September Fishing Report – Tampa Bay Area

Snook season opens and as usual the action should be excellent. You’ll find plenty of big fish around bridges and passes especially at night with free-lined baits like pinfish, greenbacks and jumbo shrimp. Fishing the flats around broken bottom potholes and mangroves will be good. For some exhilarating experiences try tossing a good topwater walk-the-dog topwater lure. MirrOlure, High Roller, and Thunder Shad are excellent choices. If you’re not into artificial lures greenbacks always do the trick. However, this usually requires some experience throwing a net and a good circulating livewell. Early morning beach fishing is also productive, you’ll find plenty of fish chasing bait in the surf; try a shallow diving lure.

If you’re looking for some late summer fun particularly for the youngsters, take them snapper fishing. Not only are these fish fun to catch but they are great eating. Small free-lined greenbacks or pieces of fresh shrimp around markers, bridges or rock piles will usually result in a limit of fish. If the tides a little strong add enough split shot to keep the bait down 3-6 feet. Don’t forget a chum bag. Here’s a tip: Put them on ice immediately, this make them much easier to clean. It gels the fat in their stomach keeping it from sticking to your knife.

Tampa Bay is still be loaded with plenty of threadfins and the mackerel and bluefish will be all over them. Mac’s and Blue’s are excellent targets this month. If you’re looking for awesome, light tackle action this is it. Threadfins are everywhere but look around marker cans, range markers or shallow reefs. Anchor up current, toss out a few baits for chum and throw to the striking fish.

Redfish action will be steady with schooling fish moving around the area. Approach schooling fish carefully you don’t want to split them into several groups because it’s often difficult to group them back up. Always pole or slow troll to within casting distance, Power-Pole down and present a low profile by getting off the bow. Try to pick off fish at the outer edges; and never cast into the middle of the school. Reds eat shrimp, greenbacks, and pinfish. If they’re not looking for live bait cut bait might work.

Trout fishing is always productive around lush grass flats. It takes moving water to get them eating but when they start… its fish-on. Popping corks with artificial plastic tails or live shrimp will produce. If you’re watching a cork and it’s bobbing up and down that usually a pinfish eating your bait; trout snatch it under and keep it down.