Fishing the past few weeks has been phenomenal! As discussed in the last fishing report, the nearshore bite is still on fire. Keeper mangrove and lane snapper along with red and gag grouper are still being caught within 10 miles.
The inshore bite is starting to heat up. With fall approaching, you know what that means…large schools of redfish roaming the flats in search of food. We’ve been seeing several large schools already in the Gasparilla Sound area and boy are they hungry. Toss whatever you can find into the school and you’re sure to hook up…topwaters, spoons, popper corks, jigs…you name it. When those reds are hungry, it doesn’t matter. Finding these reds, on the other hand, can sometimes be tricky if you aren’t sure what to look for. To the untrained eye, the schools will appear to be mullet schools. However, the redfish will push a much larger wake and will show more disturbance in the water. When you find a school, take a couple of minutes to determine their direction of travel (if any). Get upwind and position your boat to drift towards them. Motoring toward/into them will only spook them and make your goal of catching one even harder.
There’s still plenty of snook and trout around as well. Stay close to the passes and you’ll find cleaner water and a lot of bait. Snook like moving water to feed so find those areas where there’s current. Present your bait/lure with the current so it appears natural to the fish. Snook are very smart! Get out early and throw a Zara Spook topwater (bone color) and get ready for some heart racing action. If you prefer live bait, net up some white bait and put one on a free line. I like to use a 5/0 circle hook…smaller if the bait is smaller. If you want a family fun day on the water, take the kids trout fishing. Find a grass flat 3-5ft deep and tie on a Bomber Saltwater Grade Paradise Popper with shrimp or white bait. Be sure to pop the cork every 15-20 seconds to make some commotion. Well folks, get out there and get your FIX on.
Florida Inshore Xtream charters
https://www.floridainshorextream.com
941-698-0323
