Saltwater fishing: Sheepshead still biting around all structure in Tampa Bay area

1. At Big Pier 60 in Clearwater, Spanish mackerel, silver trout and whiting have been caught every day this past week. Sheepshead are hugging the pilings close to the beach and some snook are also under the pier near the surf trough, reports Big Pier 60 Bait & Tackle (727-462-6466).

2. At Madeira Beach, good numbers of hogfish are biting at a depth of 40 to 70 feet. Mangrove snapper and the occasional lane are also biting. Gag grouper are still biting, but warmer weather has slowed them a little. A few kingfish where caught this week while trolling at a depth of 30 to 50 feet, reports Capt. Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard’s Marina (727-393-1947).

3. At John's Pass, some snook have been caught around the bridge at first light on soft plastics. There’s plenty of sheepshead in the pass around structure and the docks, along with a few redfish. Keeper size black drum have been caught around the docks inside the back bays. Pompano, flounder and whiting are biting from the jetty, reports Hubbard.

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What's Biting: Sheepshead

Sheepshead remain the most consistent catch around the Tampa Bay area. Bridges, docks and just about any structure are all holding good numbers.

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4. At Fort De Soto Park, there’s a lot of sheepshead around the marina and the area bridges. A few snook have moved back in with the warm weather the past few days. The flounder bite is picking up around the sandy areas. Redfish are mixed in with schools of mullet on the flats around Tarpon Key. Jackass Key is holding redfish and some snook. Conception Key and East Beach is good for speckled trout and redfish. A lot of bonnethead sharks are also on the flats. Both piers are producing sheepshead, pompano and whiting. Bunces Pass is producing pompano, jacks and whiting, reports Capt. Claude Hinson at Tierra Verde Bait and Tackle (727-864-2108).

5. Around the Sunshine Skyway and lower Tampa Bay, sheepshead fishing has really picked up throughout the bay area. Docks, structure and all the area bridges are holding fish. Fiddler crabs and shrimp rigged on a light split shot rig will get the bite. Spanish mackerel are still hanging around the bay. Look for large flocks of birds diving and the mackerel will be close by. Plenty of snook, redfish and speckled trout are roaming the flats around Terra Ceia and Miguel bays, reports Capt. John Gunter of Palmetto (863-838-5096). The gag grouper bite is excellent, while trolling and bottom fishing. Sheepshead are biting around the bridges, structure and the reefs in the bay, reports Capt. Shawn Crawford of Florida Sport Fishing Outfitters (941-705-3160).

6. At Anna Maria, sheepshead are biting around structure, the docks and the Manatee and Cortez bridges. Good numbers of snook, redfish and speckled trout are in the sound south of Manatee Avenue and around Longboat Pass, south to New Pass. Spanish mackerel are off the beaches of Anna Maria and Longboat Key, reports Crawford.

7. At St. Petersburg, sheepshead are on the “uptick.” They’re pretty much anywhere there’s structure. The Weedon Island area is still really good for redfish and snook. The passes around Fort De Soto, especially inside Bunces Pass, are producing good size speckled trout. Oyster bars around there are also holding redfish and sheepshead. Kingfish have been caught on hard bottom at a depth of 50 feet off Clearwater. Kingfish have also been caught in 70 feet of water at the end of the shipping channel at “The Peaks.” Gag grouper fishing is good along the shipping channel and the bay reefs. Schools of Spanish mackerel are inside the bay, reports Larry Mastry at Mastry’s Tackle (727-896-8889).

8. In the north end of Tampa Bay, sheepshead are moving in “thick” around the bridges, docks and any structure. A few pompano have been caught around the bridge. Whiting and silver trout are biting in the deeper channels. Tripletail are still biting on the markers and buoys in the bay. Speckled trout are biting on the deeper grass flats in 5 to 8 feet of water. A few flounder are also biting in the sandy areas. Redfish are good on the flats with oyster bars and along the mangroves. Snook are moving into the canals and creeks, reports Gandy Bait & Tackle (813-839-5551).

Elsewhere

• At Fort Pierce, the offshore bottom bite for mangrove snapper is excellent at a depth of 80 feet. There’s also cobia, triggerfish and black sea bass at that depth. Lane snapper are closer in at 50 feet. On the troll there’s kingfish at 50 to 80 feet, along with mahi and wahoo at 80 to 120 feet. At the inlet, the surf is good for whiting and pompano. Some mackerel and flounder are biting from the jetty, including a 24-inch “flattie” this week. Sheepshead, black drum and a few mutton snapper have been caught inside the inlet and around the bridges, reports Clint Walker at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie (772-465-7637).

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Saltwater: Sheepshead still biting well around any structure in the bay