Tampa Bay nearshore fishing

Winter (December to February)

Gulf-side water averages about 61 to 65°F in winter (NOAA's monthly means at Clearwater Beach). That's below the roughly 70°F at which FWC says Spanish mackerel head south and the 68°F below which kingfish are seldom found, so the mackerel are mostly gone. FWC says sheepshead move nearshore in late winter and early spring to spawn, gathering over rocks, artificial reefs and channel markers. Red grouper from 1 to 6 years old live on the nearshore reefs, while older fish live offshore, so expect plenty of red grouper on the 25- to 50-foot reefs, many of them small. FWC describes adult gag as fish of structure in more than 60 feet, and UF/IFAS says bigger gag come from deeper than about 30 feet, so the deeper reefs such as Pinellas South should give you better odds at a bigger gag. Gag spawn from January to May. Flounder move out into the Gulf as the weather turns cold (FWC Tampa Bay guide).

Winter weather is the limit. The Coast Pilot says winds behind cold fronts can top 20 knots, now and then reaching gale force, and waves of 10 feet or more aren't uncommon behind them. Sea fog is most common from December to early March, ahead of a front on south to southwest winds. A strong offshore wind can drop the water at Tampa and in the dredged channels by as much as 4 feet. Pick the calm days between fronts.

Spring (March to May)

Gulf-side water averages about 69°F in March, 75°F in April and 81.5°F in May, climbing back past the temperatures below which Spanish mackerel head south and kingfish are seldom found. FWC says both migrate north in spring, so look for them along the beaches, around bait over the reefs and near the Egmont shoals; the peak usually comes in April and May (a judgment from the water temperatures, not an FWC date). The Gulf Council puts cobia in the northern Gulf from March to October and in south Florida from November to March, so they pass by in spring; FWC says they're often around buoys, pilings and wrecks. Sheepshead spawn mostly in March and April, and red grouper spawn in April and May. Expect the first tarpon as the water warms late in the spring. The Coast Pilot's offshore weather table shows waves over 9 feet becoming much less common from April, and thunderstorms are most likely from May through September.

Summer (June to August)

The water averages about 86 to 88°F. Tarpon are found all along Florida's coast in summer and spawn offshore between May and September, so this is the season for tarpon along the beaches and at the bay mouth; Egmont Key State Park lists tarpon among the fish at its designated fishing areas. Snook spawn from April or May through September or October, and FWC names John's Pass as a spawning site; FWC's beach tips say snook show up on the beaches more often in summer. Mangrove snapper spawn from June to August, and FWC says adults are generally out on the nearshore and offshore reefs. Permit hang near structure. Blacktip sharks often come in with the Spanish mackerel schools. Goliath grouper spawn from June to October and now and then grab a fish struggling on a line; you can't keep one without an FWC permit.

The Coast Pilot says thunderstorms hit Tampa on about 86 days a year, mostly in the late afternoon or evening from June to September. Out on the water they're most common in the evening and early morning and can bring strong gusts, hail or waterspouts. Fish early and watch the sky. Hurricane season runs June through November.

Fall (September to November)

The water cools from about 85°F in September to about 71°F in November. FWC research found adult redfish gathering in nearshore waters between Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor from August to as late as mid-November, and 60 percent of the tagged fish detected at the Tampa Bay spawning site in 2012 came back in 2013. Redfish join the nearshore population at roughly 30 inches. Spanish mackerel head back south as the water drops below about 70°F, so October and November are the second mackerel window. FWC research in Charlotte Harbor, just to the south, found young gag leaving the estuary mostly from October to December, so the reefs see younger gag in the cool months; gag harvest is open only in a season set each year. Flounder move into the Gulf with the first cold weather. The Coast Pilot says Tampa Bay has historically been most at risk from tropical storms in June and October, and cold fronts start arriving again in fall.

Catching live bait

FWC describes the scaled sardine (pilchard or greenback) as a popular schooling baitfish of coastal waters. If you use a sabiki rig, FWC's bird-safe tips say to drop it into the water rather than cast it, with enough weight that it sinks fast; FWC also lists sabikis among the rigs to avoid around piers because of the birds. Chumming from the beach is banned for every species, so chumming is a boat-only tactic here.

Slow-trolling live baits for kingfish

FWC says slow-trolling live baits has proven a favorite for king mackerel: let the bait out behind the boat and idle along in gear. FWC lists pogies, herring, Spanish sardines, ballyhoo and mullet as live baits, with 20-pound tackle or heavier and a wire or mono leader. Kings are seldom found in water below 68°F, so concentrate on April and May and on October and November, when the Gulf-side water is crossing that mark. Work bait pods, the 25- to 50-foot reefs (King's Reef, St. Pete Beach, Pinellas South, 7 Mile North) and the Egmont shoals, and stay out of the ship channel.

Spanish mackerel on spoons and jigs

FWC says Spanish mackerel are often found by trolling or by watching for birds diving on bait. Troll or cast 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, which FWC says you need because of their razor-sharp teeth. Look along the beaches, the Egmont and Passage Key shoals and over the reefs. Blacktip sharks often travel with the mackerel schools, so expect some cut-offs.

Cobia around buoys, wrecks and rays

FWC says cobia are often found around buoys, pilings and wrecks, and that live crabs and small fish make good baits, kept near the surface or with just enough weight to reach deeper fish, on medium to heavy tackle. The Florida Museum says cobia follow rays, turtles and sharks to scavenge. During the spring and fall runs, check structure such as the Misener Barge, King's Reef and the Pinellas South tug and barges, and watch for fish shadowing rays. Never stop or drift in the Egmont ship channel.

Grouper and snapper on the reefs

FWC warns that reef material can move, break up or get buried, and that some database positions are old and unverified; Pinellas County says storms shift reef pieces. Run to the published position and find the structure on your sounder before you anchor. Manatee County asks anglers to anchor a safe distance from the reef structure and not to drift-fish through a reef where several boats are already anchored. FWC says anchoring and dropping live or cut bait to the bottom is a popular way to catch grouper and snapper. UF/IFAS's gag tips: live pinfish or grunts, stiff rods and heavy conventional reels, a mono leader against break-offs, and reel fast once a fish hits, because grouper rush back into the structure. FWC says barotrauma affects many reef fish caught deeper than about 50 feet; Pinellas South, at 41 to 50 feet, is close to that.

Tarpon along the beaches and bay mouth

FWC says tarpon take flies, lures, jigs and live or dead bait. Its handling advice is to use tackle heavy enough to end the fight quickly; for big tarpon its example is 50- to 60-pound braid, a mono or fluorocarbon leader of at least 60 to 80 pounds, and 6/0 to 10/0 circle hooks. With bait, use non-stainless, non-offset, barbless circle hooks on single-hook rigs. Large tarpon must stay in the water. Release them with a long-handled dehooker or cut the line close to the hook, and if sharks show up, finish quickly, cut the line and move. FWC recommends against fishing for tarpon from bridges or piers, because a big fish can't be lifted out and the line ends up cut, leaving the fish trailing it. The beaches from Pass-a-Grille to Fort De Soto, Egmont Key and the channels at the bay mouth are the places to look.

Surf fishing the beaches

FWC's beach tips: use a longer surf rod and a sinker built to hold in sand, such as a pyramid or sputnik. Expect snook (mainly in summer), pompano, redfish and sharks. Pompano eat mollusks and crustaceans, especially sand fleas, and follow the tide day to day and the water temperature season to season. FWC advises against fishing the shore where or when lots of people are swimming, and you should check the NWS rip current information.

The Fort De Soto Gulf Pier

FWC's pier tips: line of at least 30-pound test, tie your rod down and don't leave it unattended, and fish a weighted rig with shrimp or other natural bait for a mixed bag. Drop sabikis rather than casting them, bring a pier net or sling for big fish, and only bring a fish onto the pier if you mean to keep it. FWC lists kingfish, tarpon, cobia, sharks, croaker, black drum and sheepshead among pier fish, and says kings are now and then taken from piers that reach deep water.

Crabs for permit and sheepshead

Permit have a plate at the back of the mouth for crushing crabs and clams; anglers cast live crabs to schools of permit, which also take shrimp, clams and now and then small fish (FWC). For sheepshead, FWC suggests live shrimp, sand fleas or fiddler crabs on a small hook on the bottom. Don't collect bait at Shell Key Preserve: the county bans taking live animals off the beach, fiddler crabs included.

Releasing reef fish and goliath grouper

Gulf reef fish rules require a dehooking tool, and in state waters a descending device or venting tool rigged and ready (FWC). FWC says to use a descending device, which takes the fish back down on a weight, only when a fish shows signs of barotrauma. Goliath grouper live around natural and man-made structure in coastal and nearshore water, and adults like high relief such as ledges, bridges, piers and wrecks. You can't keep one without an FWC permit. Don't lift a large goliath out of the water, because its skeleton can't support its weight; keep smaller ones in the water to unhook them, and use a descending device or venting tool if one shows barotrauma. If a goliath keeps eating your hooked fish, moving to another spot is the sensible thing to do.