Through the year
Winter (December to February)
Cold fronts run the show. FWC says snook turn sluggish in water below about 65°F and can't tolerate water below about 60°F, so mature snook spend the cold months in the low-salinity upper estuary: the tidal reaches of the Hillsborough, Alafia, Little Manatee and Manatee rivers, tidal creeks, residential canals and bayous. FWC's snook researchers suggest lures in winter and, on the coldest windy days, a bar or sandy bank on the northeast shore of a canal or bayou in the upper bays. If you spook the fish, back off and come back about 30 minutes later, because winter snook don't go far. FWC also notes that deeper holes at the river mouths and in the river channels hold big snook, and the state says old sinkholes in the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve may give fish a warm-water refuge.
Trout slide into deeper, still water in the cold. Redfish use the deeper channels, and in winter they sit over grass, mud or sand near oyster bars and creeks. Sheepshead gather over rocks, artificial reefs and channel markers in late winter and early spring to spawn, and black drum spawn nearshore in winter and early spring, so pilings, the in-bay reefs and markers are the dependable cold-weather bet. FWC's general cold-water tip: slow down your retrieve.
Watch the wind as closely as the thermometer. In mid-December 2023, strong easterly winds held the water 1 to 2 feet below the normal low-tide mark at west-central Florida tide stations for days before a storm pushed it 2 to 4 feet above the normal high-tide mark (NWS Tampa Bay). A flat or a ramp that works in summer can strand you in winter. Manatees crowd the power-plant outfalls, and the federal manatee sanctuaries at the TECO Big Bend, Bartow (Weedon Island) and Port Sutton outflows are closed to all boats through the winter. At the Skyway pier, multi-hook rigs and treble or double hooks are banned through the winter months.
Spring (March to May)
Warming water empties the winter refuges. FWC says mature snook leave their winter spots in late spring and early summer for the spawning grounds, and suggests switching from lures to live bait for spring and summer. Trout start their long inshore spawning season in March, and sheepshead spawn mostly in March and April, so the late-winter sheepshead bite on structure carries on into early spring. Spanish mackerel move north in spring and are among the Skyway pier's common catches; look for birds diving on bait. A tagging study along Florida's west coast tracked tarpon and cobia moving mostly north along the coast in spring. Pompano follow the water temperature (FWC), so spring is one of their better windows along the sandy shorelines, oyster bars and grass beds of the lower bay.
Summer (June to August)
Snook spawn from about April or May through September or October at the mouths of coastal rivers and major passes. On this coast FWC names John's Pass, and inside the bay the water near the mouths of Terra Ceia and Miguel bays and around the Port Manatee spoil island. The spawning schools come back to the same places every year and release their eggs in the late afternoon and early evening. For the big spawners, FWC points to Intracoastal Waterway bridges, the inside of inlets and the Skyway, and suggests fishing bridges at night through the first two to three hours of the outgoing tide. Under dock lights, fish the edge of the light, not the middle of it.
Tarpon spread along the coast in summer and spawn offshore between May and September; FWC's Tampa Bay guide finds them mostly inshore near bridges, pilings, rock walls, harbors and flats. Mangrove snapper spawn from June through August, but FWC says the adults are generally out on the nearshore and offshore reefs, so inside the bay you mostly catch smaller fish around mangroves, grass and structure. Trout and redfish move to deeper water in the hottest months, so fish early, late or at night, or work the deeper grass and channel edges as the day heats up. Lightning is most common in summer: get off exposed piers and open water before the storms arrive.
Fall (September to November)
Adult redfish gather in big spawning schools in the nearshore Gulf from about August into mid-November, and FWC's tagging found that 60 percent of the fish detected at the Tampa Bay spawning site in 2012 came back in 2013. Snook head back up the estuary in late summer or early fall and stay through the cold months. Spanish mackerel head south when the water drops below about 70°F, and the west-coast tagging study found tarpon and cobia moving mostly south along the coast in fall. Flounder leave the bay's grass flats for the Gulf as the weather turns cold (FWC Tampa Bay guide), and FWC closes flounder harvest for part of each fall, so check the dates.
Red tide blooms show up in the Gulf almost every year, generally in late summer or early fall, and most often between Clearwater and Sanibel. FWC's 2025 Tampa Bay snook review counts red tide with possible fish kills in the region in 14 of the previous 20 years. Check FWC's red tide status before you go.
How to fish it
Live bait and sardine chumming
In the warm months, throw a cast net for scaled sardines or other baitfish, anchor up-current of a mangrove point, oyster bar, channel edge or bridge, and free-line or lightly weight the baits back to the fish. FWC's snook researchers describe lightly crushing a few sardines, tossing them to a likely spot and putting a lively one in the middle of them. Thread herring, mojarras, killifish, small grunts and small blue crabs work too, and FWC's snook profile adds live pinfish, small mullet and shrimp, free-lined or on a fish-finder rig. Snook face into moving water and wait for food to come to them, and they won't chase it far, so don't hit the fish with the bait, but don't throw it out of reach either. Fish when the current is running, preferably on the outgoing tide. For trout, FWC suggests free-lining live shrimp, small pinfish or pigfish near the bottom; for redfish, crabs, mullet, pinfish and killifish.
A popping cork over the grass
Float a live shrimp under a popping cork for redfish, or a live shrimp, small pinfish or pigfish under a float for trout, and let it drift over the grass beds while you search for fish (FWC). FWC's general tips also describe drifting a bait under a cork from a drifting boat.
Lures on the flats
Soft-bodied jigs, spoons and topwater plugs all work for trout and redfish along mangrove edges, oyster bars and holes in the grass (FWC). Lures are FWC's pick for winter snook; in cold water, slow down. On a flat, FWC says the incoming tide, several hours before high, may be best because the fish gather closer to shore or the middle of the flat, while the outgoing tide pushes schools off the flat toward deeper water, where you can cut them off. Watch for mullet jumping and birds diving.
Bridges and dock lights at night
For big snook, FWC suggests fishing bridges at night through the first two to three hours of the outgoing tide: anchor up-current of the pilings and cast a live ladyfish, pinfish or grunt, or a swimming plug, to the base of the structure. Under dock lights, soak a shrimp at the edge of the light. FWC's Tampa Bay guide notes that fish cruise the edges of pier shadows at night and that tarpon hang around bridges, pilings and rock walls. NOAA publishes current predictions at the Gandy, Howard Frankland, Courtney Campbell, Bunces Pass, Pass-a-Grille, John's Pass and Skyway crossings, so you can time the strongest flow.
Sheepshead and black drum on structure
For sheepshead, FWC suggests live shrimp, sand fleas or fiddler crabs on a small hook fished on the bottom; for black drum, cut bait, shrimp, sand fleas or blue crab kept on the bottom. Fish pilings, docks, seawalls, oyster bars, rock piles, markers and the in-bay reefs with the lightest weight that holds, and don't drop bottom rigs where they'll snag, such as over oyster beds. FWC says you may scrape barnacles off bridge pilings to draw sheepshead (not off private docks without the owner's permission), but oysters may only be taken from open, classified shellfish areas.
Wading and kayaks
Many flats are within reach on foot or by paddle from FWC-listed launches, among them Fort De Soto, Weedon Island, Upper Tampa Bay Park, E.G. Simmons, Terra Ceia, Emerson Point and Clam Bayou. FWC notes that paddling and wading can get you closer to fish than a boat can, and that boaters should always yield to wade fishermen. Plan around the tide and wind (FWC says Weedon Island's trails are best at high tide), shuffle your feet so you don't step on a stingray (UF/IFAS), wear a life jacket (children under 6 must), carry water and a phone or VHF, and leave a float plan with someone.
Spanish mackerel and jacks under the birds
FWC says many anglers find Spanish mackerel by trolling or by watching for birds diving on bait. Cast or troll small shiny spoons, dusters or jigs on light spinning or baitcasting tackle with 10- to 15-pound line and a 30- to 60-pound mono leader, because their teeth cut light line. Spanish are mainly a warm-season fish in the bay. Crevalle jack schools also pin bait at the surface.
Tarpon, released in the water
Tarpon take flies, streamers, plugs, jigs and live or dead bait around bridges, pilings, rock walls, harbors and flats. Use a long, heavy mono leader, because their gill plates and tails cut line. Fish tackle heavy enough to land them quickly (FWC says a big fish should be alongside within about 20 minutes), never drag a tarpon over the gunwale, and keep large tarpon in the water, as FWC requires. Tarpon are catch-and-release unless you buy a tag in pursuit of a record.