07-01-2001, 08:55 PM
Tampa Bay Area <br>Fishing Report<br>Captain Charles Walker<br><br>7/1/01<br>We are definitely into our summer weather pattern now; beautiful mornings and stormy afternoons. Lots of fish are out there waiting to be caught in deeper water. Grouper, mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, and even some small kingfish. Inshore on the reefs are plenty of hard fighting barracuda and a few sharks and closer in on the beach are plenty of tarpon.<br>On to the bait house reports:<br>Ruskin Bait and Tackle - 813-641-2325 Fishing ain’t bad this week. Everything is biting well. Snook are being caught and released. Spanish mackerel are so thick they run into the side of the boat. There are so many of them you have to chum them up on one side of the boat so you can get your bait into the water on the other side. Cobia are still biting well in our area of the Bay. Sharks are showing up all over this end of the Bay and there are plenty of reds down here. Come on down and go fishing!<br>Buddy’s Bait and Tackle on the Courteney Campbell Causeway in Tampa - 813-287-1026 – Some trout, reds, and whiting are being caught at the big bridge on live shrimp. Cobia and snook are biting pinfish and shrimp at the floodgates. All the fishing has been in the morning hours since our afternoon storms are lasting into the night .<br>Bonnie’s Bait and Tackle in Clearwater - 727-446-2772- Lots of sharks are up and down the beach biting on cut bait. There are still tarpon being caught at night on the upper Bay bridges. Grouper are being caught out about 20 to 25 miles and lots of small dolphins have been coming in as well. Reds have been biting really well in the ICW on pinfish. Pompano are biting inside Tampa Bay now around the upper Bay bridges. Some really nice trout have been coming in from Bellair. Lots of big bull reds are being caught on the beach around the artificials on Indian Rocks.<br>Trappman’s Bait and Tackle on Gandy Blvd in St. Petersburg - 727-579-1414 – Pompano and Spanish mackerel are biting well around the bridge. Mangrove snapper are biting small shrimp around the pilings. Black drum up to 40 pounds are being caught and released around the bridge pilings. The 4th St. Bridge is producing lots of reds and trout. The rains really seem to be turning on the fish finally.<br>Dogfish Tackle on Redington Beach - 727-392-6644- Lots of tarpon and Spanish mackerel have been caught off the pier this week. Flounder are biting well, a few pompano have been caught, and reds are showing up off the beach.<br>Don’s Dock on Madeira Beach - 727-391-3223- Lots of red grouper have been coming in from 80 to 100 feet of water. Plenty of tarpon are being caught on the beach. Mangrove snapper and snook are in the pass now.<br>Pass-a-Grille Bait and Tackle on St. Pete Beach - 727-360-6606- Our offshore boats are bringing in good catches of grouper and mangrove snapper. Spanish mackerel are being caught off our gas docks. Lots of mangrove snapper and grouper are being caught off our dock as well. We are seeing a lot of snook along the seawalls in the morning. <br>The Skyway Fishing Pier - 727-865-0668 and the south Skyway - 941-729-0117- Lots of big jacks, mangrove snapper, a tripletail, pompano, Spanish mackerel, sharks, and a few grouper have all been caught this week. the fishing has been really good and the afternoon rains have been cooling things down nicely.<br><br>Folks, feel free to call any of the places in my report for more information, and be sure to tell them that you read about the fishing in their area in Capt. Charlie’s fishing report on the Internet.<br><br>If you want more information about fishing in the Tampa Bay area or wish to book a charter, simply e-mail me at captchas@flfish.com or if you wish to arrange a charter faster, call me at 727-546-7257. Be sure and visit my web site for lots more Tampa Bay Area fishing info at: http://www.floridasaltwater.com .<br><br>Good fishing and tight lines,<br>Capt. Charlie<br>http://www.flfish.com/fl<br><br><br><br>Capt. Charlie Walker<br>http://www.flfish.com