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August 2017 Fishing Update

Friday, August 4th, 2017

OK, yeah… I’ve been slacking. I know I’m overdue for a fishing update, so – bait was slow arriving, not showing up until late spring. Drum and redfish have moved on, and snapper have moved in. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

Fishing the Bayronto – April 2017

Sunday, April 9th, 2017

After a VERY long hiatus, I finally got offshore on Running with Scissors, a 10 meter Trojan, with Harris, Capt. Dick and the crew. Conditions could not have been more perfect, with calm seas, warm temps and a light breeze. We anchored, set up a chumline and immediately started catching yellowtail snapper. It wasn’t long before the ‘critically endangered’ amberjacks and goliath grouper joined the party. When we had a snapper hooked, the real battle was getting it past the barracuda, AJ’s and hungry goliaths. All in all, a great trip, and we’re already making plans for the next one- a full moon overnighter.

Spring 2017 Fishing in Pass-A-Grille Florida

Thursday, March 23rd, 2017

Fishing this spring has been hit and miss. There really haven’t been any spectacular days, and some days I’ve left the Pier empty handed. But we have seen a variety of catches, including snook, black drum, short grouper, jacks, and even a couple flounder. Best bet has been sheepshead – lots of them around this year, mostly on the smaller side.

Winter and the Fishing has Slowed

Monday, February 13th, 2017

We’ve reached the slowest time of the year for Pass-A-Grille fishing, as the bait has left, the water temps are in the low 60’s, and cold fronts blow through weekly. Still, there are some fish to be caught.

2017 St. Pete Beach Fishing

Thursday, January 5th, 2017

Sorry for the long delay. Here’s what’s been happening since my last post:

Red Tide Returns to Pass-A-Grille

Tuesday, October 11th, 2016

The last few weeks have been boom-or-bust for Pass-A-Grille fishing, as a red tide outbreak has visited the area sporadically. There’s still plenty of bait around, with Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish hammering the schools. The snapper bite is trailing off, but a few larger snapper still lurk by the pilings. Snook have been scarce, as have been redfish and drum. The flounder bite is starting to pick up, a good indication that it could be a banner Fall.

Meanwhile, red tide has bloomed to the south, with some reports of medium concentrations in South Pinellas County. There have been a lot of dead fish visible at high tide, and the smell of red tide is evident on some days. With a steady North wind forecast over the next week, the dead fish and red tide should clear out soon.

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This is my friend Scott’s son, with an 8 foot sturgeon – an amazing catch, but NOT caught in Florida:

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Crazy Redfish Bite in Pass-A-Grille!

Monday, September 12th, 2016

Sunday I fished at Merry Pier with Juan, Mike and Joe. Between us, we caught and released nearly 50 redfish over a 2 hours period! The school was mostly smaller fish, ranging from about 14″ to 24″. The bite was so crazy, Joe was even catching them on his newly-fashioned cane pole. Shrimp, Jennys, greeenbacks – they bit everything. There were even some flounder, black drum and snapper mixed in. We did keep our limit of redfish – one per person per day. While catching the occasional redfish at Merry Pier is not unusual, I’ve never seen action like this. What an awesome day!

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August Summertime Fishing in Pass-A-Grille

Monday, August 22nd, 2016

The dog days of summer are upon us – and the fishing is great! Hanging out at Merry Pier with Juan, Mike, Roger, Kiven, Joe, Dick, Carter and the rest of the locals, we’ve been hauling in snapper – lots of snapper! Some big ‘uns, too. Along with grouper, snook, flounder, sharks, macks and more. See for yourself:

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Catching Up – June 2016 Fishing in St. Pete Beach

Wednesday, June 15th, 2016

Been travelling – just got back from AZ, so no report. But, I do have a few recent photos to add:

cobiaIMG_0434 drum0514160935 drumimagejpeg950 fishIMG950427 grouperIMG_0404 grouperIMG_0413 mack0515161038 sheep0515160935 sheep0521161104 snapper0514160911 snapper0515161055 snapper0522161104 snook0530160954 snookIMAG0250 tripletaailIMG_0415 troutIMG950409

Fishing is Picking Up in Pass-A-Grille

Monday, May 9th, 2016

Spent the last few weekends fishing at Merry Pier in Pass-A-Grille. Plenty of glass minnows, but the whitebait and greenbacks have yet to make an appearance. As always, wind, tides and water clarity are big factors in how strong the bite is. Overall, it has not been spectacular, but the variety has been amazing, including gag and red grouper, snook, sheepshead, redfish, mangrove snapper, black drum, flounder, Spanish mackerel, lane snapper and more. Each week should continue to improve. A few recent catches:

drumimagejpeg_0 drumIMG950548 fillets16040995005 flounder0416160854 flounderIMG_0367 grouper0501160942 grouperIMG_0379 redfish0507160942 redgrouper0424160940 snapper0424161137 snookimagejpeg_0