Tarpon season is in full swing in Tampa Bay, and the silver kings are the talk of the docks this week. Schools are strung along the beaches from Anna Maria up through the mouth of the bay, and they are stacking in the passes on the strong tides. Threadfin, pass crabs, and live pinfish are all drawing strikes, with the early-morning beach troll producing some of the largest fish.
Snook are thick along the beaches, around the passes, and on the bridge shadow lines — but the Gulf-coast snook season is closed through August 31, so all fish must be released. They will eat almost everything right now, making for excellent catch-and-release sport on whitebait and small swimbaits in the morning.
On the flats, redfish are schooling on the higher tides over the grass, and spotted seatrout are reliable on the deeper grass edges with popping corks and live shrimp. Mangrove snapper have moved onto the residential docks, bridges, and nearshore structure and offer steady action and good eating.
Nearshore, the Spanish mackerel and a few kingfish are working bait pods on the artificial reefs and along the beaches. Sharks following the tarpon schools add some unexpected excitement for anglers fighting fish near the passes.
The heat is on, so plan for early starts and watch the afternoon thunderstorms. The tarpon bite should stay strong through June — fish the passes around the tide changes and the beaches at first light for the best shot at a hookup.
Spots & Access This Week
Fort De Soto Park has an excellent ramp near the mouth of the bay, with E.G. Simmons Park in Ruskin and the Williams Park ramp serving the upper bay. Tarpon are schooling around the Skyway bridge and the ship-channel edges and rolling the beaches at first light, while snook stack on the pass edges and beach troughs. Trout are working the deeper grass flats off the eastern shore, and the residential dock lights hold snook and juvenile tarpon after dark.
This Week’s Tip
Having a well of fresh threadfins or scaled sardines is the single biggest factor in the tarpon and snook game right now — cast-net your bait at first light over the grass edges and channel markers before you make your first move. For the Skyway fish, fish a live bait on a circle hook and let the tarpon load the rod and turn rather than swinging hard on the eat; a slow, steady sweep buries the point far more reliably in a bony mouth.