Absolutely hands down the best smoked mullet ive ever eaten. Casting into the water for fish mullet fishers congregated off bean point in the mouth of tampa bay last week for a mullet catch. Saltwater bait fish identification from floridas official fishing forum site. Some of the first were the tocobaga indians, who enjoyed the bounty of the harvest from tampa bay and the gulf of mexico. In tampa bay, redfish are most commonly targeted along the shallow grass flats, mangroves and oyster bars that riddle the bay. The best times to catch a school of mullet gone outdoors.
Image detail for florida memory sunshine skyway bridge accident. We believe that eating fish is a part of a healthy diet and at our great prices everyone can afford to eat fish everyday. The best fishing spots in tampa bay gone outdoors your. Low season is january to may and september to december. The winter season is the time to go mullet fishing in offshore, ocean waters. Knowing there is only a bag limit of 5 in riviera bay i thought this was a bit overkill. Blue crab snow crab stone crab scallop crab meat calamari squid lobster frog leg mullet sandperch sheepshead croaker trout. Wade fishing is a great way to fly fish in the flats surrounding tampa bay.
Tampa bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the gulf of mexico on the west central coast of florida, comprising hillsborough bay, mckay bay, old tampa bay, middle tampa bay, and lower tampa bay. There are hundreds of saltwater bait fish species found in florida. A simple, all season plan for fishing mullet schools for trout, reds and more. Pin it to a 20 to 50 daiichi circle hook tied to a couple feet of 5060 pound mono or fluorocarbon leader and use a sinker just heavy enough to keep it on the bottom. On june 23 rd, the team announced its new 8man ownership group. At big pier 60 in clearwater, the red tide is present and it appears to be getting worse. The most opportune time to cast for mullet is early morning, when the flooding tide rises at dawn. Located in the terra ceia preserve state park, just north of the i275 and west of the route 41 near bishops harbor road, its quite convenient and easy to access for anyone in tampa bay and.
An emergency anchorage is s of mullet key in depths of 30 to 35 feet. They are all tampa bay resident fish most are found around bridges this month. More restrictive seasonal bag limits apply to portions of pinellas county, and seasonal night. I was in rivera bay last weekend and there was a guy wadding around throwing a cast net for mullet. If redfish are in the vicinity, they are likely to be traveling with the mullet. Spotted sea trout feed mainly on crabs, menhaden, shrimp, mullet and anchovies. Their primary forage includes small bait fish scaled sardines, pinfish, chubs, mullet, etc and various crustaceans. Believe it or not tarpon can be quite good this month as well. We provide fishing reports and tips for offshore and inshore anglers. These are all resident fish running from 50 to 200 pound that are found around bay area bridges and structures.
Its a great place to fish for snook, mullet, or some nice reds, especially in the spring and summer. Florida the fishing capital of the world, has always been a destination for big game sport fishing. Its possible that mullet jump to shake off clinging parasites. There was also a net, about 1015 yards long, that was set up with stakes that grabbing mullet as they swam through. Dolphin mahi mahi fishing in tampa bay fishingbooker.
Great selection of mullet, salmon, snapper, grouper, shrimp and more. Mullet innthe end of an era in old florida dining the. The largest freshwater inflow into the bay is the hillsborough river, which flows into hillsborough bay in downtown tampa. Depending on the season, spring, winter, summer or fall you can expect to catch a wide variety of species with your tampa bay fishing guide capt. Also, a seafood restaurant that serves smoked or fried mullet would make this country boy very happy. The old mullet inn restaurant on the causeway in tampa was a familiar stomping ground for my family.
On june 20 th, they did as everyone expected and drafted the nhl ready steven stamkos of the sarnia sting with the 1 st pick overall in the 2008 nhl entry draft. Have eaten here a number of times when visiting family. One run happens during the summer, and one that happens over the cooler months. Lee noga full interview will be posted soon and much of this information was provided by her. This time my dad decided to can them to preserve them. This is the month the captain always put his first early season tarpon in the boat. Dolphin mahi mahi fishing in tampa bay is highly variable throughout the year. Riveria bay and bayou grande papys bayou, placido bayou smacks bayou, snell isle harbour, and coffee pot bayou, and certain connecting areas of tampa bay, and areas of tampa bay between the municipal pier head to just north of the southern tip of weedon island. The tampa bay lightning have been a busy club in the last week. Hi it is apparently common knowledge that ted peters is the place for smoked mullet in tampa bay. Parents had fish basket and fish sandwich which they enjoyed.
However, anglers are still catching spanish mackerel in the morning and through the day. Steve betz on a 12, 34 or full day fishing charters tampa fl. Current fly fishing reports and conditions for tampa bay in florida. Mullet are a delicious and nutritious fish, a lot of people dont eat them, and they are often smoked. This is a nice beach i thought most the beachs in st maarten where nice but the best part of mullet bay is daleos hut for food, it has burgers fries hotdogs etc but. Mullet run strong, still going on off island the islander. Observations and notes on wade fishing tampa bay walt durkin, tampa, 2017. Grant gilmore, a renowned marine biologist from vero beach, has another interesting idea. They dont have a big menu but what they do have, they do very, very well. Needless to say, tampa bay is one of the best tarpon fisheries on this side of florida. Regulations apply to mugil cephalus striped mullet, mugil curema silver or white mullet, mugil gyrans fantail mullet and mugil gaimardianus redeye mullet. Vessels with good ground tackle should anchor in the tampa anchorages, n of the tampa safety fairw ay leading to egmont channel. Some scientists believe they leap from the water when pursued by predators, while think its to shake off parasites. I have moved down here from the panhandle of florida and miss that great taste of smoked mullet.
Anyone in the tampa, florida area know a source for fresh mullet. Find out where the action is, what the water conditions are and everything you need for a successful day on the water. Its possible that florida mullet fish jump during the spawning season to break open their egg sacks, in preparation for the spawn. Many other smaller rivers and streams also flow into. Dear captain what is the bag limit on mullet in tampa bay for this time of year mr sullivan, the daily recreational bag limit for mullet is 5 per day. Popular dolphin mahi mahi fishing charters in tampa bay. Both shrimp runs are caused by shrimp moving from inshore waters to offshore to breed. Anglers cant get enough of the magnificent tarpon fishing tampa bay presents each year. The juveniles of many estuarinedependent fishes, including snook, mullet, tarpon, red drum and bay anchovy, also migrate to zones with lower salinity not only because food is more plentiful, but also because some of their most dangerous.
Castnetting mullet dec 09 2009 some of the best fishing of the year. Below are fishing regulations for many of the popular sport fish caught in the tampa bay area. However, i live in tampa and i am almost always too busy to make it over to st. Good fishing for spotted sea trout can be found near the mouth of tampa bay around fort desoto during the summer months. Expect to find mullet, redfish, snook, trout, black drum, sheepshead, small sharks and stingrays.
Fishing articles and tactics tampa fishing charters. Pinellas county and charlotte counties have some additional restrictions. The folks at see through canoe caught two dolphins hunting mullet. If youve never seen this before, you have to watch. How just about any bait or lure that resembles a mullet will get eaten during the mullet run. Many of these early season kingfish and little tunny seem to be larger ones as well, many times topping 30 and 40 pounds. Florida winter shrimp run fishing from florida shores. Portions are generous with free refills on iced tea. Though it is not prime tarpon season, the captain has hooked as many as. A few additional tips that wil help anglers catch redfish in the tampa bay area are the following. Tampa bay bridge disaster on may the bridge collapsed when a tanker hit a support the worst bridge disaster in florida history occured when an errant ship struck a major support of the southbound lane during a storm. My mother proudly recounts the fact that other families would leave their children home while they always took us. Each year about this time a number of fish species return to tampa bay to spawn. What is the bag limit on mullet in tampa bay for this time.
Best times to fish tampa bay tampa bay offshore charter. In some cases, the local tarpon season can last up to eight months, with the largest specimens reaching over 200 lbs in size. Ready for a relaxing day on the water with the calming sounds of a screaming drag. My parents would make a special side trip to get smoked mullet there when my sister was in college in st. Get the latest up to date fly fishing report for reds, trout,lady fish, blue fish fishing in tampa bay with the top producing flies and recommended equipment to get you into fish. The best place for smoked mullet in the tampa bay area is. The fish, prized in europe and asia for its roe, gather in large schools in late fall and early winter before heading to the gulf of mexico to spawn and then return to. Ted peters famous smoked fish, south pasadena, tampa bay. You should fish in jetties, estuary creeks, harbors and piers during the rest of the year. First, in locations known to hold redfish, look for schools of large mullet. Reminiscing about restaurants from a bygone era makes me think of old florida and the restaurants we loved. In the case where regulations are different for floridas atlantic and gulf coasts e. Ed walker of tarpon springs poses for a captains corner head shot in the tampa bay times studio.