Best Times & Seasons to Fish in St. Petersburg & Tampa

St. Petersburg & Tampa are overlooked fishing Florida fishing spots, but can actually offer some of the best fishing in Florida throughout the year. Knowing the best time of year to fish these rich waters can make a huge difference.

The best fishing times for Tampa & St. Petersburg are from May through early September for king mackerel, grouper, permit, tarpon, snook, and redfish. Winter is typically the slowest fishing season in these coastal waters.

Fish Species	Best Times to Fish Tampa & St. Petersburg
King Mackerel	Available year-round; summer until early September is the best time.
Tarpon	May through August is the best fishing season for local tarpon.
Snook	May through August is the best fishing time for snook in these waters.
Redfish	Available year-round; April until early September is the best time.
Grouper	June through October is the best fishing season for grouper.
Permit	Summer is the best season with mornings being especially good.

Known for its city life, Tampa’s fishing can sometimes be overshadowed. This doesn’t mean it’s bad, just less competition for you when you’re out on the water. The fishing here can be great if you’ve done your research and prepared properly.

Tampa offers a very diverse and complex area that is an anglers heaven. With two major bays, Tampa Bay and the smaller Old Tampa Bay, there is plenty of inshore fishing available. 

Best Time to Fish St. Petersburg & Tampa

Late spring through early fall offers great fishing in this area, there are quite a few species moving north with the warming water.

Most of the fish will be migrating from the area between the Keys and Fort Myers. Usually, fish will be in the bays at this time and somewhat close to shore during these times, making inshore fishing spectacular.

Species of St. Petersburg & Tampa: Best Times

Tarpon

Huge tarpon will start to spawn in Tampa Bay at the start of May and stay there until mid to late July. Usually, tarpon will follow the tides, so during high tide, look for them closer to shore and for low tide look for them a little further out roaming for food.

Tarpon live in very clear and clean water, making fishing for them a challenge. They will bite on dead or alive bait, flies, or lures, but if your presentation is off, you won’t have much luck.

You should use monofilament and try to cast past them and bring the bait in front of its face. Pinfish, crab, and other common baitfish in the area are solid go-to-baits.

You’ll find most tarpon on the flats. As mentioned before, they’ll follow the tides to find food, so paying attention to tides is very important when tarpon fishing.

You can find tarpon on grassy flats, artificial wrecks, and sometimes further offshore as well, but the most productive areas will be in the flats. Anna Maria Island is a hot spot during this time, known as one of the best tarpon spots in the world.

Snook

Snook fishing in Tampa can be a great time, you can usually expect to get the most during late spring and summer. Big snook can be caught at almost any time of the year, but fall brings around some monsters. They are feeding a lot to stock up for the winter.

Snook will bite on a lot of different baits, the most productive being pinfish, shrimp, and grunts. Rigging them with a small amount of weight and working them back somewhat slowly through the middle of the water column can produce a lot of snook.

Snook like current and cover. The fish will be looking for schools of baitfish that are moving with the tides, so getting your bait in the channel they’re hunting is important. You can also find them in inlets and any other channel in the area.

Redfish

Redfish are available year-round in Tampa, but usually, fishing is much better from early spring through fall. They still are in the area during winter, but are more scattered, feeding less, and move a bit deeper than normal.

Redfish will be active all day but will switch spots based on the tides and sun. If it’s high tide and high sun, they’ll go under docks. During low tide and low sun, they might run out to a deeper structure for a bit.

Redfish will bite on anything that is natural to the area. Shrimp, pinfish, and ladyfish are go-to baits for anglers in the area. Rig your bait with weight appropriate to the depth and current you are fishing and let it sit. 

Redfish love docks. You can fish the docks in the area almost like you are largemouth fishing, just with live bait. Cast as close as you can get or under the dock and let it sit for a few minutes and you should get a bite.

You’ll want to use heavier equipment while fishing docks, as a big redfish, can easily run back under the dock and break you off. They also like grassy flats and mangroves for the same reason, they like the cover.

Kingfish

Kingfish start their run into the bay during spring, huge kings will start flooding the bays looking for food. Usually, you can catch kingfish all day long, as they generally live in deeper water and aren’t affected by the sun as much as a mainly inshore fish would be. 

Trolling is a popular tactic for anglers going for kingfish. A deep-diving silver crankbait is all you need. If you’re looking to use live bait, pinfish, herring or other local baitfish are a good bet. Use a heavy line with a steel leader and you can either use a float or flat line. 

Kingfish tend to live around artificial wrecks and reefs. A good way to find kingfish is by finding Spanish Mackerel. They both live in relatively similar areas, but Spanish Mackerel usually bite quicker than kingfish.

Grouper

Grouper season in Tampa generally runs from June 1^st through the end of the year. Grouper fishing is closed in January and February to let them spawn.

Grouper fishing is best in the morning when the water is beginning to warm up and the tide is changing. With all that being said, spring is the best season for grouper as they are both in season and harvestable, other than goliaths.

Using large baitfish on heavy equipment is a must for grouper. Grouper eat a lot and they won’t waste their time on smaller bait. You’ll need plenty of weight to get your bait down to the wreck or reef you’re fishing, from there it’s just a waiting game. Grouper are bottom feeders, so you won’t need to move your bait much.

Grouper love structure. The best way to get them is by fishing wrecks, reefs, and bridge pillars. The fish are known for biting hard and immediately heading back into cover, so heavy equipment is a must-have for these fish. The tide has less of an impact on grouper but does impact them some.

They will be on the bottom, no matter the tide, but if the tide is changing, they will already be looking for food as the current brings it past them, making it the best time to get them.

Permit

Permit fishing is great in the morning, usually, they’ll want to feed before the water warms up too much. Permit are a year-round fish in Tampa, and put up a great fight, making them one of the most sought out fish in the area.

Chumming is a popular tactic for permits. Blue crabs, shrimp, and sand fleas are great options. Permit like to get their bait from the sand and have the jaw to be able to crush these bait, but their bites are generally pretty soft, so it might be a good idea to not use a rod holder.

Permit can be found in a couple of different areas. The main ones are inshore on the flats and offshore wrecks. They’ll roam the flats for food, so sight-fishing for them is a fun option for catching them.

They tend to stick to sandy flats compared to grassy ones as they’ll look in the sand for crab and other food.

Recommended Fishing Charters near St. Petersburg

These St. Petersburg-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.

Recommended Fishing Charters	Type of Fishing Offered
Chasin’ Tail Fishing Charters	Inshore & Offshore
High Class Hooker Charters – Sarasota	Inshore & Nearshore
Leisure Life Charters	Inshore & Offshore
Deep Color Fishing	Inshore & Offshore
Outlaw Gunner Charters	Inshore & Offshore

Best Time of Day to Fish St. Petersburg & Tampa

Fishing Tampa in the morning will offer you the best opportunity for catching as many fish as possible. Most fish will be out of cover and roaming for food, making them easier to find.

As always, the tide will affect this, if it’s peak low tide in the morning, fishing might be somewhat slow until the tide begins to rise again.

Fishing at dusk is good as well, when the winds start to settle and the sun starts to set, fish will be more willing to roam around to look for food.

Tidal Impacts on St. Petersburg & Tampa Fishing

Tides are a very important aspect of saltwater fishing. The times approaching high tide through the time when it’s just starting to go back down are your best bets.

The fish like the moving, clean water as it makes baitfish move out in the open more. High tide also brings in more oxygenated water, making the fish more energized and ready to feed.

Affect of Rain and Tropical Storms on Fishing in St. Petersburg & Tampa

This area has its fair share of history with tropical storms, as do most coastal cities in Florida. These storms can be devastating to the area and make fishing nearly impossible.

Before a storm, there will be lots of wind and rain, pushing the fish to deeper water, away from those conditions. After a storm, things will gradually return to normal but it might take a while for the fish to return to their normal habits.

Night Fishing in St. Petersburg & Tampa

Night fishing in this area can be a great experience, the fish are very active in the bay because of all of the artificial light. This makes it so that fish can see bait a lot better and can feed more efficiently at night compared to places with fewer lights.

Fishing with any oily or smelly baitfish works great at night. Shrimp is also a viable option, either way, you’ll be able to pull up plenty of fish with barely any competition from other anglers.

Shore & Surf Fishing in St. Petersburg/Tampa

There are plenty of spots to fish from shore in this area, from piers to jetties to beaches, you’ll be able to find enough spots to keep you busy your whole life if you want to.

If you’re casting into bigger water, using a heavy surf setup with a live baitfish will produce a lot of fish for you, if you’re planning on fishing smaller spots, a lighter setup can work great for species like snook or smaller snapper.

The area might seem intimidating at first with all of those spots, but wherever you go, you won’t be very far from catching a fish.

Best Fishing Spots in St. Petersburg & Tampa

Surf/Shore Fishing

Fort Desoto

Usually known for its beaches, Fort Desoto is located on St Jean key, a key just south of St. Petersburg. The park offers 2 fishing piers surrounded by crystal clear water. You can find any kind of fish mentioned before at this spot.

Using a bait that works for multiple kinds of fish is a great way to catch a variety of fish. You can try pinfish, shrimp, crab, herring, or any other local bait from a bait shop nearby.

Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier Park

This spot has two miles of fishing piers for you to fish from. Offering all of the local favorite species, tarpon, snook, cobia, etc.

The park is open every day, 24 hours a day, but there is a small admission fee. This spot is so good because it’s located just south of St. Petersburg, right as the bay opens up to larger water. Fishing this spot in the morning as fish move from deep to shallow is a great approach.

Ballast Point Park

Located on the south side of Tampa, this park offers a 600-foot fishing pier that is free, open 24/7, and well-lit, making night fishing a good option here.

You can expect to find a good amount of sea trout, redfish and snook here. Shrimp, poppers, pinfish, and other small baitfish are good options for bait here which can be found at the bait shop at the park. 

In-shore

Old Tampa Bay

Old Tampa Bay is right between Tampa and St. Petersburg, making it one of the most popular areas to fish in the area. You can fish docks, bridge pillars, grassy flats or go out towards the middle to find wrecks. You can find all of the normal inshore species including trout, redfish, and snook.

Fishing this area during high tide or early in the morning is your best option as the fish will start to be more active. Old Tampa Bay also offers great night fishing with all of the artificial light coming from the city.

Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay is the biggest bay on this list, offering every species in the area. There is a large channel that runs through the middle of the bay, acting as a highway for fish.

Most fish in the area will find themselves using it at some point or another, including baitfish, making it a top hunting area for predators. If you’re fishing in the channel, tides and time of day will have less of an impact, but if you’re closer to shore try to avoid the high sun and low tide.

Anna Maria

Anna Maria is an island located south of St. Petersburg, it is known as one of the best spots in the world for tarpon. Big tarpon start to migrate toward the island as the water starts to warm up in spring.

You can also find excellent redfish and permit fishing here as well. The island is located right on the edge of where Tampa Bay meets the Gulf, giving you plenty of opportunities for both inshore and offshore fishing in the area.

Off-shore

Going offshore in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area can be a worthy investment. There are so many great areas around here that hold huge fish, whether you’re going for goliath grouper, kingfish, or shark, you’ll be able to find fish here.

Unless if you have a boat or know someone with one, you’ll need to book a charter for this. Charter captains will usually set up around offshore wrecks and reefs. If you find a charter that knows what they’re doing, the fish you catch will make up for every penny spent.

For a complete breakdown of the best fishing times for Jacksonville, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best fishing times for redfish in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best fishing times for tarpon in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

For a complete breakdown of the best fishing times for grouper in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best fishing times for snook in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best fishing times for St. Augustine, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Tierra Verde, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

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