Why Tampa Bay is a Snook Fishing Hotspot

Tampa Bay’s mix of shallow grass flats, mangrove shorelines, oyster bars, and deeper channels creates the perfect habitat for snook year-round. These fish thrive in the warm, brackish waters and are especially active during moving tides.

As a native Floridian who has fished these waters for over 30 years, I’ve learned exactly where and when the bite turns on. From Tarpon Springs to Boca Grande, we adapt daily to tides, bait availability, and weather to put you on fish.

Best Time for Snook Fishing in Tampa Bay (2026)

• Spring (March–April): Excellent pre-spawn feeding frenzy.
• Fall (September–November): Snook are aggressive as they feed heavily before cooler months.
• Summer: Strong action around dawn, dusk, and night, though harvest is closed during peak spawning.
• Winter: Tougher conditions, but fish can be found in deeper cuts and rivers on warmer days.

Pro tip: Book your trip around moving tides — incoming or outgoing — for the best results.

What to Expect on a Stealth Fishing Charters Snook Trip

We specialize in light-tackle inshore fishing from a comfortable 22-foot Pathfinder Tournament Edition center console. The boat is clean, stable, and perfect for the skinny waters and flats of Tampa Bay.

Target Species (besides snook):

• Redfish
• Spotted seatrout
• Mangrove snapper
• Mackerel
• Tarpon, cobia, and flounder (seasonally)

We primarily fish with live bait (pinfish, white bait, shrimp) but can switch to artificial lures if you prefer. All tackle and gear are provided — you just bring sunscreen, polarized sunglasses, a hat, and your sense of adventure.

Charter Options:

• 4-hour (half-day)
• 6-hour
• 8-hour (full-day)

Trips are perfect for beginners, kids, families, and experienced anglers alike. I’ve worked with the Florida Fantasy Fishing Camp and love teaching new anglers the ropes.

What’s Included in Your Tampa Bay Fishing Charter

• Expert local knowledge from a captain with decades on the water
• All fishing rods, reels, and terminal tackle
• Live bait
• Ice, bottled water, and drinks
• Fish cleaning for legal keepable catches (following FWC regulations)
• Comfortable, well-equipped boat with plenty of storage

Note: All passengers are covered under our charter boat license — no individual fishing license required.

Tips for a Successful Tampa Snook Fishing Charter

1. Dress appropriately — Quick-dry clothing, non-slip shoes, and plenty of sunscreen.
2. Stay hydrated and bring any personal snacks or medications.
3. Be ready for the fight — Snook hit hard and pull strong toward structure.
4. Practice catch and release — Especially for oversized or spawning fish to protect the fishery.
5. Book early — Peak seasons fill up fast.

Ready to Hook Your Next Trophy Snook?

At Stealth Fishing Charters, we don’t just offer a boat ride — we deliver a real fishing experience with a captain who lives and breathes Tampa Bay. From first-timers to tournament anglers, our goal is simple: put you on fish and make sure you have an absolute blast doing it.

Call or text Capt. Jay Plastic today at 813-494-2048 to book your Tampa Bay inshore fishing charter. Or email Jay@StealthFishingCharters.com.

Limited dates available — don’t wait! Let’s get you on the water for some of the best snook fishing in Florida.

Book Your Tampa Fishing Charter Now → Contact Us

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After catching enough bait for the day, it is off to the fishing spots. During my recent Tampa Fishing Charters we have been catching loads of snook with some redfish and trout mixed in. Snook are in what we call a transition phase which means they are moving out of the back country and heading to the beaches in preparation for the summer spawn. I fished a small beach area yesterday and caught 30+ snook in clear shallow water. We were actually sight casting at snook. Also caught a few redfish in the mix. After catching a bunch of snook, we decided to get some trout. This time of the year the trout are hanging out on the deeper edges of the grass flats. Once we figured out where they were, we probably caught a few dozen fish with the biggest being about 20 inches.

With summer conditions upon us, we like to go early and be back before it gets too hot. Also, the summer storms will be coming soon.

Please call or text Capt Jay at 813-494-2048 to book your Tampa Fishing Charter. We look forward to fishing with you soon.

Also, check out the new web store for Stealth Fishing Charter apparel on the home page.

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Summer Tampa Fishing Charters:

Fishing is absolutely great this summer. My clients are catching many different species during recent Tampa Fishing Charters.  Try fishing the early morning tides due to the extreme heat.  This way you can be back home and sitting in the pool before 1:30.

During a corporate event out of the Getaway this past weekend that I fished with some fantastic. My clients asked if we could cut the trip short due to a heat advisory.

Good Redfish

We managed to catch 6 out of the 13 species that were on the list. I picked up my clients at 9:00am and returned back to the dock by 11:30am. Our first spot yielded good numbers of snook, ladyfish, and catfish.  Our second spot provided plenty of trout with catfish mixed in.  We then decided to try to catch a redfish at the final spot.  We caught one jack crevalle and 9 redfish between 25-30 inches. It ended up being a great morning of fishing and then lunch at the Getaway.

On Sunday I fished with John and his two son’s Wyatt and Ryder. I had a spectacular day with these kids catching snook, trout, reds, catfish, ladyfish, bluefish, and spanish mackerel. Both Wyatt and Ryder caught inshore slams. I believe we caught a total of 4 slams that morning. Wyatt also participated in the Florida Fantasy Fishing Camp this summer. Hopefully I will see both of the young gentlemen during next years camp.

Fall is approaching:

With Fall approaching expect the fishing to continue to get better.  The fish absolutely gets better once the water temperature gets to about 72 degrees.  Should be good numbers of snook transitioning to their winter spots and bigger trout will move onto the flats.  This is one of my favorite times to fish.

Call or text Capt Jay at 813-494-2048 to book your Tampa Fishing Charter or send an email Jay@StealthFishingCharters.com. We look forward to fishing with you soon.

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Snook Fishing Tampa Bay:

Doubled up

During my recent Tampa Fishing Charter, we have been mainly targeting snook as the bite has been awesome.  As always, Capt. Jay starts his mornings early catching plenty of bait for the day.  Fishing has been really good all over Tampa Bay, but I have been fishing some areas with no other boats around.  During a normal spring trip, we have been catching between 30 and 60 snook a day.  Most of these fish are smaller in size, but plenty have been between 26-33 inches with a few over 33 inch fish being caught.  During the low tides, we have been fishing deeper holes and troughs and when the tide starts getting a little higher, we are moving in and fishing by the mangroves.  Due to last years red tide, snook season is temporarily closed in the Tampa region until September.

Trout Fishing Tampa Bay:

While the water was cooler earlier in the spring, we were catching great numbers of large trout (over 20 inches).  The water has warmed up a bit driving the larger trout out of their winter holes.  Recently we have landed lots of undersize trout with a few keepers here and there.  This past weekend however, we caught a 26.5 inch trout.  Due to last years red tide, trout season is still open, but you cannot keep any fish over 20 inches.  Tampa Bay regulations are you can keep four trout per person between 15-20 inches.

Redfish in Tampa Bay:

Matt’s Redfish

The redfish numbers are still low, but recent Tampa Fishing Charters have provided a few fish.  Most fish are smaller, but we have caught plenty that were in the slot range (18-27 inches).  Again, due to the red tide, redfish is temporarily closed in the Tampa region through May (or until the FWC has their next meeting to discuss changes.

During recent tampa fishing charters, we have been catching good numbers of snook, trout, and mangrove snappers. Summer is right around the corner which means terrible heat, but awesome fishing.  Parents don’t forget the Florida Fantasy Fishing Camp is filling quickly.  Be sure to get your kids in on a great fishing week.  As usual, I am on the water early gathering up plenty of bait for us to use.  Normal pickup time is around 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning.  Capt. Jay provides a cooler with ice, waters, and various gatorade type drinks.

To book your Tampa fishing charter, call or text Capt Jay at 813-494-2048 or send me an email Jay@StealthFishingCharters.com. We look forward to fishing with you soon.

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Redfish and Snook Fishing Charters:

Just to keep everyone up to date, the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission) has put a temporary catch and release program in place for snook and redfish through May of 2019. This is due to the first off the red tide that is sweeping through the gulf waters and killing millions of fish and also due to low levels of fish, especially redfish, in our waters.  We can still go out on redfish and snook fishing charters, we just have to practice catch and release.

Redfish Kisses

If you are on the hunt to take some fish home during a snook fishing charter with Capt. Jay, there are still plenty of trout, mackerel, and mangrove snappers to go around.  During our last few trips, clients have come home with a nice bag of fillets for dinner.  I actually went out the other day and kept two mangrove snapper for dinner.  They were very tasty and I think under rated.  We can also still go out and catch snook and reds; however we have to let the go for a while.

Mangrove Snappers

During recent snook fishing charters, we have been catching good numbers of snook, trout, and mangrove snappers. Yesterday we also had a chance at a very nice cobia, but he got away to live another day. Fall weather is right around the corner which means awesome fishing and cool weather.  As usual, I am on the water early gathering up plenty of bait for us to use.  Normal pickup time is around 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning.  Capt. Jay provides a cooler with ice, waters, and various gatorade type drinks.

To book your Tampa fishing charter, call or text Capt Jay at 813-494-2048 or send me an email Jay@StealthFishingCharters.com. We look forward to fishing with you soon.

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Snook Fishing:

During my latest Tampa Fishing Charter, the snook fishing has stayed consistent.  It has been a strange 2018 with many cold fronts coming late.  Water temperatures are staying consistent around 78 degrees which has triggered our summer fishing. Live bait has been the key ingredient.  With the lower tides in the morning, start fishing a little further away from the mangroves and as the tide fills slowly start moving in.

Tripled Up

The snook have been averaging 20-27 inches; however, we have landed recently landed a few that would have made it home for dinner had the season been open.  During my last Tampa Fishing Charter, we hooked into a nice snook that ran straight into the mangroves.  Fortunately my client was able to get her out of the mangroves and land a beautiful 32″ snook. Fortunately for that fish, it was after the May 1st closed season.

Trout Fishing:

During the early part of the afternoon as the tide starts rising, we have fishing deeper holes on the flat and catching good numbers of large trout.  They have been averaging 18-22″ with one being 25.5″.  Of course, you will catch other species in these deeper holes as well, but the trout bite has been pretty good.

Redfish:

Although we are not catching a lot of redfish, we are still able to bring a few fish home for dinner.  During the past week, we have been fishing areas that are loaded with mullet.  The redfish we have been catching are averaging 24″.  There are reports of larger schools roaming the flats, but I have not had the opportunity to fish them.  The word is that if you find the school of fish there will likely be another 10 boats fishing them.

Stealth Fishing Charters merchandise is coming soon thanks to my good friends at MyShirtFund.

To book your Tampa fishing charter, call or text Capt Jay at 813-494-2048 or send me an email Jay@StealthFishingCharters.com. We look forward to fishing with you soon.

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Spring Snook Fishing Tampa Bay:

Enrique, Steve and Danny with a good catch

The Snook Fishing Tampa Bay has been outstanding. Unfortunately we have been dealing with cold fronts and high wind advisories every other week.  I recently had the opportunity to fish with Enrique, Steve, and Dan Vitale of the Cleveland Browns. We started the morning searching for a slot size snook, but only landed some smaller fish. We did have two on the line that might have made the cut, but we lost them at the boat. I decided to move on and try for some trout or redfish. While approaching the spot, I noticed a couple of small reds moving around. We ended up catching two 24″ reds, one nice trout, and a 23″ flounder. This was an absolute great group of guys to fish with. With this cooler weather coming in, I expect the Spring Fishing in Tampa Bay to start heating up and stick around for a while.

Gary and Bill catching nice trout

Spring Trout Fishing:

I recently fished with Gary and Bill on two different trips.  During our first trip we started with snook, but the boys wanted to keep a few trout.  After moving around a few different spot, I finally located the trout.  We ended the day with some nice trout between 18″ and 24″.  About 10 days later, Gary and Bill wanted to go again with another one of their friends.  They mentioned to me that they wanted to catch trout again. We decided to start where we left off the first trip.  As soon as we got the boat in position, we were bringing in trout again between 18″ and 24″.  They got tired of catching trout, so we moved on the snook.

To book your Tampa fishing charter, call or text Capt Jay at 813-494-2048 or send me an email Jay@StealthFishingCharters.com. We look forward to fishing with you soon.

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Trout Fishing:

While on my last Tampa Fishing Charter, the trout bite was pretty good.  The water temperature started to creep up to 66-68 degrees after the last cold front so I decided to go check a out some deep water bait spots in Tampa Bay.  After filling the live well we headed to the first trout spot.  The fish were plentiful, however they were all smaller than the slot size. Spot number two was a different story.  We caught plenty of trout up to 25″.

Stephane with a nice trout

Snook Fishing:

We started to see a lot of snook activity closer to the shore so we moved in for the kill.  It did not take long to start catching snook.  They were all on the small to medium size, but very fun to catch.  When it was all said and done, we probably caught 30-35 snook.  With the water temperature steady climbing, expect the snook bite to stay steady and potentially get better.

ECO Tour:

After catching plenty of fish, we decided to head to the Getaway for lunch. During the cooler months, it is always a good possibility to see manatees.  We were not disappointed.  My client (Steve Broderek) had his Boss Stephane from France who had never caught a snook and had never seen a manatee.  This was all changed on the same day during our recent Tampa Fishing Charter.

Scouting Mission:

I had some time off recently, so I decided to do a little scouting for bait, fish, etc.  The mission paid off as I found bait in a few different places and lots of snook and trout moving into their favorite spring spots.  Spring is my favorite time of the year and the fishing is starting to warm up nicely.  I expect the snook fishing to explode in the next week or so.

Capt. Jay with a nice Cobia

To book your Tampa fishing charter, call or text Capt Jay at 813-494-2048 or send me an email Jay@StealthFishingCharters.com. We look forward to fishing with you soon.

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Overview:

As everyone knows, this latest cold front has changed to outlook for fishing.  Last week we were still netting live bait and catching good numbers of snook and trout.  Now we can plan on stopping by our local bait store for some shrimp in order to catch sheepshead, ladyfish, trout, maybe some smaller redfish, etc.  Basically the Snook Fishing Tampa Bay will come to a halt until the water temperatures climb back up into the upper 60’s.

This is also a good time of the year to maintain your equipment.  Starting with the basics, you can clean and oil your fishing reels and re-spool them if necessary.  Also, take inventory of your tackle and make sure you are prepared for your next season.  This is also a great time to fix any problems with your trailer such as making sure the lights work and filling the hubs with marine grease.  While we are at it, might as well get your boat motor serviced.

Snook Fishing Tampa Bay:

Before this latest cold front, the snook bite was pretty good as long as you could find some live bait.  I recently took out Matt and Ryan along with Matt’s sons Tommy and David.  The morning started a little slow, but we eventually located a bunch of snook and the boys had a blast catching them.

David killing the snook

Tommy’s arms are getting tired

Eco Tour:

With the colder weather coming in, we can always end the trip with a little manatee viewing.  The last time I went by the local power plant we must have counted 50-60 manatees in the area.  There are also plenty of sharks and sting rays to look at while we are there.  Lets hope the weather does not get too cold so we do not loose any fish like we did during the last big cold spell.

To book a charter either call or text Capt. Jay at (813) 494-2048. Also, gift certificates are available for the holiday season. Tight lines and have a wonderful 2018.

Wintertime Manatee

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Winter Fishing:

Due to the last big cold front last week, the water temperature dropped to 59 degrees.  With warmer weather this past week, the water temperature has climbed to the mid 60’s.  That makes this time of the year a good time to start honing your winter fishing skills.  One of the bigger changes is your bait choices.  Using shrimp instead of whitebait and even start using artificial lures.  I like to fish deeper rock piles and docks during the winter.  By doing this you will have the opportunity to catch snook, redfish, trout, sheepshead, snapper, jacks and maybe even pompano.  I like to lighten up on the leader size to 20 lb and also use small hooks and a split shot to keep you bait tight to the bottom.

During the extreme winter low tides, I like to get my waders out and throw artificial lures for trout and redfish.  Everyone has a different bait they like to use which is okay.  I always tell clients to try different colors and sizes and you will come up with what we call a “confidence lure”.  My go to lure happens to be a 1/8 ounce Mission Fishin jig head with a DOA 5″ split tail jig (preferably Arkansas Glow). But again, use whatever lure you like.  Another change I make is the retrieve speed of the lure.  This time of year the fish like a very slow retrieve as you bounce it off the bottom.

Stealth Fishing Merchandise:

Starting the beginning of 2018, please visit the Merchandise section of this site to purchase your Stealth Fishing Charters apparel. You will be able to get shirts, hats, buffs, shorts, etc.

To book a charter either call or text Capt. Jay at (813) 494-2048. Also, gift certificates are available for the holiday season. Tight lines and have a wonderful holiday season.

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