Red snapper charters, Tampa red snapper charters, Clearwater deep sea fishing,
Red snapper, amberjack, permit and other common fish of the Tarpon Springs area
The estuarine waters of the Tampa Bay-Clearwater-Tarpon Springs area are teeming with life. On just about any given day there are at least a dozen gamefish that can be targeted or may be caught incidentally during a days fishing, depending upon the anglers preferences and the seasonal situation. The possible combinations are endless. Here’s a few common scenarios to give you an idea of just what to expect and some of the species you are likely to encounter while spending a day on the water with us during a given season:
A typical Tarpon Springs WINTER FLATS FISHING trip: (December-January-February)
Depending on the conditions we’ll probably start out by casting artificials such as jerkbaits or jigs for the big speckled trout that move into the shallow grass flats during the cooler months. While casting these lures you almost always catch lots of high jumping ladyfish in the 1 to 3 pound class. They are a close relative of the tarpon and put a a great fight. (They are blast on fly-fishing tackle.) A few trout later you may tie into a big redfish or maybe a half dozen. Our reds typically run in the 5 to 12 pound range but there are plenty of exeptions one either end of that range. When we are moving from one spot to another it is common to spot schools of bluefish or big jack cravelle. Out come the topwater plugs and a wild feeding frenzy and fierce drag ripping battles commence. THAT is a lot of fun. When we find the blues and jacks they are usually in such large schools that some people actually get tired of catching them and start to inquire about moving on to the chase the reds for the dinner table. (some prefer plugging the 12 pound jacks and leaping bluefish all day which is OK too) When specifically targeting redfish, or red drum (depending upon where you are from) we moving up closer to the mangroves we may cast shrimp or gold spoons along the tree line in pursuit of the big redfish that lurk there. This can produce good quantities of redfish these tasty fish which inspired the blackend fish craze in New Orleans restaurants. If the winds come up we may head into a calm river or residential canal and fish live shrimp under the docks. This not only produces redfish but a mixed bag of sheepshead, black drum, snook, flounder, ladyfish, speckled trout, small groupers, and even an occasional small tarpon. Small meaning 15 to 30 pounds.
When its get’s real cold, a whole new fishing scenario opens up. The Tarpon Springs power-plant is right here and produces warm water that attracts a huge variety of fish when the surrounding waters get chilly. Common daily catches here include combinations of pompano, permit, cobia, mackerel, snook, trout, silver trout, big jack cravelle, bluefish, more ladyfish, small tarpon, sheepshead, drum, redfish, and even goliath grouper. Generally speaking extra-cold weather (below 50 degrees) puts the whammy on Florida shallow water action. Howver, our power plant fishery helps insure that we have quality light tackle fishing available no matter how cold the surrounding waters get. Not many other areas in West Florida have that cold water fishing action insurance policy.
WINTER OFFSHORE FISHING: The colder months here are simply outstanding for grouper, amberjack, and snapper. Each morning we pull pre-set live bait traps and turn our 31 foot Yellowfin Boat toward open water. We usually dont slow the twin 250 Yamahas down until we are 25 to 30 miles out. To warm up that crew we often pull up over one the big wrecks and drift live baits or Butterfly Jigs thru the giant schools of amberjack which are almost always there. These fish average 25 pounds and 30 to 70 pounders are very common. Best of all-they bite good and there are tons of them. It is not unusual to have a hundred or more come up and mill around the boat on the surface, blasting any bait or lure that moves. There are so many that most of the anglers dont dare put another bait in the water after an hour or so of amberjack cardio.
We then shift gears to target the grouper. We usually find them on natural rock formations where we anchor and bottom fish with heavy gear. They fight they give you is simply incredible as they run for the rocks with all they can give you. We'll then move from spot to spot picking the biggest red and gag grouper we can find to fill our limit. WHen we are outside 25 miles we ALWAYS catch big beautiful red snapper. Sometimes 15 plus pounders. The season to keep them however is only open for 2 months in the summer. TIme after time we have to pick up and move because the red snapper eat every single line you put down. Needless to say we disagree with the govts asssessment of the red snapper population but thats a whole nother story...
We also catch mangrove snapper, which you can keep, and out there they run 3 to 8 pounds. We also catch scamp, kingfish, bonito, black sea bass, big flounder, and the occasional big shark. The weather in the winter can be a big factor-we get blown out regularly. Fortunately we still have the inshore boat which gives us the option of switching plans if its windy offshore to a day of fishing protected waters in the bays, creeks, and rivers. We can make that decision on very short notice, such as late the night before, to insure that you get your fishing in.
A typical SPRING OR FALL Tarpon Springs fishing trip: (March-April-October-November)
Spring and fall are transition periods here in the Tampa Bay-Clearwater-Tarpon Springs area. It is now that the migratory patterns of many fish and immense shoals of baitfish converge and overlap in our local waters. These migrating minnows and the nomadic fish that pursue them greatly increases the number of gamefish species which are likely to end up on your hook. In short, these are best times of the year for overall light tackle fishing. There are so many options that we will usually consult with you prior to the trip so see what you think sounds like the most fun and choose to target them first.
A TYPICAL SPRING OR FALL INSHORE FLATS FISHING CHARTER:
We start our days by loading up the baitwell with 500 to 1000 scaled sardines-the magic bait in the is area. Then we may work the mangroves and backwater oyster bars for the Grand Slam; which here consists of a snook, trout, and redfish in the same day. Landing all three is considered a great accomplishment for many flats fishermen and we pull it off more often than not. In fact, we sometimes catch all three at a single stop. Casting live bait also produces hard fighting jacks, lots of jacks…sometimes too many jacks. Flounder, snapper, and small tarpon are also common. Moving from spot to spot it is very common, especially in the spring, to find cobia cruising the flats or see a tasty tripletail hanging around a floating buoy. Sharks up to 100 pounds are fairly easy to catch if that’s your thing and if you want to do battle with a ten footer we can arrange that too. In the spring and fall we also have practically unlimited Spanish mackerel action. They run from 2 to 5 or 6 pounds are and a lot of fun to catch. Sight casting to frenzied pods on the surface is the norm early in the day. When the sun gets high in the sky they settle down below the surface. Permit and pompano run the beaches as do the early and late season snook.
SPRING AND FALL OFFSHORE FISHING TRIPS: Just like the flats-spring and fall are the best time of the year simply because of the addition of all the migratory species to our already great offshore fishery. This is prime season to fish for migrating king mackerel aka kingfish. These can run anywhere from 14 pounds to 45 pounds or more. We target them many ways depending upon the situation. Sometimes live-chumming with sardines and using light spinning gear, sometimes slow trolling 2 pound live baits to target tournament winners. The kingfish run here in the Tampa Bay and Saint Petersburg area has been famous for a century or more and it is as good now as ever.
Mixed in with the kingfish we also find, bonito, Spanish mackerel, sharks, barracuda, huge ocean run redfish (20 to 40 pounds) and even an occasional sailfish. As always, we fish the lightest tackle for the most sport. Gag grouper fishing gets really good at this time as well. The gag grouper move in closer to shore to feed when the temperatures are moderate. This is a fishery you just have to see to believe.We are known as one of the top boats for grouper fishing on the West Coast and we'll show you why.
Out on the big wrecks (and some small secret ones) we also catch big permit. Not may guides in the Tampa Bay-Clearwater-Saint Petersburg area target them but we do and when its working the action can be fantastic for these prized gamefish. These wrecks also produce hard fighting amberjack, goliath grouper, blackfin tuna, gag grouper, red grouper, and excellent mangrove snapper fishing. We have recently really gotten into deep jig fishing, or "butterfly jigging" over the deep wrecks. Using highly specialized spinning gear, braided lines, and the latest in jigging lures we have been catching incredible amounts of big fish. The big amberjacks go completely insane for them and the grouper, and snapper grab them if they make it thru the AJs' and get close to the bottom. I highly reccomend this offshore fishing if you have a strong back. It is really a ton of fun.
A typical late summer trip out of Tarpon Springs: RED SNAPPER!
May and June are strictly tarpon fishing months for us. We catch a few other fish along the way but due to huge demand, and to be completely dialed in for tarpon fishing we only run tarpon trips in May and June.
JULY OFFSHORE- RED SNAPPER INSANITY!
As you may have already read, the red snapper population here has exploded to levels never seen even by the oldest oldtimers. There are thousands and thousands of red snapper in the deeper waters of Clearwater and Tarpon Springs area. For the rest of the year we have to release all of them but in July (and June) the season is open! We limit out on big red snapper on almost every trip in July and we also put a lot of nice grouper and amberjack in the box as well. Few other trips will provide you with such a nice batch of great eating fish. This is by far the best fishing to be had in West Florida in the month of July and one a really enjoy running. Check out our "Charters" page for more information on the special limited season red snapper trips
If you would like to join us on a Gamefishing experience please drop us an email or give us a Call at (727) 944-FISH (3474) today to book your guided Gamefishing trip.
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