July Tampa Bay Fishing

July marks the beginning of our three month heat stretch here in the West Central Florida region. Calm muggy mornings, mid day heat hot enough to fry bacon, followed by afternoon and evening thunderstorms all may seem pretty disappointing. One thing that out weights all of that is the fact the inshore fishing here in Tampa Bay is just as sizzling hot.

There are many different fishing opportunities at various times of the day or night, making it easier to work around the weather. Bait is very easy to come by and if not a stop at a local bait shop for your basic essentials is all that’s needed to bend a rod. There are a lot of toothy critters swimming around the bay right now so having some heavier leader material or wire on board will greatly increase your rate of success.

Many anglers and boaters here in the Upper Bay may look to seek shelter from time to time from the elements above. One of the first choices would be near or under one of the three major bridge spans that cross the bay. Some people may decide to take advantage of the fantastic fishing opportunities right under their feet. What ever the reason, all should be able to enjoy these structures with plenty of places to tie up or anchor without being disturbed.

The same common courtesy should be used towards others as any other fishing location around the bay. Try not to run right down the bridge to close to the structure since many boats may be tied up or anchored and hard to see until you’re right up on them. Staying out from the bridge a little ways is always wise while running from point A to point B.

Shark

If you’re out looking to pull on something with an attitude, now is the time to do so with all of the sharks that have infiltrated the bay. There are several different species in town right now, Bonnet heads, Bulls, Black tips, Hammers, Sharp nose and few other odds and ends. All can be targeted using different methods at various times and locations.

If you’re new to this game start out with the smaller Bonnet Heads and Black tips that can be caught on just about any flat with current. Hang a chum block over the side toss out a few freshly cut baits or watch and wait for them to come in. The same thing will work on the bigger ones with a little tackle and rigging up grade.

Tarpon

July is the month when many of the Tarpon that went off to spawn in the gulf will be returning to the comforts of the Upper Bay. These fish can be found hanging out over artificial reefs, under and around the bridges, or laid up in a deep mud hole in some far corner of the bay. No matter where you’ll find them at some point or another they will be ready and willing to chew.

Motor noise will put the fish down for sure, so drifting aided by a trolling motor or anchoring up tide is the best way to approach these fish. There will be other fish that will hang out and follow the poons, so depending on your bait choices, you may encounter some unexpected guest. The fish can be caught using live bait, fresh cut mullet or lady fish and artificials.

Redfish

Now is a great time to take advantage of the really high tides we get during the major moon phases. When the water rises large schools of mullet and other fish will push up very close to shore where there are many types of structures and reds are at the top of the list. The fish will be mixed in or right under the mullet schools if their on top.

Fishing a live of cut bait in the middle of the commotion will surly result in a hook up if the reds are there. Trout and Snook can also be found in the same areas as the Redfish so getting that inshore slam in a good possibility.

Best of the rest

Whatever the method to your fishing madness is it’s all going on right now. For those looking for something to throw on the ice for dinner, the Trout and Snapper bite is really good right now. Trout are hanging on the deeper edges of the flats very close to the schools of bait. The Snapper are all over just about any rock pile or bridge structure now.

We are still catching Cobia but more as a bi catch while targeting other species which just shows that they’re still hanging around in decent numbers. So the old Cobia rule of thumb of having a rig ready for one at all times still applies.