Well, what can we say about the fishing lately other than it has been epic. Our deep sea charter boat and inshore charter boat have both been experiencing stellar days off Clearwater. January can be a hit or miss month but it seems that this one is a home run so far. With unseasonably mild water temperatures likely the cause, as bait schools and predatory fish remain very active.
Lets start with the inshore fishing first, Redfish, Trout, Sheepshead, Snook, Black Drum and more have been actively feeding throughout the bigger tide changes. The dock fishing has been the key on the lowest tides as the fish post up on deeper docks waiting to ambush shrimp, crabs and baitfish. As the tide fills in, grass flats, oyster bars and other underwater features are the go to. Trout and Redfish prefer to school up around these edges and contours and a bait placed around these areas will almost certainly get blasted. Due to the short run time and calm water, the inshore trips are a favorite among younger kids. This along with a lot of action and variety tends to make for a spectacular day on the water for the young anglers, it’s also the perfect way for first time saltwater anglers to see what it’s all about.
Now on two the deep sea fishing reports out of Clearwater. The half day charters are having plenty of success targeting Hogfish, Porgies, Grunts and Gag Grouper (catch and release). Action has been fast and plenty while bottom fishing on these 4 hour adventures and the variety of fish species has been awesome. Last week we ran several half day charters that ended up with plenty of good eating fish to take to a local Clearwater Beach restaurant for a fresh fish fry.
On the deep sea 6 hour charters our boats have been targeting Red grouper and Hogfish, the reds are still in season so they can be kept still, unlike the gags. Being the fastest boat ion the fleet allows us not only more fishing time but also access to deeper less fished ares which typically produce more and better fish. The mangrove Snapper will also be a target species on the 3/4 day as these fish are in season, put up an excellent fight and are great tasting, one of our favorites for fish tacos!
The full day trips are seeing good amounts of Red Grouper along with catch and release Gag Grouper and Amberjack. Although Amberjack are out of season, they put up a fight second to none and very often after one or two catch and releases our anglers are ready to move on and target other species with sore arms and big smiles. All and all it’s looking like a phenomenal time to fish here in Clearwater. We have availability on both boats and several different charters to suit your needs, lets go catching!