Fishing Report: August 28, 2020

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. - Every Friday morning, Captain Dylan Hubbard of Hubbard's Marina joins Good Day to fill viewers in on his fishing forecast as we head into the weekend.

Here is his fishing report for August 28, 2020.

Inshore

Fishing was great this past weekend ahead of the bad weather from Marco and Laura. Once the bad weather rolled in during the early part of this past week, it became a bit trickier to target the fish, but it did not slow the bite for the more hardcore anglers.

We are coming up on a full moon during the early part of next week which has brought along some serious tidal flows moving bait around and making the fish feed even more actively. The bite should be particularly good over the weekend and into the start of next week due to the weather calming down and moon phase. 

We have seen some incredible snook action this past weekend at night on the paddle tail soft plastics, flairhawk jigs, DOA terror eyes, and Mirror Lure MiroDines. Plus, live shrimp or pass crabs on the surface freelined.

During the day, we are seeing plenty around the docks, channels, bridges, flats, oyster bars and mangrove shore liens. Pretty much anywhere you go the fish seem to be ready to eat. Great time of year to target the snook and escape the summertime heat by fishing through the nighttime period around the passes. 

Redfish action is hot right now too. The red bite has really picked up and that full moon coming up will have them schooled up and feeding actively as they prepare to spawn. We are seeing them most around bays on the flats, oyster bars, mangrove shorelines and dock lines.

During the day, we are catching them with live shrimp or cut pinfish on the boat weighted to the bottom or free lined to the bottom in shallower waters. Slow moving soft plastic paddle tails are a great option for the redfish too. 

Mangrove snapper are thick around the area’s rock piles, bridges, docks, and jetties. Tampa Bay’s rock piles and the edges of the shipping channel have been producing some nice mangroves. Capt John Gunter of ‘off the hook charters’ has been catching nice snapper with his guests around these areas using small pieces of shrimp on light ¼ to ½ oz jig heads on the slower tidal periods.

Even 1oz knocker rigs will work too around the area, but lighter more natural presentation is best. When the current starts running its often best to transition to flats fishing or snook fishing around the structures because mangroves are tough to target in stronger currents.

Not only is it more challenging to feel their quick bites, but also, they will hide from the current and tuck into their rocky hiding spots until it relaxes a bit. 

Mackerel have been surprisingly good lately around our local fishing piers and even the grass flats around the bay. We see them most of the time early morning hitting the schools of bait they can find and corral. Flashy faster moving lures work best, but you can get them on live shrimp or white bait too. 

Tarpon fishing still going well through the area. Over this past weekend on Saturday, I was fishing the docks in the morning catching a few snook when around six tarpon came in and starting hitting the bait that had been hiding out around the dock slowly picked off by the waiting snook. We have also seen plenty of tarpon around our local bridges at night. Many snook anglers are hooking tarpon while fishing for snook on those flairhawk jigs too. 

Near shore

The near shore fishing should be incredibly good this upcoming weekend and into the start of next week. We are looking forward to some great fishing because were coming up on the full moon and fishing just ahead of it is typically a great time.

Plus, we had that storm roll by us which should have congregated the fish to more actively feed too. Near shore behind a storm it takes a little while for the bite to come back because the waters must calm down and then clear up for the bite to take off. When it does, typically is super-hot since the fish have not fed for a few days. That should happen this weekend as the waters have already calmed down. We are just now waiting for them to clear up! 

Mangrove snapper action near shore is picking up for us out deep around 70-100 feet of water. Before the storms, we were doing well especially around 80 feet using small pinfish, live shrimp and chunks of thread fin cut into plugs on the double snell rigs. Lighter tackle has been king lately around 30-40lb floro leaders with around 5ot hooks near shore. 

We are still seeing some nice lane snapper around 60-100 feet of water on light tackle too. Chunks of squid or some shrimp are going well for the lane snapper as well. Plus, out deeper closer to 100ft of water we are seeing some nice vermillion mixed in with the lanes on the hard-bottom areas and ledges. 

Red grouper bite is picking up too around 70-100ft of water. We have had some good catches of red grouper on our private fishing charters and a handful of them on our 10 hour all day as well. Closer you get to the 100 feet mark we are seeing more and more red grouper of larger sizes too. Long squid strips, bonita strips, octopus tentacles and cut plugs of porgies or grunts work well for the red grouper too! 

There are a few mackerel around the beaches and in the near shore waters hunting schools of bait we see from time to time. However, besides these guys not much else is going on near shore. Towards the end of September when the cold fronts start that will mark the start of the fall mackerel run when our kingfish will return near shore. 

Offshore

The offshore mangrove snapper bite has really picked up nicely for us over the past few 39 hours. We are finding them rather good around 100-140 feet of water right now on the light tackle and threadfin chunks using our double snell rigs with around 30-40lb test.

Plus, around that area we are finding some good numbers of red grouper as well. Great time to get out there to these fish this weekend and into the start of next week behind this storm and ahead of the full moon. Like the near shore report, I feel the offshore bottom fishing should be incredible over the weekend. 

Plus, we are seeing some decent amberjack action with some monster gag grouper out deeper too around 150-200 feet of water. Plus, out deep with these big fish we are finding some big vermillion snapper and nice pink porgies.

The big amberjack are loving the big live baits most but some guys are doing well with the vertical jigs too. I like the big, hammered diamond jigs around 6-12oz. 

Pelagic action is going well offshore with some nice blackfin tuna being caught on the trollers and flat lines. Plus, we are finding the occasional kingfish too! The wahoo should be picking up soon and we look forward to a better and better pelagic bite as we progress into September.