is good for snapper, sheepshead and a lot of jacks. Snook are biting pinfish in the rocks at the base of the pier and along the beache. Bunces Pass is holding some tarpon, snook, whiting and a few flounder along the drop-off, reports Capt. Claude Hinson at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5: Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, the mangrove snapper fishing has been excellent with the slower tides this week. The Skyway bridge is holding some nice fish up to 18 inches around the center rocks and bumpers. Small live scaled sardines have been the bait of choice. The gag grouper bite is also very good along the shipping channel edges and structure throughout the bay. Both trolling and bottom fishing with live pinfish are productive. Tarpon fishing remains good, both along the beaches and inside of the bay. Many of the big snook have spawned and are starting to move back inside the bay, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096).

6: At Anna Maria, mangrove snapper are biting around the bridges, structure and the rocks around Longboat Pass. Deeper grass flats along the outer shorelines of Miguel Bay all the way south to Perico Island are producing good numbers of snook, trout and redfish. Snook are cruising the beaches of Anna Maria and there’s also a few holding in Longboat Pass. There’s also good numbers of tarpon along the beach, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters. (941-705-3160).

7: At St. Petersburg, gag grouper fishing is good at the Skyway, Southwest Pass near Egmont Key, along the shipping channel and the reefs inside the bay near Port Manatee. The mangrove snapper bite is also good in most of the same spots. Tarpon fishing is good on the beaches from Clearwater south to Anna Maria. The residential canals and docks around Pinellas Point are producing good numbers of redfish. Weedon Island and the sandy beaches nearby in the bay are producing good numbers of snook, reports Mastry.

8: In the north end of Tampa Bay, mangrove snapper have been good around the bridge, most structure and the artificial reefs to the south. Some keeper size gag grouper are biting as well. Good numbers of tarpon are up in the bay around the bridges. Cut bait has been good for them during the day and ladyfish at night. Snook are all over, from Picnic Island to Cypress Beach, Weedon Island and all the sandy beach areas. Redfish are still pretty thick up in the upper bay around the Courtney Campbell and Rocky Point. Some pompano are showing up around the bridges. Decent numbers of cobia have been reported on the east side of the bay, reports Gandy Bait.

Elsewhere

• At Boca Grande, the tarpon bite has picked up again after this last full moon. The tarpon are mostly in the smaller passes along the coast and on the beaches. The large number of sharks concentrated in Boca Grande Pass has pushed the tarpon out and there’s good numbers moving both up and down the beach. Mangrove snapper are moving in from the back country. A wreck in the harbor was holding a bunch of fish this week and fishing around the trestle is picking up, reports Capt. Greg Penix of Lakeland (863-860-2502).

• At Fort Pierce, offshore on the bottom, the mangrove snapper bite is solid. There’s also good size muttons and plenty of triggerfish. The occasional cobia is also in the mix. On the troll, there’s all the kingfish you could want at the 80-foot mark. The mahi bite is also good, but the bigger fish are biting a little deeper below the surface, rather than up top. At the inlet, whiting are biting in the surf. An 18-inch flounder was caught on Wednesday in the inlet. Snook are also taking live baits inside the inlet during the day and artificials at night. The Juanita spillway is also still producing snook. Mangrove snapper, a few sheepshead and the occasional black drum are biting around the bridges. Snapper are also biting at the Melody Lane Pier, 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 can be found on structure all over the area