June Fishing forecast tampa Bay

June is fast approaching and with that we can expect towering thunderstorms and daily afternoon westerly sea breezes both of which are welcome in light of the 90 plus degree temperature we will have for the next four months. Just be aware of both the wind and afternoon storms

I like starting my trips earlier and finishing some where around 2:00pm. This way I avoid the storms and can get out of the heat before I melt away.

You know it's tarpon season when you walk out your back door at 5:00 am and you can cut through the air with a knife. June is one of the best tarpon months in west central Florida. Tarpon began showing up on the Southshore area in mid May and will peak in mid June. You can look for tarpon along the outer bar the runs parallel to the shoreline from the mouth of the little Manatee River south to the Skyway Bridge. I like to fish for them using big threadfins or Greenbacks. The bite is early and by 10:00am or so it's over. Make sure you are fishing a moving tide

 
Spanish Mackerel can be found just about anywhere you drop a line from just off the shoreline out to the middle of Tampa Bay. I fish them on a regular basis this time of year. The mackerel bite is strong with long runs and on a good bite we can get 30 or 40 fish to the boat. I fish mackerel with live greenbacks and usually chum with a frozen chum bag.

The Snook bite tends to slow as the month of June progress. Water temperatures begin to approach 90 degrees and snook tend to get a bit sluggish. When I fish snook in mid to late summer I try to fish them very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon. Snook are spawning in the summer months so please be gentle with them. Snook are not my primary target this time of year.

The trout bite should be good in June mostly over deeper grass beds. I like to find grass in the 4-foot plus range and fish the trout with a popping cork. You can fish trout with Shrimp or greenbacks.