Tampa area fishing?

[Wild Bill]

So it sounds like I'm being dragged to Florida in October 21-28 for a family vacation. I told my wife I was going to look into a possible fishing charter for a day or half day.
Has anyone ever fished the Tampa area or have any info? I know nothing about the fishing opportunities down there let alone for that time of year. I have seen pics of quite a bit of die off from the red tide, would that be enough to deter you from paying a guide or charter?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I have visited Englewood (hour south of Tampa) a couple times. Booked a charter both trips but the captain canceled on us the last minute the second trip do to weather. That was earlier this year before the red tide. Sounds like a lot of fish died but I would still look into booking one. Florida fishing is a blast. Check out fishingbooker.com. Makes it super easy. Good luck and have fun!

 

[JShane]

there are several head boats that are in the Tampa area. Gag grouper season in the fall you would be doing some near shore gag fishing which can be really hot. Good charter would be able to put you on your limit of Gags then take you offshore looking for red grouper. Inshore in the fall you're looking at trout, reds, and snook. I'm not up to speed on tarpon fishing and how good or bad it is in the fall but I would give it a look if you decide to do inshore instead of near/offshore.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I am in Clearwater now on a family vacation. Just wrapped up a week of fishing from shore. I caught grey snapper, gag grouper, red drum, and flounder, besides less desirable fish.

I fished the surf and it was slow. There were 1-2 lb. reds around but not much else.

I tried a few grass flats but every place I checked the grass was killed off from the red tide. It’s a tough go for the signature species of trout, red drum and snook right now IMO, unless you have a boat. They are all release only too.

I only saw algae bloom today, and there are some dead fish in places. The air has been just fine. The biggest impact right now is the dead sea grass IMO. I saw manatees and/or dolphins almost every day; the locals said they just returned to some familiar haunts after being absent for a couple months.

I had the best luck at bridge pilings. I can tell you exactly where if you want to send me a PM. I saw lots of sheepshead around but I could not find a bait that would interest them. Some guys are catching huge gags right now with live pins under bridges. I hooked something big and it took out about 100 yards of line before I got snagged on the rocks and my line cut. I don’t know if the gags will still be around shore in late Oct though.

Fishing charters are running. They know where to go to avoid the worst red tide areas. Unless the red tide is very severe, it’s not too tough to “fish around it”, i.e. relocate a mile or two away to where it’s less impactful. There’s a new app that just came out with a red tide forecast updated every 3 hours. I have found it to be both useful and accurate.

New NOAA Tool Predicts Red Tide Impacts For Beachgoers Along Florida's West Coast

The map shows predicted red tide affects along Florida's west coast in three-hour increments, based on wind speed and direction.

wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu

If I were in your shoes I’d book a charter to go after reds, trout, and snook. Then I’d surf fish if the surf bite is good for hardtail and pomps. Lastly I’d hit up some bridges for mangos, sheepshead, and gags. If you have a kayak that also adds some versatility to where you can access, although you can also get by without it. Lastly, it’s important to know how to use the current wherever you go.

 

[Slm864]

I have been down several times and fished st. Pete/Clearwater offshore and also fished the Bay a couple times when the waters were rough. Sometimes I have been lucky enough to go a couple trips a year to fish.
You might get lucky and be there at an opportune time to catch some kingfish which is an absolute blast.

I’ve caught plenty of kings, grouper, snapper, hogfish, sheepshead and plenty of others. That’s the best part of fishing those waters is that you never know what your going to catch. Something always surprises you.



My wife was just there a month ago and fished and even with the bad red tide she was still able to catch some flounder, grunts, and sea bass.

You can get on fishingbooker and look for a charter that fits your price and style of fishing that your interested in or just fish from shore or the piers. It’s all good.

 

[JShane]

solid hogfish and smoker king in that picture.

 

[redwoood]

We were just in Venice FL and things seemed to be getting better.

But, if the fishing is slow head south an hour and pick up some shark teeth!

 

[chequamegon]

I've fished beaches south of there a few times. Time of year is huge! Usually we're there in Feb and pick up whiting, pompano, sheepshead, some other oddball fish and a few small sharks. Hardly any bait seen. One trip was in Oct and the bait was in. Reds and other aggressive fish like Spanish mackerel working inside the first sandbar. You'll have good luck in Oct on any beach if the red tide isn't too bad. Don't even really need surf rods if you're casting for those fish. Just watch for schools of bait.

 

[Wild Bill]

Thanks for all the input from everyone. I am honestly going into this all pretty blind. I don’t know much about the fish in that area. I don’t particularly want to haul down any of my gear since I’m going to have one day to fish, so it sounds like my best bet is looking for a guide. If anyone has a specific business they’ve used or recommend I’d love to hear about it. Thanks again for all the input from everyone!

 

[Slm864]

Thanks for all the input from everyone. I am honestly going into this all pretty blind. I don’t know much about the fish in that area. I don’t particularly want to haul down any of my gear since I’m going to have one day to fish, so it sounds like my best bet is looking for a guide. If anyone has a specific business they’ve used or recommend I’d love to hear about it. Thanks again for all the input from everyone!

PM sent

 

[Wild Bill]

Reviving this thread.
I ended up booking a trip out of Clearwater. Someone had mentioned to me that the red tide is picking up again in the area. I've been monitoring it and I am seeing a fair amount of medium-high cases in the Clearwater area.
My trip is coming up in a month and I am wondering if I need to be concerned that I'm going to be paying for a busted trip and might want to cancel?
I messaged the captain and he didn't seem too concerned about it. He has very few if any poor reviews on fishbooker so if I go off of that I'd assume he's a good dude that knows what he is doing, but I figured I'd throw it on here.
Bare in mind this is my first time down there, so I am a complete novice with this situation.

 

[Wild Bill]

Additional info, I'm looking at inshore fishing targeting reds, snook, and speckled trout.

 

[Slm864]

My wife fished during the really bad part of the red tide mid July and even though she caught fish, it was a less than stellar experience according to her. That also could have been due to warm water temps though.
I feel if you have a decent captain he will get you away from the red tide blooms and into some fish.

 

[NoWiser]

I've been down there during the red tides and it's day to day whether you can breathe good depending on the wind. Honestly, the red tide sucks. Fishing tanked, the smell of rotten flesh filled the air, and on certain days just breathing was a chore. Between red tide and the drift algae, the quality of the experience when we go to Ft Myers Beach lately has really gone downhill. But, the red tide can clear up in a hurry, so don't get too worried just yet. I wouldn't cancel your fishing trip, I'm sure a good guide will still get you on fish and give you a fun experience.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I would just go and enjoy yourself and don’t worry about it.

 

[JohnBud]

I would just go and enjoy yourself and don’t worry about it.

Yes, this. Go have fun!

 

[Wild Bill]

I definitely plan on fishing somewhere and enjoying myself, but my concern is that the specific area that this captain tends to fish is in the Clearwater area where this red tide is. If the red tide continues I suppose I will cancel with this captain and rebook with someone in a different area. I don't plan on going just to go. I know I won't have fun if I spend the entire time not catching any fish or only catching one or two. If I'm going to pay a couple hundred dollars I want to catch a fair amount of fish also. Thanks for the input from everyone.

 

[Gunner46]

Consider a head boat. The Miss Virginia is out of New Port Richey, just north of Tampa. Primarily a grouper and grunt boat, but Oct is the beginning of Kings. I was a regular when I lived in Tampa. If you go you'll see me with a 30# King on the photo glory board.

 

[Valgrego]

Any idea how the fishing is in December? I want to take my 10-year old nephew on his first fishing trip, so I'm looking for something like fresh water lakes or rivers. Thanks.