More great redfish action around Tampa Bay during the day and in the passes at night this past week. We had some really active redfish schools feeding along the mangrove shore lines on live shrimp or live pinfish during the day. During the day they are found in large schools around the flats and mangrove shore lines and the lighter tackle is key. I would recommend using 15-20lb floro leader and small 3ot circle hook with lighter spinning reel and 15lb braided line with a 4-5ft leader tied on with a line to line knot. Remember, these schools are very spooky meaning you have to let the fish come to you because if you chase them or motor into them they will spread out and not want to feed for you! At night, we are seeing them inside the pass while anglers are snook fishing with live shrimp or pinfish we are catching them even with heavier tackle around the docks and bridges. Redfish seem to bite better around the bottom and in the pass and on the grass flats they are feeding best on the outgoing tide this past week.
The snook are feeding well yet again this past week in the passes at night. The live pigfish in the 4-6inch range, large live shrimp or small to medium pass crabs are the best live bait options for the snook. If you are using artificial lures the flairhawk style jigs, DOA shrimp or the hard crankbaits like a Rapala Xrap or bomber lipped plugs work best. The DOA shrimp are best at the very end or start of the tides, once the water really starts going those lighter lures are tough to work realistically through the current. While the hard crank baits and the flairhawks are much easier to work anytime during the tides. The snook bite has been very good this past week feeding on both the incoming and outgoing but we notice the outgoing tide when the bait is flushing they seem to hit the live bait best.
Plenty of mangrove snapper around the bridges, piers and jetties right now feeding on the whitebait and pieces of shrimp. Lighter tackle is key as they are very smart leader shy fish and the lightest weights possible at the very start of the outgoing tide is what we find works best to target these mangrove snapper.
Tarpon are still around the passes and beaches right now we are finding large schools of them at night around the bridge lights and during the day they cruise the beaches in smaller groups finding some live bait to feed on. When they are rolling they are not actively feeding but we have been finding them early morning in big schools working the flushing bait on the outgoing tides right in the light lines of the bridges.
