Tarpon Springs Fishing Guide, Capt. Rich Knox’s fishing report, inshore fishing and nearshore fishing waters are teaming with all our favorites at this time, with the cooler spring weather we are experiencing. Inshore when the wind is almost any direction except West the Big Tarpon are coming through the area very good, you most likely can find them on one side or the other of the barrier islands, best baits have been horse minnow’s, Threadfin’s, Pinfish and the small blue crabs, (silver dollar sized). Snook are beginning there spawn mode in and around the pass’s and locales that have a strong tidal flow, pilchard’s and pinfish also are the prime bait of choice, with the threadfins running a strong third. Red-fish are in the bush’s on the higher tides, and often on dock’s or oyster bar’s from the main shoreline to the barrier island’s, Spotted Sea Trout fishing remains strong with the not normal cooler wa5ter temperatures, pilchards, pilchards, and more pilchards will throw the switch. Cast-netting up a few hundred in the morning is almost a must this time of year. Flats fishing on the west central Florida gulf coast in my region from Clearwater Fl. , Tarpon Springs Fl., To New Port Richey Fl. hitting the moving tidal currents has been very good !
On the Nearshore Reef’s and Wreck’s there has been outstanding big bruiser King-fish to 30 lb., Nice Spanish Mackerel, the occasional Cobia and abundant Shark’s of many species, slow trolling with hardtail’s caught out where your fishing work great for the King’s, pilchard’s for the Spanish and Cobia, and a slab of fresh caught Mackerel or King-fish for the Shark’s deploy a chum bag when you see the bird’s working or nearby bait school’s and work around the edges.
