St. Pete Report By: Capt. Anthony Corcella

Finally, The Water Cools Off!

It’s that time of year when the water finally cools off and the trout bite is on fire. The sheepshead fishing is firing up. The redfish are biting very well, and some of the big snook are biting. As for the trout, like I always say, jig fishing is phenomenal right now. Get some monster 3X shrimp and, believe me, this is all you’ll need. You’ll catch anywhere from 20 to 60 trout in no time.

Deep water canals are holding fish, so give it 10 or 15 casts. If you don’t get a bite, move on to the next one. If you have side scan on your fish finder, you’ll be able to see them; then you’ll know they’re there.

To find the sheepshead, start hitting the reefs in the Bay. Try to find some good sea walls. That’s where we’ve been catching the most.

As far as the redfish bite, we have still been fishing the bushes. If you’re not fishing in them, you’re not catching redfish, especially, at Weedon Island. This is due to all the porpoises pushing them into the mangrove lines. That goes, as well, with the snook. Make sure you’re using at least 25-pound fluorocarbon leader and a 2/0 Mustad Demon Perfect hook. The best choice for both of the species have been cut pinfish –match the hatch.

When you get a cooler full of sheepshead, make sure you have a good fillet knife. We prefer the Relentless fillet knife. Relentless fillet knife blades are made of titanium. If you use those garbage steel blade knives, you should throw them away. Eventually, the blade chips and you’ll find metal particles in your fish. Scan the QR code and check out the last fillet knife you will ever buy.