Best Time to Fish St. Petersburg

When to fish St. Petersburg

Each row is shaded against that species' own best month here, so a dark cell means a good month for that fish rather than a comparison between them.

Common Snook: January poor, February fair, March fair, April good, May peak, June peak, July excellent, August good, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair. Red Drum: January fair, February fair, March fair, April fair, May fair, June fair, July good, August excellent, September peak, October good, November fair, December fair. Spotted Seatrout: January good, February good, March excellent, April excellent, May good, June poor, July poor, August poor, September fair, October good, November excellent, December good. Gray Snapper: January poor, February poor, March fair, April good, May excellent, June peak, July peak, August excellent, September good, October fair, November fair, December poor. Spanish Mackerel: January none, February none, March excellent, April peak, May excellent, June good, July fair, August good, September peak, October peak, November fair, December none. Sheepshead: January excellent, February peak, March peak, April good, May poor, June poor, July poor, August poor, September fair, October fair, November good, December excellent. Gag Grouper: January good, February fair, March fair, April fair, May poor, June fair, July fair, August fair, September good, October excellent, November peak, December excellent. King Mackerel: January none, February none, March fair, April peak, May excellent, June good, July fair, August good, September peak, October peak, November good, December none. Cobia: January none, February poor, March excellent, April peak, May excellent, June good, July fair, August good, September excellent, October peak, November fair, December none. Greater Amberjack: January fair, February good, March excellent, April peak, May good, June fair, July poor, August poor, September fair, October good, November good, December fair. Red Grouper: January excellent, February good, March fair, April fair, May fair, June fair, July fair, August fair, September fair, October excellent, November peak, December excellent. Red Snapper: January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May excellent, June excellent, July excellent, August good, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair.

• Common Snook. Snook are year-round residents of Tampa Bay and St. Pete waters. Abundance in the local fishable waters (passes, beaches, bay) peaks from May through July, when spawning aggregations gather at the passes, beaches and bridges. Numbers taper through fall as fish move back into the bay, then dip in mid-winter as they retreat to rivers, canals and power-plant outflows, with a gradual rebuild as the water warms in March and April.
• Red Drum. Red drum are resident year-round in Tampa Bay and the St. Petersburg flats. In winter, slot fish hold in residential canals, rivers, and deeper potholes but remain present, with a modest rise in spring as they spread back onto the grass flats. The curve peaks from late August through September, when large breeder schools stage at the passes and the mouth of the bay to spawn and are joined by schooling slot fish, then tapers through fall as the spawning aggregations disperse.
• Spotted Seatrout. Spotted seatrout are year-round residents in Tampa Bay and the St. Pete grass flats, so the curve stays broad with no zeros. Concentrations peak on the flats in spring (late March–April) as waters warm and fish stage to spawn. A second peak comes in fall (October–November) when cooling water and bait movements pack fish onto the shallows. Mid-summer heat disperses fish to deeper grass edges and channels, while winter cold fronts consolidate them in canals, residential basins, and deeper holes, keeping winter abundance moderately high.
• Gray Snapper. Gray snapper are resident year-round in Tampa Bay, but abundance on the bay's structure, bridges, and nearshore reefs is lowest in Jan–Feb, when cold fronts push fish to deeper Gulf ledges. Numbers build as water warms through spring. They peak from June through mid-July, when big mangroves stage on reefs and passes for the summer spawn around full moons. Abundance stays high into early fall, then tapers as water cools in November–December.
• Spanish Mackerel. Spanish mackerel flood Tampa Bay and the Pinellas beaches in spring (late March–April) as waters pass about 70°F and scaled sardine and threadfin schools arrive, with a second fall peak in October–early November on the southbound migration. Fish remain fairly common through the hot summer around passes and the Skyway, then most move south in winter, leaving only small numbers during warm spells.
• Sheepshead. Sheepshead are year-round residents around St. Petersburg's bridges, docks, seawalls and the Skyway, but they aggregate heavily in winter. Numbers peak from late January through mid-March as fish stack on nearshore structure, passes and channel edges for spawning. Through summer some adults disperse to offshore reefs and deeper structure, so inshore presence dips to a steady low but never disappears, then builds again as water cools in fall.
• Gag Grouper. Gag are resident year-round in St. Petersburg waters, so the curve never drops to zero. The peak runs from October through December. Falling water temperatures in fall push gag shallow onto nearshore ledges, rock piles and bridge structure, which puts the most fish within local waters. Abundance dips modestly from late winter into spring as adults move offshore to spawning aggregations, and stays lower through summer while many larger fish hold in deeper, cooler water before the fall inshore migration builds.
• King Mackerel. King mackerel off St. Petersburg are strongly bimodal. The spring run peaks in late March through April as fish migrate north and water warms past about 70°F with the arrival of scaled sardines and threadfins. The fall run peaks from mid-September through October as fish move back south. Summer holds fewer resident fish, mostly offshore on wrecks and ledges, and in winter most kings retreat to South Florida and the Keys, leaving only a trace presence in deep water.
• Cobia. The biggest peak comes in March–April, when the spring migration pushes cobia north along the Pinellas coast and fish follow rays and bait into Tampa Bay as the water passes about 68°F. Many fish stay through summer around wrecks, reefs, markers and bridges. A second peak follows in October–November on the southbound fall run before winter cold drops numbers, leaving a resident remnant on deep structure and near warm-water outflows.
• Greater Amberjack. Amberjack are resident year-round on offshore wrecks, reefs and ledges out of St. Pete. Abundance peaks in March–April, when fish aggregate on structure to spawn and gulf temperatures sit in their preferred range. Numbers dip modestly in midsummer as fish disperse deeper to escape warm water, then rebuild in fall as temperatures cool and baitfish concentrate.
• Red Grouper. Red grouper are year-round residents on the hard bottom off St. Petersburg, so they are never absent. The curve is highest from late fall through early winter, when cooling water pushes fish onto nearer ledges at 40–100 ft. It dips moderately through spring and summer, when warm nearshore water and the late-winter/spring spawn shift many fish to deeper offshore grounds.
• Red Snapper. Red snapper are resident year-round on offshore reefs, ledges and wrecks west of St. Petersburg, typically in 80–200+ ft, so there are no true zero weeks and the curve stays near baseline. Abundance on accessible structure rises through spring as fish move shallower with warming water. It peaks late May through July during the spawning aggregation period (roughly May–September) and tapers through fall into winter, when some fish shift to deeper water.

Common questions about St. Petersburg