Find your way out of the wind to find the fish
Despite having a string of windy days, fishing around Anna Maria Island remains consistently good — if you know where to look.
Finding clean or semi-clear water is a way to start. Strong winds and choppy waters stir up the water with waves and current, which brings sand and sediment from the bottom into the water column,
The result is cloudy or muddy water. I find fishing in these areas can be challenging and I usually set out to find cleaner water — which usually results in finding fish.
This is quite apparent when targeting pompano along the beaches. Incoming tides and clear water are resulting in rallies of the tasty, hard-fighting fish. Waters that are cloudy and churned up are only producing a stray bite here and there. Small jigs tipped with shrimp or a shrimp on a half-ounce knocker rig are resulting in bites. Also present are numerous ladyfish, jack crevalle and blue runners. Less numerous, but present, are flounder, sheepshead and permit.
Reef and wreck fishing are holding strong on days when the Gulf is calm. Venturing out to depths of 30-40 feet, I’m finding a consistent mangrove snapper bite. You can catch the snapper on shrimp or shiners as bait, but due to the abundance of spot tail pins and tomtates on the reefs, I suggest shiners as the bait of choice. The shrimp typically get nibbled by small “bait stealers” before they even reach the bottom. Shiners can last a little longer, just enough time for a mangrove snapper to discover them. Along with snapper, my clients are reeling up flounder, Key West grunts and juvenile grouper.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says pier fishers using live shrimp are catching a variety of species. Flounder, sheepshead and black drum are being taken by bottom fishing with shrimp. Casting weighted rigs under the pier deck and around the pilings is resulting in keeper-sizes of all three species mentioned. Mangrove snapper and the occasional redfish are included in this bite.
Pier fishers in search of migratory fish, such as ladyfish, jack crevalle and mackerel, are casting small speck rig jigs tipped with bits of fresh-cut shrimp. Casting these jigs and retrieving them slowly so they bounce along the sandy bottom is resulting in steady action when schools of fish are present. Fishing this method also can result in pompano, bluefish and flounder.
Capt. Aaron Lowman is targeting migratory fish such as kingfish and mackerel on his charters. By venturing out in the Gulf to depths of 40-50 feet, where hard bottom is present, Lowman is finding 20-pound kings. Free-lined live shiners on a 4/0 long shank hook are attracting a bite. When at anchor, Lowman is employing the use of a chum bag. This adds scent to the water as the small particles of chopped-up fish float back in the current, attracting small bait fish, such as cigar minnows, that bring out bigger predators — kingfish and Spanish mackerel.
Reef fishing is proving successful for Lowman. By anchoring on reefs in the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, Lowman is finding mangrove snapper, red and gag grouper and flounder. All three species are being taken on live pinfish or shiners fished on the bottom with a weighted rig, such as a knocker or fish-finder rig.
Capt. Warren Girle is working nearshore and offshore structure for mangrove snapper, where he’s finding numerous juvenile grouper, Key West grunts and flounder in the mix. Live shrimp or shiners dropped on or near the bottoms are producing a bite.
While on hard bottom, Girle is putting clients on kingfish with some consistency. Free-lined live shiners with or without a wire rig are being eaten. While targeting kings, Spanish mackerel and bonito are being reeled to the boat by Girle’s anglers.
Finally, on the flats of Sarasota Bay, Girle is employing the technique of drifting and jigging. This method allows fishers to cover a large amount of territory, which in theory should increase the catch. The more fish you put your bait in front of, the better your chances of catching something. By using small jigs tipped with shrimp, Girle is putting his clients on pompano, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle. Ladyfish are included — and in abundance, too.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.