fishing tampa area

zeppellin

Cadet
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
21
fishing in the gulf around tampa...how far out do you have to go for fish like dolphin and grouper. and from what ive seen tarpon is caught near shore. Is that correct?
 

Stumpknocker

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Messages
774
Re: fishing tampa area

Probably a very long way. Nothing much in Tampa Bay except a few Trout. Spent three days there and the general consensus among the anglers there is that fishing is all but dead. Could be because of the rough weather the week before, but its all most zip right now. Offshore reports were scant and seems that the seas are building now to 4-8 feet. Grouper were not seen inshore, but if you go out quite aways you might find one or two. Kingfish are mostly juveniles under or around 24 inches. Not keepers. Good luck.
 

phatmanmike

Captain
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
Messages
3,869
Re: fishing tampa area

hey gil, stay off the pipe! you must be retarded!<br /><br />i have lived here for 30 years, the fishing is NOT DEAD! go bad mouth somebody elses area!<br /><br />kingfish ARE keepers, getting up and past 40 inches.<br /><br />you can catch keepr size grouper and snapper within a half mile of shore by eggmont key.<br /><br />how bout 36 pound redfish. my buddy was busting em up all week. redfish are gooood eatin'.<br /><br />how bout 100 plus pound tarpon , on the INLAND waters!<br /><br />how bout cobia and snook bigger than the yardstick measuring device, so you have to GUESS the length they are so long.<br /><br />permit, trout, snapper, snook, redfish, grouper, cobia,kingfish, spanish mackeral can all be had here! among others.<br /><br />now, how far out do you have to go? for big tuna and dolphin. id say a good 40-50 miles. you need to be in some deep, blue waters for that stuff.<br /><br />heck, if you know where to go, you could stay within a half mile of land and catch so much, big, good eating fish, that you would have to start throwing em back and still go home with a hundred pounds of eating!!!!<br /><br />gil, go back to cathing pinfish!
 

zeppellin

Cadet
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
21
Re: fishing tampa area

maybe gil is just trying to keep people away so he can catch them all to himself
 

i_build

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
Messages
126
Re: fishing tampa area

Sorry... you must be fishing in all the wrong places. Over the last week caught Gags, Mangrove Snapper & Sheepshead all on public inshore reefs. It's not like fishing up north on the Atlantic... the skill needed is not the same takes a bit more effort & research. But once you catch on.... Fishing is GREAT in Tampa Bay. ;)
 

ufm82

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Messages
827
Re: fishing tampa area

Zep- the area down by Tampa is hot right now- plenty of fish to be had. I am headed down there in early June and have been watching the reports pages pretty heavily. As stated above, you can get into grouper relatively close in. Fishing a little further north from Tampa is a little better even. Get on some of the Florida fishing sites and start reading reports.<br /><br /> I know that in the area I'll be staying the reds and specks are so plentiful that I'll get tired of catching them. So, as far as I know, gil is definitely a pinfish guru but not too hot on the Tampa area. :p <br /><br /> Good luck wherever you go. <br /><br />UFM82
 

Stumpknocker

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Messages
774
Re: fishing tampa area

Well, all I have to say is I've lived here a lot longer than you have son. You are either the biggest liar in town or you need your meds. I just left there fishing day and night, with multiple boats, monitoring other boats as well as charter boats and there isn't much of anything going on. You just keep on luring the innocent tourists in with your stories..... maybe by the time they get here things will have improved.... but for now.... DREAM ON.<br /><br />The proof is in the pudding. Watch who you call retarded.
 

phatmanmike

Captain
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
Messages
3,869
Re: fishing tampa area

gil... <br /><br />first, you came at the wrong time of year! you came too early!<br /><br />second, i called you " special"<br /><br />third, ive lived here for 30+ years
 

GatorMike

Ensign
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Messages
902
Re: fishing tampa area

I have to agree with everybody but Gil. I was born and raised on the South side of Tampa Bay. I now live on Florida's East coast. Give me the Gulf coast anyday. The Atlantic produces better offshore fishing for dolphin, sails and marlin but that is about it. Inshore fish Snook, Reds, Tarpon and Trout may average a little larger on the Atlantic side but the Gulf coast has the numbers. When I can't seem to find fish on the East coast I simply head across state and seldom strike out.
 

GatorMike

Ensign
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Messages
902
Re: fishing tampa area

After further thought I have to take back what I said about the Atlantic coast having a little bigger fish. I just realized the biggest Snook, Red, Tarpon and Trout I caught last year were all caught in the Tampa Bay area.
 
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