Joe Island/Joe Bay - no ordinary "Joe"

Those of you who follow our Tracker Charts for Tampa Bay may see Joe Bay and Joe Island often appear as hot spots for catches of snook, reds and trout at the base of the causeway on the south end of the Skyway Bridge. Here you get a good look at why. You will see the deep channel at about the center of the picture and this is the main feature of the area. It is a refuge for fish when the tide is down and as the water rises, they spread out on the flats surrounding it.
The island itself has lots of mangrove shoreline to fish and deeper pockets offer a ton on opportunity if you like to pound shorelines with artificials. Also notice the bar and trough that run between it and and island north facing. This is a fish highway.
As you can see you are not far from the south end of the Skyway Bridge, a popular fishing area and place to catch live bait.
Spend some time around Joe Island and you will see for yourself why this is a Tampa Bay hotspot.