The Tampa Bay Times
Spring fishing patterns are definitely in effect in northern Pinellas County. Bait has become fairly easy to catch once again, showing up on the grass flats around the passes and under the nearby bridges prior to sunrise. Snook have definitely begun their migration from the backcountry to the beaches. They had stopped along many of the spoil islands in transition but now are continuing their track westward. They are beginning to congregate around the troughs and swash channels along the beach especially near rocky structure such as the jetties or flat limestone along the beaches. The bigger snook are responding to pinfish, grunts and larger sardines. However, the smaller males are chasing the sardines, also called greenbacks, a lot more often. Trout have also begun to show up along the beaches. Often caught in the same areas the snook like to occupy. Frequently the large 20 inch plus trout will be caught there. Again, sardines are the best and most productive bait to use for the trout. With any fish that you aren’t going to keep, I strongly recommend using some type of de-hooking tool. In most cases the fish don’t ever have to be touched and can be released quickly. This always is better for their health and allows you to bait up and start fishing sooner. If you are going to take a picture, do it promptly and handle them as little as possible. There are a few Tarpon moving along the beaches, however they are not in the numbers they will be shortly. I expect the next 2 to 3 weeks to be better for locating the big silver kings.
- Captains Corner - March 23, 2024
- Brian Caudill - March 4, 2024
- Brian Caudill - December 5, 2023
