Late November is an excellent time of year to fish.

If you don’t live here, you may think the fishing isn’t too good during our cooler months. Actually, it’s the opposite.

With winter just around the corner, passing cold fronts already have the water temperatures dropping. This does two things. First: It pushes the baitfish off the grass flats. Second: When the baitfish leave, so do the predator fish, such as snook, redfish and seatrout.

Both baitfish and the predator fish are seeking deeper water for warmth. Baitfish tend to go hangout at range markers and bridge pilings. The predator fish like to hangout in residential canals, creeks, rivers, and deep-water pockets that are protected from the wind by mangrove shorelines.

Once everything gets acclimated to its winter surroundings, the fishing is outstanding. Many days, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. There are times when you can catch snook, redfish and seatrout for hours on end at the same spot. Even on cold blistery days, you can always find places tucked out of the wind and still catch fish.

So, if you’re new to the area, vacationing, or have friends in from out of town, give me a call. I can always put you on some fish.

Larry Agle caught redfish, snook, a bonnethead shark and mangrove snapper on his most recent charter.

During the last couple of weeks, the fishing has been outstanding. Daily rains have lowered the water temperature and it may have even contributed to the disappearance of the red tide.

The mangrove snapper fishing remains strong, and I expect it to last for another month or so. Some days, the snapper are outcompeting the snook for chum and bait on the hook. Additionally, when you first get a hook up, you think you have a snook. That’s how aggressive and large some of these snappers are.

The snook fishing has remained constant and I find the best fishing to be during a strong tidal flow.  Some days it’s taking quite a bit of live bait chumming to persuade them to eat, but once they do, the action is pretty good. Another thing I’ve noticed about the snook fishing, if I’m not getting many bites while using a cork, I take it off and free line the bait. Snook tend to get cork shy every now and then.

Up until lately, I was encountering numerous schools of redfish, but now, not so much. I think all this rain has redfish on the move. I could be wrong, maybe I just need to look in different locations, but a couple of my best spots are only producing a dozen or so, that’s it!

Seatrout are still holding strong. I’m not seeing many over 20 inches, but there are plenty in the 14–16-inch range. Personally, I don’t target seatrout in the summer, unless they’re in season. The reason I try to avoid them, they don’t handle catch and release as well as other species. They’re being caught as by-catch.

Every day on the water is always a great experience aboard Afishionado.

The Wolfe family with Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper.

So, if you’re from out of state you’re probably wondering if the fishing is any good in upper Tampa Bay right now. Yes, it is!

Back in March a leak from a Piney Point phosphate mining facility holding pond dumped 200+ million gallons of wastewater into lower Tampa Bay. For months, little to no environmental impact was observed. Unfortunately, as the weather heated up, the water temperatures throughout the region began to rise and a red tide algae bloom spawned. Now dead fish are washing ashore along the beaches from St. Petersburg to Clearwater. Most of the fish being affected live nearshore and at the mouth of Tampa Bay. This incident has slowed the fishing in these areas.

The good news: Not where I’m located at 5108 West Gandy Blvd., Tampa.

Since all this made national news recently, I’m getting phone calls inquiring about what’s going on. I can assure you this. The fishing has not been effected by red tide in upper Tampa Bay.

When considering a trip to this area and at which hotel to stay, first ask if dead fish are a problem there. If so, keep calling around. The concentrations of red tide vary day to day and better hotels are constantly cleaning their beach fronts.

For some of the best inshore fishing, please call Afishionado. I can accommodate one to six people comfortably and a goodtime will be had by all.

Grant and Brian Perry with a snook and redfish.

The grass flats are becoming the most active since last fall. Baitfish have begun to invade the flats and the snook, redfish and trout are there to welcome them to breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you hit the tide right, the action can be non-stop. That’s the reason I don’t always start my charters at the crack of dawn. Many days, I don’t pick up clients until 11AM or later.

Even though, I may not see my clients for hours after sunrise, I still leave the dock before dawn to go catch bait. During the time in between, I’m busy cleaning the boat and rigging tackle. I may even scout some fishing locations for later. Once my passengers are aboard, we’re ready to fish. Depending on the current conditions, my first stop may only be five minutes from the dock. I always have a game plan before my charter shows up. That way, I utilize their time fishing, not sightseeing.

During the spring, snook, redfish and trout sometimes feed in the same areas. There are numerous days when you might catch all three species. That’s considered an “Inshore Slam.” Believe it or not, I’ve had many Floridians aboard that have never achieved this feat.

Another bonus about April: The Spanish mackerel are starting to migrate into Tampa Bay. They are a blast to catch on light tackle because they hit hard and make extremely long runs. The mangrove snapper fishing is picking up also. Snapper and mackerel can be caught in the same places at times. So, for clients that like to keep fish they’ve caught for dinner, now is an excellent time.

February Inshore Snook Fishing.

Last month was one of the coldest Januarys on record, and to say it had a negative impact on the fishing, is an understatement. It was so cold it even slowed the activity at the power plant outflows. Water temperatures dropped into the mid-50’s. If it had dropped much lower there could have been a massive snook kill, like the one back in 2010. That year, an estimated one million snook died statewide due to a prolonged freeze.

Sheepshead don’t mind the cold, fortunately. Heck they spawn in the winter, so they must like it. They school up in large numbers this time of year and are easy to catch. Shrimp, fiddler crabs and even barnacles are all good baits to use when pursuing sheepshead.

Some spots that are often overlooked for sheepshead are deep water rock piles and artificial reefs. These underwater structures can be found throughout Tampa Bay. I check my local tide chart and fish these spots around a slack tidal flow.

What about mangrove snapper? Unlike sheepshead they spawn in the summer, but they do seem to have a decent appetite in the winter. Many times, you can catch them in the same areas as sheepshead. Just don’t expect them to eat barnacles. Shrimp or scaled sardines are the baits of choice.

Cold fronts pass through our area on a weekly basis this time on year. If you have the flexibility in your schedule It’s best to wait a day or two after a front to go fishing. Once the weather settles down and the temperature rebounds into the 70’s, so does the snook fishing.

February offers some of the best snook fishing of the year. Days of catching 50-plus snook are numerus, because certain areas shelter snook from the elements, so they migrate there during the winter. These oases continue to hold large numbers of snook right through March and into early April.

So, if you want to experience some non-stop snook fishing, now’s the time to give Afishionado a call.