Great fishing: How long will it last? Will it last?
Fishing is so good, they’re nearly jumping in the boat.
Yes, for yet another week, fishing around Anna Maria Island remains consistently good on the flats and on ventures out to the nearshore reefs and wrecks.
Live bait fishing with shiners and pinfish is proving prosperous for a variety of fish.
In the backcountry, snook fishing is still consistent, but you only have a few more days before snook season closes May 1. Even so, you can’t deny that hunting and catching snook is invigorating, even when you have to release them. Rallies of 20 snook within an hour are attainable — if you’re lucky, that is.
Spotted seatrout are keeping flats fishers occupied. Limits of fish 15-22 inches are common throughout the deeper grass flats of Terra Ceia and Sarasota bays. Free-lined live shiners as bait are top producers — if you can get them. If not, topwater plugs at dawn can be deadly, especially for hooking up a gator trout.
Moving into the Gulf of Mexico, fishing structure is still a good way to catch some nice mangrove snapper. I’m seeing fish up to 20 inches hitting free-lined baits and baits fished on the bottom. Try using a frozen chum bag to get things going. Then when you see the snapper rising in the chum, start free-lining fresh-cut chunks in the tide. If that doesn’t work, a knocker rig should get the job done.
Migratory fish — kingfish and Spanish mackerel — are patrolling the nearshore reefs. Free-line some big baits such as cigar minnows, large shiners or blue runners, behind the boat and see what happens. Make sure your reel has plenty of line capacity as some on the kings are in the 40-pound class.
Finally, keep your eyes peeled for cobia, especially as you pull up to a new spot. These curious fish are milling around artificial reefs and wrecks just waiting for you to cast a bait in their face, and shiners, pinfish or threadfins will do the trick.
Capt. Warren Girle is fishing the flats of Sarasota Bay in search of redfish. Let’s just say the search is over. Girle is catching schooling reds on shallow flats during the high tides. Most fish in the school are over-slot — ranging 30-32 inches. Live shiners are attracting a bite, as is cut bait and artificials such as Berkley Gulp! Although no keeper reds are being pulled out of the school, who cares? Just getting the chance to catch trophy-size redfish is the reward.
Spotted seatrout are being caught throughout the vast flats of Sarasota Bay. Girle is free-lining live shiners and drifting deep grass flats to find success. Slot and over-slot trout are readily taking baits, which is making limits of fish easily attainable. Mixed in with the trout are ladyfish, jack crevalle and bluefish.
Moving offshore, Girle is catching a variety of migratory species. While anchoring over hard bottom at depths of 30-60 feet, Girle is finding kings and macks ravenously eating any bait crossing their path. Kings up to 30 pounds are being caught, as well as many 15-20 pounds. As for the Spanish, 3-5 pounders are common.
Girle is finding cobia around reefs and wrecks in depths of 40-50 feet. Keeper-size fish of 36-40 inches are being caught on live shiners, pinfish and cigar minnows.
Fishing wrecks and reefs also is resulting in catch-and-release gag grouper and plenty of undersized red grouper. Both species of grouper are being caught on live pinfish or shiners combined with a bottom rig.
Lastly, mangrove snapper are still hot around structure in the Gulf. Fish 15-20 inches are hooking up on free-lined shiners or shiners combined with a knocker rig.
Capt. Rick Gross of Fishy Business Charters is working offshore structure, which is providing sizzling action on king mackerel. Fish ranging 15-30 pounds are being caught on free-lined live shiners. Long shank hooks tied to 40-pound fluorocarbon are the rigs Gross suggests. Using wire is counter-productive, because the kings spot the rig and turn away from the bait. While targeting kings, Gross said his clients are catching blue runners, jack crevalle and some of the biggest Spanish mackerel he’s ever seen.
On trips in the Gulf, Gross is targeting mangrove snapper. By anchoring over structure, Gross is chumming the snapper to the surface and then free-lining live or fresh-cut shiners to entice a bite. Not only is this method productive, it’s visual as well. There’s nothing better than watching a 20-inch snapper eat your bait 5 feet below the surface of the water. Limits of snapper in the 12-20-inch range are being caught in this manner.
Moving inshore, Gross is targeting snook, especially during afternoon high tides. Live shiners, free-lined over grass flats and close to oyster beds are resulting in slot and over-slot snook. The over-slot fish are reaching sizes of 40 inches. Schooly snook are also being caught, often creating rallies of 10-20 catches in under and hour.
Capt. Aaron Lowman at Island Discount Tackle in Holmes Beach is fishing nearshore and offshore structure with great results. He’s finding king mackerel eager for cigar minnows in depths of 30-50 feet of water. Live free-lined shiners are producing a bite. Mixed in with the kings are Spanish mackerel, bonito and blacktip sharks. All of these fish provide excellent action on medium/heavy tackle with drag-screaming runs and a fight that lasts to the end.
Mangrove snapper are being caught on structure in the Gulf. By hanging a frozen chum bag from the transom of the boat, Lowman attracts these curious fish to the surface. Once he has a captive audience of snapper, he feeds them live or fresh-cut pieces of white bait on a 1/0 circle hook. This method is resulting in snapper up with 18 inches with bigger fix mixed in.
Moving inshore, Lowman is finding limits of spotted seatrout over deeper grass flats. By anchoring and chumming, Lowman gets the fish in the mood to bite. Once they are feeding, free-lined shiners are attracting the bite. Slot-size fish are coming to the boat with frequency, resulting in limits of these tasty spotted fish.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier is seeing impressive numbers of Spanish mackerel being caught. Bait schools gathering around the pier are attracting the voracious predators within casting distance of eager pier fishers. Gotcha plugs or speck rigs in pink or white are getting the mack’s attention. Mixed in with the macks are jack crevalle and ladyfish.
Flounder are being caught by pier fishers using live shrimp as bait. Small over-weighted rigs cast under the pier are resulting in flounder up to 14 inches. Mixed in with the flounder bite is the occasional black drum or sheepshead.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.