Fishing Report – May 20th, 2024

Here is the May 20th, 2024 fishing report. My reports are published in the Tampa Bay Times every 4th and 20th of the month! Thank you for reading, and I look forward to getting you all out on the water soon! Capt. Brian.

Fishing along the north Pinellas coast has been a bit of a challenge with slow, moving tides and windy days. Bait has been very plentiful and easy to catch, although finding fish that are willing to cooperate has been a different story. Medium high tides have not offered enough water depth for redfish to invade the mangrove bushes and oyster bars, so fishing in the mullet schools is a typical alternative.

However, even that method has not produced many redfish lately. The water temperature has increased so reds are beginning to find shade under residential docks or eat early in the morning. One day this week, we found redfish in a very strong moving tide falling off of the flat. They were in 4 to 6 feet of water right on the edge mixed in with trout. The shallow waters and the high sun, probably pushed them to a little deeper edge for more comfort. Snook are beginning to make their way out to the beach finally.

We are already through most of May and the snook population in the northern region is not what is normally expected. There are snook showing up in the usual spots along the passes and rock jetties, but not in the numbers of years past. One common mistake many people make when trying to catch snook is oversizing their tackle. The snook caught by anglers on my trips are on light tackle with 15lb. braided line to 25 lb.  fluorocarbon leader and 1/0 up to 3/0 circle hooks, depending on the size of bait.

If you are interested in booking Clearwater Fishing Charters, please contact us today. As the leading Clearwater Charter Fishing Company with over 35 years experience, we will insure you have a great day of fishing!