Redfish are making their presence known around the bay area and West Coast.

   Good sized schools have been reported in Upper Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, Ft. Desoto, The Bulkhead and Sarasota Bay.

   Capt. Brian Caudill reports good reds in the no motor zones at Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands. Live white bait has been working well, but the go to bait has been fresh cut pinfish.

   In the Homosassa and Crystal River area redfish are biting well on the incoming tide. Look around the Spoil Banks and the St. Martin Keys for big roaming schools of reds. Capt. William Toney has been having good luck on gold spoons and live shrimp under a clicking cork.

   Capt. Billy Miller and charter jumped 4 tarpon and landed 3 on white bait during a morning trip. After lunch, limit trout catches were had with some big Spanish mackerel and flounder mixed in.

   I ventured out to the blue water off Boca Grande and had mixed results. The billfish and pelagics were hard to find. We caught some nice little tunnys, a 30-40 pound barracuda and had a sailfish in the baits with no hook up.

  As we were trolling in 150 feet of water we ran over some good hard bottom and anchored on it. Using live cigar minnows and pinfish we caught mangrove snapper, American red and Lane snapper with a few scamp and 1 big red grouper.

   Jimmy and Marti Hall fishing with Capt. Jack Bylaska had a good day on reds, snook and trout in Charlotte Harbor. Bylaska said that the snook fishing in the harbor is as good as pre freeze times with many snook over 40 inches.