Tampa Bay is alive with bait, and the fish are very active. Variety this time of year is amazing. I spent 8 hours on the Merry Pier Saturday, and the bounty included legal gag grouper, big black drum, Spanish macks, snook, cobia and big flounder. Here’s Tim’s catch:

My buddy Mike frequently fishes Blind Pass around 76th Ave in St. Pete Beach. On Friday, he bagged a nice slot redfish, and a 20″ flounder:

Between trips to Arizona and battling the flu, I was ready for a little dock time on Sunday morning. A full moon, coupled with a good incoming current starting at sunrise were good signs. I only spent a couple hours on the pier, but there were plenty of fish around. Grouper, ladyfish, jacks, macks, and small flounder were cooperative.

I was soaking a greenback in a sandy area waiting for a flounder when something big hit. A couple strong runs, a dash under the dock, wrapping around the pilings… I had my hands full But I managed to land my first legal snook of the season- a 30 1/2″ fish destined for the grill.