Tampa Bay Fishing Charters

Posts Tagged ‘snook’

Tampa Bay Fishing Charters have been nothing less than exciting this past month! A large variety of species are being caught both day and night.

Our fall run of Spanish Mackerel have shown up in Tampa Bay.  Spanish Mackerel into the 5 pound range can be a real blast on light tackle. Peeling off  and making drag burning runs keeps anglers busy. What I really like about Mackerel fishing is that anglers get to experience catching a variety.

On recent Tampa Bay Fishing Charters angler have been catching large Spotted Sea Trout,Bluefish and Sharks all while Mackerel fishing.

For the anglers looking for a trophy now is the time to target Redfish and Snook. Redfish are schooling up on the flats and can be caught on both artificial and live baits. Its an anglers choice! Snook are staging up along the mangroves and docks and chowing down preparing to fatten up for winter. A frisky live sardine for bait is sure to excite the bite!

Night time can be the right time! Fishing lighted docks and bridges is a good bet you will hook into something big.

Black Drum into the 60 pound range can be found at Tampa Bay area bridges. They are a good bet to get your adrenaline pumping!

Lighted docks are holding Monster Snook,Redfish and Trout. Live baits and artificial will trigger the bite. If you are a fly fisherman you may want to give the long rod a try.

Captain Steve Betz has built a tight knit network of some of the finest Tampa Bay area fishing guides. This network of guides makes it possible for Capt. Steve to be able to schedule your charter even when he is not available to take you. Capt. Steve only recommends guides with great personality’s,knowledge,professionalism and will go the extra mile to give a client their hard earned moneys worth.

Contact Captain Steve today to book your Tampa Bay Fishing Charters.

June is here and what better time to get your Tarpon on! The Tarpon bite has been very good on both the Full and New moon tides. Fishing the beach or bridges in the early morning or drifting the Pass in the afternoon can result in multiple hook ups. Tarpon 100lbs and up are here and ready for battle.

Client Battling a Tarpon

Nice Tarpon Boat side

Battling Tarpon may not be your cup of tea? If not Tampa Bay has plenty of other species to target this time of year.

Spanish Mackerel, Sharks, Trout, Redfish, Jack Cravelle, Redfish and Snook all make for some great fishing adventures.

Book your charter now to get the best date’s!

My plan to switch gears and start Fishing for Tarpon in Tampa Bay this month has been partially foiled. I have been out a few times in search of the Silver Kings but my time has been limited due to the fact that it seems most of my charters this month have been wanting to target inshore species such as Snook,Redfish,Trout and Spanish Mackerel.

The few times I have chased Tarpon this month we had some opportunity’s at possible hook ups,but the Tarpon just did not cooperate. Here in Tampa we are just getting into our good tides for Tarpon fishing so I am optimistic I will be flying them high soon!

My customers mean a lot to me so when I get the call I do my very best to give them what they want. As I stated previously most calls have been for inshore Snook, Trout and Redfishing. Spanish Mackerel are pretty thick right now so if you have never caught one you will be pleasantly surprised at the drag ripping runs and the battle they put on light tackle.

There is plenty of action going on in Tampa Bay so now is the time to book your Charter.

Here is a picture of one of my customer’s with a nice Snook around 15lbs caught on a recent charter.

Snook Action!

Here is another happy customer with his catch.

Tampa Bay Snook

As a Bi- Catch we have been catching the occasional Shark. They put up a nice fight and ad to the excitement of the charter.

Sharks make for a nice battle!

Thank you for stopping by to read my reports. I hope the next time you want to book a Tampa Bay Fishing Charter  you will consider calling me.

I charter full time and I am available 7  days a week including holidays. If I am booked on the day you would like your charter I may be able to arrange for another Full Time fishing guide to accommodate you.

March was a fantastic month for fishing in Tampa Bay! I was very busy with Fishing Charters and April looks to be another busy month for me. People are taking advantage of our spectacular Florida weather and awesome Tampa Bay Fishing.

This past month of March I had a variety of clients and they caught a variety of fish. Even on some of the days ours tides were not the best we managed to pull it off and catch some quality fish.

Snook (big ones),Redfish, Trout, Spanish Mackerel, Silver Trout,Flounder,and many other species were in the mix. Tarpon and Kingfish are here but I have been so busy catching all the other species I have yet to target them this year.I am however getting ready to switch gears and start fishing for the Silver Kings aka Tarpon!

I suspect April fishing is only going to get better. The bay is covered with bait fish and along with that comes a lot of good fishing. Red Grouper season opened on the 1st so the opportunity will be her to target them on nearshore charters. Tarpon fishing should really heat up and following the Tarpon into Tampa Bay will be Sharks. Spanish Mackerel should be hot and steady making some great action for Kids and Adults! Snook,Redfish and Trout will all still be here and ready for the catching!

This is the perfect time to book a fishing trip with Tampa Flats and Bay Charter’s! The weather should remain mild through the month. This is the perfect time to take a Kid fishing.

Here are a few pictures from last months charters.

Alex's first snook!

Spanish Mackerel

Brent with his first snook!

Girls can catch fish too!

Alicia took her kids fishing while on vacation.

I hope you enjoyed my report and pictures. If you happen to be in town on vacation or are a local wanting to learn more about fishing in Tampa Bay it would be my pleasure to take you on your next fishing adventure!

Capt. Steve Betz

March fishing has really been very good.  We were dealt a handful of days this month with some really slow moving tides that made it a little difficult to catch large amounts of fish,but the quality of fish were there.

On my charters this month clients are catching a variety of fish. Redfish,Trout,Bluefish,Spanish Mackerel,and Snook have all been caught along with other species. It is that time of year that you get surprised at what you may catch on a Tampa Bay Fishing Charter.

Here are some pictures of some catches on recent charters.

Crowne family showing off some of their catch

Little girls having fun with Dad

Father and Son with a nice Snook

Redfish for dinner

The spanish mackerel are here!

If you would like to book your nect Tampa Bay Fishing Charter please fell free to call or Email Capt. Steve with any questions.

Capt. Steve charters full time in the Tampa Bay area 7 days a week 365 days a year.

Its February and it feels like spring time! Our weather here in the Tampa Bay area has been mild for the most part this winter. We have had very few days of what I would consider cold weather for the area. Mostly our days have been starting out with 60 degree temps and getting up into the 70s and 80s by the afternoon. Crazy weather for February!
That being said Tampa Bay Charters is having some good days on the water. Snook, Redfish and Trout are all being caught on the flats of Tampa Bay. We had an early showing of bait this year. Catching bait is something I don’t usually expect to do until mid to late March. It actually showed up in January but I continued to use live shrimp as the fish were more than ready to eat them. Things change so I am now catching the bait for my charters again. A little sooner than expected this year.
On a charter just this week my clients did very well catching snook,redfish and trout. I only expect the fishing to get better as we get into the real spring time!
Here are a few pics from a recent Tampa Bay Fishing Charter.

Thanks for stopping by to read my reports. I hope to take you on your next fishing adventure.

Capt. Steve Betz

December is here and along with it came a good blast of cold weather. Tampa Bay area temperatures dipped down into the 40′s making for some cool mornings on the water. Along the colder weather comes cooler water. This change in weather really hasn’t effected the fishing much. We are still catching large numbers of spotted sea trout and silver trout.

On my most recent charter the Redfish bite was off compared to what it had been but I suspect it will tun back on once the acclimate to the most recent weather change.

Outside temperatures should be warming back up this next week and this should really get the fish chewing.

This is a good time to take a kid fishing. The bite has been fairly steady with upwards of 60 fish coming to the boat on a 4 hour charter. That’s not to shabby and it really keeps the rods bent and the attention of the anglers.

Both live bait and artificial lures are being used right now to catch our fish.

Here is a picture of a spotted sea trout caught on a recent trip.

Tampa Bay Spotted Sea Trout

I hope you enjoy reading my reports and thank you for stopping by.

To book a charter or to find out what a charter will include please visit my Rates page and feel free to contact me.

Capt. Steve Betz

November is here and  Tampa Bay fishing is sure to change. This is the time when the weather starts cooling down and so do the Tampa Bay waters. As long as we do not have any severe cold fronts move through our area I suspect fishing will be good this month.

Trout will still be on the grass flats but will also be making their way into the back water creeks,canals and rivers. I like to target them in the deeper areas and prefer some structure like oyster bars or submerged rocks to be near by. This makes for a feeding station for them. On the open flats I will target them in the deeper sand holes  surrounded by grass.

A live shrimp under a popping cork or threaded onto a  1/8 oz jig head is usually the ticket to catching numbers of trout. I also like using artificial lures this time of year and I find its a great confidence builder for my clients when they see they can actually catch fish on artificial baits. A DOA shrimp or some type of soft plastic bait with good tail action will get it done.

Redfish will also be in the back waters and open flats. In the back waters I prefer using the shrimp on a jig head method or on a small circle hook weighted with a split shot about 12″ above the hook.  They will also be on the open flats but the fish will be very skidish and will only be caught by the more skilled anglers able to sight cast and place a bait perfectly in front of the fish.

Snook will be in the back waters preparing to survive our winter months. They will be feeding on shrimp and small baits, but I would not be afraid to put a pin fish out there on a cork for them. I really dont expect large numbers of snook to be caught as they are still on the rebound from a winter time freeze that only a small amount of them endured a couple of years ago.

Kingfish  will be making their migratory run along with Spanish Mackerel. The Kingfish will be best targeted off of our beaches while we should be able to catch Spanish Mackerel well up into Tampa Bay.

The best baits for Kingfish will be large Blue Runners on a stinger rig slow trolled behind the boat. Spanish Mackerel can be taken on Silver spoons either casted and then fast retrieved or slow trolled behind the boat. Targeting areas with birds diving on bait schools will be key to finding the fish.

Thank you stopping by to read my reports

If you would like to book a charter you can contact me at:

Capt. Steve Betz

813-727-8843

captainsteve@flatsandbay.com

The fishing has been good even through the hot month of August. September is just around the corner and I expect the fishing to just get better.

Early morning fishing has been the best to say the least. Targeting trout on the flats as the sun rises has been the key to starting the day. On Tampa Bay’s reefs and structure its been off the chain. The silver trout bite has been outrageous! I am not talking about the little 10″ silvers we catch in the winter time but Silver Trout ranging from 15 to 20 inches. In the mix you can expect to catch some Spotted Sea Trout and the occasional  Mangrove Snapper. All are good eating fish and put up a nice fight on light tackle. On one of my recent charters my group of 3 caught close to 100 fish. They did however choose to be conservative and take a few home for a couple of dinners.

We are still catching a few snook when the tide and conditions are right along with some redfish. Grouper season opens Sept. 16th and although its a short season only lasting into November I expect to be out targeting them also in our Tampa Bay waters. What? You think you have to go 50 miles offshore to catch grouper? Not so! Tampa Bay has one of the best grouper fisheries around just a short distance from just about any boat ramp in the area.

Gag Grouper caught inside Tampa Bay

Thanks for stopping by to read my reports. If you would like to book a fishing charter with me feel free to email or call me to set the date.

Capt. Steve Betz

813-727-8843

captainsteve@tampaflatsandbay.com

The weather here in Tampa Bay has been hot and so has the fishing. The charters I have been doing this month have been morning half day trips. This is important as the best bite is in the morning this time of year. As the son comes up and the temperature rises the fish slow down. The high temps have not stopped my clients from taking home their limits of fish. For the angler that likes catch and release its also been good as the bite has been steady.

Spotted Sea Trout have been a main stay this month with as many as 30 fish per trip being caught . Spanish Mackerel come in second and make for a fun fight on light tackle, they can also make for good table fare. We have had some bi-catch of small sharks, and snook at times. Some folks call lady fish a trash fish. Although they may not be sought after as a food source I will have to disagree! They are cousin to the mighty Tarpon and when you hook into a fish in the 5 pound class they can be very challenging and put on a great show doing acrobatic jumps!

I have said it before in my reports and I am going to say it again. TAKE A KID FISHING!  Fishing is a great experience for children and its also a great time for a Father or Mother to bond with their child.

Here are a few pictures of whats been caught this month.

Thank you for stopping by to read my reports and I hope to guide you to your next fishing adventure on the beautifull waters of Tampa Bay.