The mackerel and bluefish bite has been pretty good around the Skyway bridge. We have been using cut threadfins and live shrimp with a cork on a 3/0 hook while using 30lb fluorocarbon leader. The size range of the fish has been anywhere from 16 to 24 inches. We have also been using live pinfish in the 4 to 5-inch range, a heavier rod with a big cork and a 4/0 hook for cobia out of the back of the boat. 
A lot of the cobia have been seen coming in on the flats in the mid-morning hours. The cobia we have been catching have been anywhere from 30 to 60 pounds. Another strategy we have used is to anchor up on the edge of the grass flats by the channel. They are coming in looking for pinfish on the grass flats. If you’re into catching sharks, there’s lots of them biting on the cut threadfins as well. Kids on the boat have a blast fighting them on light tackle.
This time of year, we like to start fishing some of the docks around Coffee Pot and Snell Isle. They are producing black drum, redfish, sheepshead and snapper. The preferred tackle setup for this method is to use a 2/0 hook with a 15-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small split shot. I’ve been getting my hand-picked shrimp and fiddler crabs from Mitch’s Bait & Tackle, since he seems to have shrimp there all of the time!
Fishing the Skyway area for mangrove snapper in the evening has produced great results! For best results, find a nice rock pile and drop down a shrimp with a knocker rig. We like to use a 30-pound fluorocarbon leader and a 3/0 hook with a 2-ounce sinker. We have added a new boat to our fleet. A 2019 25-foot Chawk. You can ride in comfort traveling Tampa Bay.