Tampa & Pass-A-Grille Fishing Guide

OK, so normally I’d be writing about fishing. This is www.tampafishing.net, after all.  But, with yet another cold front pushing through, I didn’t even wet a line this weekend. So, instead I thought I’d give a shout out for the Murray State University basketball team. 22-3 so far, and looking very strong in most of their wins. Keep it up – March madness is just around the corner!

It’s been a tough winter for fishing. Seems every weekend heralds a new cold front. Blustery winds, cloudy water, rain, cold… and the fish stop biting. Even sheepshead fishing has been slow. Can’t wait for August….

So, Saturday was looking like the perfect day for an offshore grouper/ amberjack/ snapper trip. The forecast was sunny skies, mid- 70’s, and winds 4-8 mph. The crew assembled at Dick’s house at 6:30 a.m., and we started loading the rods onto the boat. But there was one small problem. The winds were howling out of the Southeast at a solid 20-25 knots, with higher gusts. We checked the TV reports, and the weatherman was calling for light winds- the graphic on the screen said 2 mph. Yet a glance out the window showed whitecaps forming in Boca Ciega Bay.

We made the only reasonable call, and after a few hours gave up on our plan to head 40 miles offshore. Good thing, too. The wind never really laid down all day.

Tim and I opted to buy a few dozen fiddler crabs, and we bagged a few sheepshead (including one that was a brute).  Not the same as fighting 50 pound amberjack, though…

On Sunday, we spent a couple hours on Merry Pier… without a bite. Lots of dead floaters from the recent freeze, though, including some huge snook. What a shame. Later, we had a football party highlighted by grouper, sheepshead, NY strips, Portuguese sausage, bar-b-q shrimp, marinated shrimp, sweet & sour meatballs, fresh salad, and a few cocktails…

Seems like a new cold front has blown in every weekend for the last few weeks, making for very difficult fishing conditions. The forecast for next weekend doesn’t look any better, either. Blustery North winds, temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s and stirred up water make for dismal fishing.

I’ve still managed to get out a few times, but it’s been VERY slow. A grouper here, a sheepshead there. That’s about it. With the recent drops in water temps, though, the sheepshead should be moving inshore now. There have been a few decent ones around, like this one caught on Merry Pier last Saturday:

Some people have been doing well this month- just not me. Seems that the only times I have available to fish, a new front has just blown through, dropping water temperatures, water visibility and resulting in less than idea conditions (i.e. 30 Kt North wind and temps in the low 50’s). But… Mike (from Michigan) was at the Merry Pier a couple weeks ago when the bonita came through, a real treat to catch off a pier:

Also, Tim (from Tampa) joined Matt and a few others yesterday to slay some grouper and hogfish:

I’ll be fishing this weekend- wish me luck. And Merry Christmas!

November was punctuated by a couple of weekend cold spells that led to slow fishing. Oh, there were fish- it was just a lot of work to catch them, and the November winds made conditions less than ideal.

The last few weeks yielded flounder, a few late season snapper, undersized snook, macks, short grouper and even a nice bluefish:

Just to change things up a bit, I headed out on Miss Pass-A-Grille over Thanksgiving weekend. Since it was only a half day trip, the catch was less than spectacular. Still, there are some pretty decent grouper making the move into the shallower coastal waters:

Flounder have been a target, as bait continues to school at Blind Pass and the piers in Pass-A-Grille. And, as usual, Mike (from Michigan) is the flounder king:

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.

Another glorious Fall weekend of fishing in South St. Pete Beach. The Merry Pier in Pass-A-Grill drew the usual collection of dedicated fisherman, including Cap’t. Dick, Tim from Tampa, JoeMama, Mike from Michigan, Dave & other regulars. The fishing was slow but steady, with tides peaking before sunrise, and a strong outgoing tide all morning. Keeping weeds off our lines was a problem Saturday.

The fish were fairly cooperative, though.  Mike landed a keeper flounder and a slot snook. There were macks, legal snapper, short red and gag grouper, etc.  But the highlight of the weekend was when Leon caught a hog snapper- yes, a real, 100% hogfish, caught inshore at the Merry Pier. Hogfish are an offshore species, and difficult to catch on hook and line. They are a favored target for spearfisherman. I have never seen nor heard of one caught inshore, but Leon’s was DEFINATLY a hog snapper. Just goes to show… you never know what you might catch in the waters of Tampa Bay!

Tim recently made a spearfishing trip to the middle grounds, home to big grouper. Here’s evidence:

Fall fishing is in full swing. The water temps are starting top drop, days are getting shorter, and the fish are active and on the move.

I managed to spend a few hours both Saturday and Sunday fishing in St. Pete Beach. There were some huge greenbacks schooling around the Merry Pier. Using frozen sardines, I finally nailed a nice grouper at sunrise Saturday, just at the start of the incoming tide. 26″, and tasty! There were cobia, sharks, macks, mangos and flounder caught, although overall the fishing was pretty slow. Sunday Tim ventured down from Tampa. The highlight was a 15 pound stingray that created a few minutes worth of excitement.