The cold winter weather is still hit or miss and fishing around Anna Maria Island is still producing action on the grass flats.
With live shiners still available for bait, inshore anglers are targeting snook, redfish and spotted seatrout over the grass flats in Tampa Bay and south through Sarasota Bay.
To target this inshore trio of flats fish, pick the warmest days between cold fronts for best results. Fishing afternoon tides may be advantageous, as by then the sun has had time to warm the shallows, triggering inshore fish to feed.
You’ll see a difference in how the fish behave when water temps rise — even just a few degrees can make a difference.
This also is prime time to try artificials — top-water plugs or soft plastics — and catching a large snook or redfish on a lure can be rewarding.
Moving offshore, reports of amberjack and blackfin tuna are luring anglers to the Gulf of Mexico. Live bait and artificials are coaxing the high-speed, hard-fighting fish to a taste.
Once your arms are too tired to reel in another tackle-buster, you can target a less-powerful fish, mangrove snapper. Plus, with the snapper you’ll have the ingredients for a fish fry and you may get a surprise and hook into a gag grouper.
On my Just Reel charter trips, I’m targeting the backwater trio — snook, redfish and spotted seatrout. Live shiners work well as bait when on the flats. I’m also carrying live shrimp in case I come across pompano, black drum or sheepshead. Jigging with fresh-cut pieces of shrimp on a jig head lures pompano to bite. Live shrimp on a knocker rig works for the black drum and sheepshead.
Capt. Warren Girl is enjoying action on catch-and-release redfish during negative tides in Sarasota Bay. On super low tides, schools of redfish settle in sandy potholes throughout the flat where the water is slightly deeper. At times, the tide will drop so low the reds are trapped in the hole and must wait until the tide rises to disperse again. Girle is finding this scenario rewarding.
Casting live shrimp into a hole can result in as many redfish as an angler wants. Girle says most catches are 27-30 inches.
Once the tide has risen and the redfish bite is over, Girle takes to targeting pompano on the deeper grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Mixed in with the bite are ladyfish, jack crevalle, bluefish and spotted seatrout. Casting jigs tipped with shrimp or free-lining live shrimp under a cork works to achieve the bite.
Capt. David White is working the inshore waters of Tampa Bay, where the flats yield snook, redfish and some big jack crevalle. The snook and reds react to live shiners as bait. The jacks follow suit, although if you know jacks, you know they’ll hit just about anything moving. Top-water plugs are a favorite when targeting the big jacks.
Fishing along the Gulf beaches also provides action for White’s clients. Casting live shrimp along the shoreline is resulting in sheepshead and black drum. As it is slightly early for the sheepies, White says he’s encouraged to see them and anticipates the bite to get better.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says pier fishers must work a little to get a bite. Live shrimp is working best, yielding action on redfish, black drum and an occasional snook. Malfese says anglers also may encounter a mangrove snapper.
Casting jigs out from the pier works when targeting migratory fish, such as jack crevalle and ladyfish and some random pompano are being caught.
Meanwhile, Capt. Jason Stock is enjoying a mixed bag of species offshore in the Gulf. He’s finding mangrove snapper lurking around any structure, including wrecks, reefs and hard bottom.
For anglers wanting to pull on larger fish, Stock turns them on to fighting amberjack and blackfin tuna — two species guaranteed to wear out arms. Gag grouper also are on the catch list offshore. They are being caught on live pinfish as bait.
On windier days, Stock is fishing inshore structure with good results for anglers. Large snook in residence around the artificial reefs are being caught, as well as large redfish. Stock also is finding mangrove snapper — nice for anglers who want a holiday fish feast.
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