St Petersburg Inshore Fishing Adventure
Looking for some serious action on Tampa Bay's legendary waters? Captain and crew at Reel Lucky Fishing Charters have been putting anglers on fish for years, and their 6 and 8-hour inshore trips are exactly what you need to get your line tight. Whether you're a weekend warrior or someone who's never held a rod, these St Petersburg waters will give you stories to tell for years. The fall bite is on fire right now, and with cooler weather rolling in, the fish are more active than they've been all summer. Plus, it's prime tripletail season – and if you've never sight-fished for these unique flatfish, you're in for something special.
What to Expect on the Water
Your day starts early, meeting the crew at the dock before sunrise when the water's still glass and the fish haven't been pressured yet. The Reel Lucky Too is set up perfectly for inshore work – shallow draft, quiet trolling motor, and all the tackle you'll need to handle everything from finicky snook to bull redfish. You'll spend your time working the flats, mangrove shorelines, and nearshore structure where Tampa Bay's best gamefish live and feed. The beauty of these longer trips is you're not rushed – when you find active fish, you can work them properly. When one spot goes quiet, there's plenty of time to move and find the next school. Your captain knows these waters like the back of his hand, reading the tides, wind, and bait to put you on the most productive water throughout the day.
Techniques and Tackle
Inshore fishing around St Petersburg is all about adapting to conditions and what the fish want on any given day. You'll be throwing live bait like shrimp, pinfish, and scaled sardines around structure and drop-offs where grouper and snapper stack up. For the tripletail action, it's all about sight-fishing – scanning the surface for those distinctive fins as they lay on their sides under floating debris or markers. The crew will have you rigged with medium spinning tackle and baitcasting setups, perfect for handling 20-30 pound fish without being too heavy for the smaller stuff. When targeting snook around the mangroves, you'll be pitching jigs and live bait right into the roots where these ambush predators wait. For redfish on the flats, it's often about working topwater plugs or soft plastics in skinny water where you can see their copper backs cruising. The boat carries everything from light tackle for sheepshead to heavy gear if a big cobia or shark shows up – and trust me, they do.
Customer Stories
"My son and I had an incredible trip with Real Lucky and Captain and mate and of course Batman thanks again for a wonderful day on the water" - Bob
Species You'll Want to Hook
Snook are the crown jewel of Florida inshore fishing, and Tampa Bay holds some of the state's best populations. These bronze-backed fighters love structure – docks, mangroves, bridges, and oyster bars where they can ambush baitfish. Fall is prime time because they're feeding heavily before winter, and you'll find them in 2-6 feet of water along the shorelines. What makes snook special isn't just their acrobatic fights, jumping clear of the water when hooked, but their pickiness. They'll follow a lure for 50 feet before deciding whether to eat, making every hookup feel earned. The slot limit keeps the fishery healthy, so you'll see fish from schoolie 15-inchers up to monsters pushing 35 pounds.
Sheepshead are the ultimate test of an angler's finesse, and the structure around St Petersburg holds plenty of these black-and-white striped tricksters. They've got human-like teeth for crushing barnacles and crabs, which means they can steal your bait without you feeling a thing. Fall and winter are peak seasons when they school up around bridges, docks, and rock piles. What anglers love about sheepshead fishing is the challenge – it takes skill to detect their subtle bite and quick reflexes to set the hook before they drop your offering. Plus, they're excellent table fare, with sweet white meat that rivals any fish in the bay.
Redfish are Tampa Bay legends, and for good reason. These copper-colored bruisers patrol the flats year-round, but fall brings some of the best action as they school up for their spawning runs. You'll find them tailing in shallow water, their distinctive black spots visible as they root around oyster bars and grass flats. What makes reds so popular is their willingness to eat almost anything – live bait, artificials, topwater plugs – and their bulldog fights that test your drag and arm strength. The slot limit means most fish you'll catch are perfect eating size, around 18-27 inches, though you might hook into an oversized bull that'll make you question your tackle choices.
Cobia are the wildcards of Tampa Bay, showing up when you least expect them and disappearing just as quickly. These brown sharks with attitude cruise the flats and nearshore waters, often mistaken for sharks until they turn and show their distinctive white bellies. Spring through fall offers the best shots, especially around rays and other bottom-disturbing marine life they follow for easy meals. What gets anglers excited about cobia is their size – most fish run 20-40 pounds – and their surprising speed and power. They're curious fish that will often approach the boat, giving you shots with sight-fishing techniques that make every encounter feel like a hunt.
Tripletail are Tampa Bay's quirkiest gamefish, and fall is absolutely prime time for these flatfish that look like floating debris until they come alive on your line. They lay on their sides under anything that floats – crab traps, markers, weed lines – perfectly camouflaged until you learn to spot their fins. What makes tripletail fishing so addictive is the sight