As we enter the second week of March, Anna Maria Island fishing possibilities seem endless.
Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 60s, prime temps to catch sheepshead. The fish are nearing the end of their spawn, which leads me to believe the bite soon will end.
But not yet.
Plenty of sheepies are feeding heavily, taking offerings of live shrimp, fiddler crabs and sand fleas from a hook. Other species, including mangrove snapper, black drum, whiting, redfish and pompano, are being caught on live shrimp, too. And, if you’re lucky, you may stumble across a few snook that would like to have some shrimp for a meal.
And the season to harvest snook is open — north of the Manatee Avenue/Anna Maria Island Bridge — and will remain open through April 30. Springtime fishing for linesiders is just beginning and, so far, they are cooperating nicely. These fish are venturing out of their wintertime haunts and onto the flats to feed. Casting live shiners as bait is working well. Artificials — soft plastics on a jighead or lipped plugs — are producing action.
Another springtime opportunity not to be missed is spotted seatrout, which can be found bunching up on grass flats and in sandy potholes throughout the flats. Live shiners, shrimp and artificials like the MirrOlure 84 MR topwater are proving to be deadly for larger trout.
Soft plastics on a jig head are a good option when targeting trout over a large expanse of water — drifting and jigging until the fish are located.
Schools of Spanish mackerel are being seen entering Tampa Bay in search of bait. Look for diving shorebirds — mainly gulls and terns — as they are dead-giveaway that some activity is occurring. You might even see the macks busting the surface or skyrocketing out of the water. Try casting spoons, jigs or live shiners on a long shank hook to get in on the action. And be ready, as you never can tell when there might be a stray king mackerel lurking among the smaller macks. Then you’re really in for a thrill.
On my Just Reel charters, I am concentrating on the sheepshead bite as it winds up in the next week or two. Sheepies 2-5 pounds are being caught frequently by my clients. Mixed in are some mangrove snapper and Key West grunts when fishing over structure.
While fishing sandy shorelines for sheepies, I’m seeing some black drum, redfish whiting and pompano in the mix. I’m also carrying live shiners as bait to entice the hungry snook and spotted seatrout.
On another note, the long-awaited harvest of goliath grouper has been approved in state waters. A recreational harvest of 200 goliath grouper per year has been issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. For the opening season, the harvest will occur through May 31, with 200 permits to be issued by a lottery. The cost is $150 for Florida residents and $500 for nonresidents. This will limit harvest of one fish per person for those with the permit and tag. The catch gear is hook and line only. A slot limit of 24-36 inches is in place. And don’t forget, the harvest is limited to state waters.
Capt. David White is catching a variety of species as we transition from winter fishing to the spring bite. While using live shrimp as bait, White is putting clients on sheepshead around structure in Tampa Bay. Mixed in with sheepies are Key West grunts, mangrove snapper and hogfish. Other species enjoying live bait offerings include black drum and jack crevalle.
As spring comes on, White is switching to live shiners as bait, which is resulting in excellent snook fishing. White reports several over-slot fish in the 40-inch range, as well as a few in the slot and many 20-26 inch fish. With shiners as bait, his clients also are getting spotted seatrout and redfish hookups.
Capt. Warren Girle is finding good results from fishing with shrimp near shore ledges and hard bottom areas in 30-50 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in many species, including mangrove snapper, sheepshead, Key West grunts and hogfish.
Moving inshore to the flats of Sarasota Bay, live shrimp are producing the action. In these waters, spotted seatrout are being caught frequently, as well as pompano.
Fishing inshore docks and channel edges is working for these species, as well as for sheepshead and black drum.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says the sheepshead bite is in full swing. Anglers of all ages are lined up shoulder to shoulder on the T-end at the pier, where live shrimp are resulting in sheepies weighing 2-5 pounds. And anglers opting to use alternative bait — fiddler crabs and sand fleas — also are having good results, reports Malfese.
Other species being caught around the pier include redfish, black drum and mangrove snapper. And the R&R lucky anglers are hooking into an occasional pompano, too.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.