September 2026 Fishing Roundup — Tampa Bay, FL
Two weeks into gag season, the gag grouper bite inside Tampa Bay was still hot on live pinfish and grunts. The season opened September 1 and runs through the 30th, and the start was steady and consistent.
That was the biggest change from August, and three more came with it.
New this month
Gag grouper. The opener Tampa Bay waits all summer for. Gags were the main focus inside the bay for the first half of the month, and our captains called the season "a great run" when it closed. See grouper trips.
Tripletail. By the first week of September the tripletail bite was on. They hold around crab trap buoys, channel markers and floating debris, sitting up near the surface in the shade of whatever is floating. They fight hard all the way to the boat and eat well. To keep one, it has to measure at least 18 inches.
Snook harvest. The fall snook window opened September 1 and runs through November 30, one fish per person between 28 and 33 inches. The bite was strong. See snook trips.
Redfish schools. The reds that were building in August arrived as schools pushing into the bay, gearing up for Red October.
Still going strong
Spanish mackerel. Plentiful schools inside the bay, with jacks and ladyfish mixed in.
Mangrove snapper and white grunt. Filling the cooler between grouper and mackerel bites.
Speckled trout. A solid, reliable option all month.
Sharks. The smaller sharks stayed active after a good August.
Offshore, when the Gulf allowed
Whenever the weather let the boats reach the right structure, red grouper and red snapper were hungry. Mangrove, lane and vermilion snapper cooperated too, which gives an offshore day options when one species is slow.
Offshore trips start past the nine mile line with Capt. Ashmore, six or eight hours from $950, and our captains call it straight when it isn't safe or worth running. See offshore trips.
One trip we'll remember
On September 11, our captains took a group of combat veterans out with Wapiti Combat Veterans Foundation, and they caught plenty of grouper and tripletail. At the end of the day the foundation gave our captains a coin, and a veteran's wife gave them a key ring she'd made by hand. Read about that day.