July Tampa Bay Inshore Charter Fishing Report
July has been a hot month for sure. I've been out a few times this month but not a whole lot due to the extreme heat. When I have been out I've done very well with the Mangrove Snapper; I'm catcing them on both small white bait and shrimp. I'm finding the Snapper in depths of 5 to 25 ft and even deeper near the channel.
Spanish Mackerel are thick in the bay as are Jacks; just look for bird activity and you'll find Spanish or Jacks around.
Snook fishing is good, but you need to find clean, moving water to get the good bite. They will eat live bait, but I've had better luck on cut threadfin.
Redfish are around, but you need find a little deeper water in my experience. I like fishing docks this time of year for redfish, and again, moving water is a must, both incoming and outgoing tides are producing quality catches.
With this extreme heat, the best bite has been from daylight to around 1pm, or from 5 to 9pm. As long as you have pretty good tides, you'll have some luck.
August is going to pretty much be the same as July, but the Mangrove Snapper bite will get much better, and they are one of my favorite fish to eat.
Stay tuned for a new Tampa Bay Inshore Fishing Report around August 15th.
Tight Lines.
Captain John Rivers
River to Bay Fishing Charters