Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Report

Great Spring Action!

Over the last few weeks the fishing has been very good. The bay waters are now in the mid to high 70's most days so there are a lot of active fish on and around the flats.

Right now we have options regarding targeting different fish species. It is currently good for Trout , Redfish and Snook. There are also a lot of Jack Crevales and Ladyfish about. This week we have also been finding the occasional school of Spanish Mackerel trashing baitfish.

All of these species are great targets with the fly rod.

Currently my half day trips have been spent mostly on the flats looking for both Trout and Redfish. I normally save about an hour for specifically fishing the mangroves for snook on these short trips.

On my 6 hour and full day trips we have far more options for mixing it up. I have been splitting the time pretty evenly between flats and back country and saving some time to look for Macks or big Jacks chasing bait. On the windy days I have still been targeting some of the residential canals for both Snook and Jacks.

The catching has been pretty good on the fly. The Trout have been super reliable and we have taken a few impressive fish recently.

Jacks and Lady fish are quick to attack the fly when they are around.

The snook fishing has been steady. With the current water temperatures they are aggressive. The key is getting the fly under the mangroves. If you can do it you will be rewarded with steady takes. During the low tides there have also been some nice big snook laying on the weed beds in wide open water. These fish require longer casts but the ones in this environment have been very aggressive.

I have also been doing some night trips recently. These trips are a lot of fun and every cast is to a sighted fish or pods of fish.

There are lots of snook on dock lights at this time. We have also been finding a few tarpon on the same lights. This is challenging fishing since these fish are out in the open and they are quite wary . I normally rig several fly rods for these trips and rotate rigs until we find what they want. Most of my 4 hour night trips are averaging about a half dozen nice snook on the fly. On all of my recent trips we have had the opportunity to cast to 40" class snook.

I expect that the fishing will continue to be reliable through the time that I head north in mid April. If you want to get out for a trips now is the time to call. Below are the date I have open in March -17,18,19,22,23,30,31. April is wide open since I did not advance book these dates. I plan on taking bookings through about April 12.

Call us today at 607-290-4022 to plan your next fly fishing or light tackle adventure.

BAXTER HOUSE NEWS

Opening day of Trout season is less than a month away!

This year the Baxter House Fly Shop will reopen on March 30. For the first few weeks the shop will only be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We will return to 7 days a week Monday April 22.

Our Guide Staff will be available for guided Drift Boat, Wade Fishing and Fly Casting Lessons 7 days a week from April 1. Ask us about our early season Streamer Fishing trips.

If you have cabin fever and can't wait until opening day let us know. Guide Zach has been fishing all winter and he's available. Right now he can take you out in the Upper Delaware, Croton Watershed or on the Salmon River and other tributaries to Lake Ontario. If you see a break in the weather give us a call