May Tampa Bay Fishing

Finally we have reached the time of year were fishing goes from good to great. Fishing was fairly decent this past month but windy conditions made it tough to stay on top of anything for any length of time. On top of that we are in the middle of the transition time for most of our inshore species which are constantly on the move, not staying put long enough to get dialed in on their patterns.

Now that we are in the month of May we should start to see more summer like weather conditions which will allow us to spend more time on the water instead of the sofa watching the trees blow. On that note, bait has moved up on to the flats and has been coming in to the chum like clock work. At this point it may take a little extra time to load up with enough to fish with but that will change as we head later into the month and bait becomes more plentiful.

Tarpon

The silver kings are here. While most of the focus will be on the Skyway Bridge, Egmont Key and the beaches, there will be a good number of poons hanging out here in the Upper Bay. One of the best methods to catch an Upper Bay poon is at night around the bridges. The fish have been hanging around the bridges for the past month or so and recent trips have produced fish in the 100lb class.

Pitching live bait on heavy tackle is the best way to win a battle with one of these bridge bullies. Lighter tackle may be fine with some of the smaller fish, but if you do happen to get in to it with a big one it will result in a very long fight that will cause a lot of stress on the fish. 50 lb tackle is your best option to target Tarpon under the bridges.

When fishing the bridges at night, always approach the spots you want to fish from down tide, unless you’re anchored up tide and drifting baits back. Never run your boat on the up tide side of the bridge. This is where the fish will most likely be as well as other anglers trying for their shots at a poon. This also applies to cast netting for bait under the lights. There is plenty of bait under the lights on the down tide side of the bridge.

Snook

The season is now closed, and of course the bite is just about to really pick up. That’s all just fine because we will have some really good catch and release action over the next few months. If you’re new to the Snook fishing scene, then this is the best time to brush up on patterns and different techniques for catching these addicting fish.

Most of the Snook are settling into their summer spawning grounds and can be found between there and their feeding stations through out the summer months. All of the bridges are summer hot spots for catching trophy linesiders. The abundant bait source and swift currents make the areas near and around the bridges prime locations for Snook to feed and spawn.

Trout and Redfish

Just about every grass flat you go to will have Trout on them right now, especially flats with a good supply of bait on them. While just about any artificial lure will entice Trout to eat, fishing live bait under a float on areas where the grass meets the sand is a very effective way to bag a limit of specs as we head into the summer months.

Redfish will be hanging out along shorelines that have a heavy supply of Mullet schooled up on them. As the tide rises the fish will be feeding on top of and around oyster beds and swash channels close to shore. Look for areas that have a nice grassy bottom which will hold plenty of food for both the Reds and Mullet.

Best of the rest

For those looking for an easy target to bend a rod on, the Spanish Mackerel are here and chewing like mad around the bridges and range markers. They can be caught trolling spoons or anchoring up and chumming with a chum block and cut pieces of fresh sardines. Now is the perfect time to keep your Cobia rod rigged and ready since their here and can show up when you least expect it.