FISHING @ SANDBAR VACATION RENTALS

St. Joseph Sound is indeed one of the most productive Florida Suncoast fishing locations. Situated along the North Pinellas coast, it’s a huge estuary stretching from Dunedin Causeway to Anclote Key providing an ideal habitat for just about every kind of popular inshore gamefish.

The barrier islands of Anclote Key and Honeymoon Island are mangrove-lined fish havens with labyrinthine cuts and channels attracting several popular shallow-water species.

Along the Intracoastal Waterway are a series of very productive spoil islands, created by dredging to make the channel. Those spoils are giant fish magnets that attract several seasonal species throughout the year.

In cooler months, giant schools of larger “gator trout” show up to spawn around these spoils. This attracts not only local anglers but a legion of fishing guides from all over the region eager to get their clients some larger winter trout.

Also in the winter months, the deeper flats hold schools of active silver trout, feeding on the morsels of bait dropping out of the stone crab traps. These trout aren't an easy catch and are gone as soon as the crab traps are removed.

With warmer months and warmer water, redfish and snook begin coming out of their winter haunts.  These species are likely found scouring around barrier islands or cruising the passes of Honeymoon Island and Anclote Key.

According to top kayak guide Neil Taylor,  the constant tidal flow is another element that draws the abundant schools of fish to St. Joseph Sound. “Thanks to Hurricane Pass just on the other side of the sound, another flushing area up north of Honeymoon Island, as well as the swash channels at Anclote key, anglers enjoy constant water flow. Just look at the tide charts and you’ll find that tidal movement in the sound is invariably better than many other Tampa Bay locations.”

Another important attribute is the almost endless grasses that provide the ideal habitat for all kinds of forage species, such as small baitfish, crabs, and shrimp that constantly move in and out from the Gulf of Mexico. And of course, where there’s food, there will be hungry game fish.

The acres of deep grasses hold lots of fish. But it’s those shallower locations around the many islands where we find the most action. In the winter months, it’s trout catching time. When the weather warms, snook and redfish, along with flounder, pompano, bluefish, sharks, and other gamefish moves in to make St. Joseph Sound up a virtual year ‘round cornucopia of great fishing action.

In spring, it’s not uncommon to catch some frisky Spanish mackerel and even the occasional kingfish right in the flats. “If the baitfish are big enough and you have light winds out of the east for a period of time, you could very well hook a hefty kingfish inside the Honeymoon Island-Anclote Key triangle,” said Taylor.

Giant tarpon is another warm water visitor there. They can be found cruising the deeper flats, feeding on the abundant baitfish and small trout.

But according to Neil Taylor, it’s the massive schools of redfish that are still the biggest draw on a year ‘round basis. They stack up along the endless mangrove and oyster-lined edges around the islands.

“Three Rooker Bar is another great snooking location and a bit more remote so you’re out of range of most kayak anglers,” advised Taylor. “But a shallow water boat can go into Three Rooker and target the many schools of snook that are in.” Yet there are plenty of reachable and fishy locations for the paddler crowd. Along the eastern shores of the sound are miles of docks and inlets that hold a great variety of species.

Up toward the northern reaches of St. Joseph Sound is Fred Howard Park, providing an excellent and productive land-based location for wade fishers. The park is also surrounded by acres of lush grasses which can be very productive for drift fishing.

Is it any wonder then that those who have discovered the joys of fishing St. Joseph Sound would like to keep it their little secret? Certainly, when you have such a great and abundant venue, there’s no way of preventing the word from getting out. Instead, we can do our part to help maintain good levels of fish there. As the saying goes – ”keep  only what you need for dinner and put the rest back.” Also, safely release the big breeders. Crimp down barbs on all your hooks and try to get your catch back in the water without touching them.