The action has been good this month as the water temperatures heat up. It’s not likely you’ll find redfish, trout or snook in skinny water, except early in the morning. Instead, they are probably suspended in deeper water at different levels depending on the thermoclines. If you find them shallow, you’ll see them heading into the mangroves’ shade line. Check around passes separating the mangrove islands. Artificial lures in the early morning work well this time of year. MirrOlure’s Top Dog series or the MirrOmullet Surface Walker are two of my favorites. The best colors are white, silver with black, green with white and red-head and white.
Mackerel fishing in Tampa Bay is semi-strong. There are some big drag screamers chasing schools of threadfins. These are some exciting fish to catch on light tackle, with the larger ones averaging from 3 to 5 pounds. Try to find the hard bottom, and you’ll usually find vast schools of threadfins. Hang a couple of bags of chum over the side. Use greenbacks or threadfins with small wire leaders and long shank hooks. I use 50-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and Daiichi long shank hooks.
You can find mangrove snapper on every rock pile, marker, structure and bridge pilings around Tampa Bay. A light line and a smaller hook should produce a nice meal. They’re partial to the new hatch of greenbacks or threadfins, but always take shrimp.
Cobia can be found around markers and deep-water channel marker buoys, especially those holding bait. Occasionally, some are cruising the grass flats following giant rays or manatees. When you fish markers, keep a chum bag over the side. If fish are in the area, this should attract them. Toss them a pinfish, greenback or threadfin and hold on.