What’s biting in Tampa Bay? Expect good things this month; especially as the winds lighten up. The fishing will keep getting better and better. Looks like the best fishing days will be the first and third weeks of May. Make sure to check your tide charts for moving water.

Snook are everywhere and if the last two months are any indication they should continue to bite. Good tidal grass flats, passes or cuts from upper Tampa Bay all the way to Sarasota will prove productive. Live baiters remember to use caution when chumming with greenbacks too much and they get full. When you fill them up, they stop eating. Free lined greenbacks always seem to do the trick along with dead bait on the bottom. And of course artificial lures are always fun for the true fishing enthusiast.

Ross and Bea Wilson have fished with me for over 14 years and this year we managed to get a trip in before they had to return home early. Ross was able to get a few snook in and as usual Bea topped things off with her usual quota of nice fish. She’s quite the angler. These folks have have become great friends over the years and Ross makes some of the best deer jerky you’ll ever eat. Don’t worry Bea, I’ll keep a few pinned up for you and Ross next year.

Spotted Sea Trout & Southern Flounder should continue improving especially as bait moves onto the flats. Look for lush broken bottom grass flats with plenty of sandy potholes. These potholes should produce some good size fish using small popping corks or free-lined. Live shrimp or greenbacks seem to be the bait of choice. We’ve also been finding some really nice trout in deeper rocky bottom water.  If you target them Tampa Bay has some really big flounder in the 20 to 25 inch range, you’ve just got to look and fish for them.

Redfish should start settling in for the summer. Check your favorite oyster bars, cuts and broken bottom grass flats on the last of an outgoing tide and the first of an incoming. Don’t forget those large schools of mullet as redfish feed in mullet schools.  Greenbacks and silver dollar size pinfish work well as cut bait on the bottom. And of course artificial lures are always fun for the fishing enthusiast one of my favorite lures is the soft plastic jerkbait around the mangroves and mullet schools.

Cobia should start cursing the sandy flats and markers looking for easy meals and they will eat just about anything tossed their way. I see them a lot of times while mackerel fishing when using a chum bag, so be ready with a heavier rod rigged.

Threadfin Herring throughout Tampa Bay means Spanish mackerel and they should be in full swing this month. Good catches already reported some ranging in the 4 to 6 lbs category. Chum them up with some live threadfins or greenbacks, free-line with at least 50# leader and a long shank silver 2/0 hook and hold on.

“Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing” – 813-477-3814 Captain Woody Gore is the area’s top outdoor fishing guide. Guiding and fishing the west central Florida areas for over fifty years; he offers world class fishing adventures and a lifetime of memories.

Multi-boat Group Charters With years of organizational experience and access to the areas most experienced captains, Captain Woody can arrange and coordinate any outing or tournament. Just tell him what you need and it’s done.  : WWW.CAPTAINWOODYGORE.COM, Email: wgore@ix.netcom.com or give him a call at 813-477-3814.