With another cold front passing over Anna Maria Island, anglers are honing in on a variety of wintertime species.
On calmer days, many anglers are venturing into the Gulf of Mexico to bottom fish around the reefs, wrecks and ledges.
In these areas, a variety of species are available to anglers, including mangrove snapper, sheepshead, Key West grunts, porgies and hogfish.
What is most appealing is all of these species are fantastic ingredients for a fish fry.
Plus, the use of live shrimp as bait is most effective, and the bait is easily attainable at any bait shop. There’s no need to get up early to go out and throw the cast net in the cold to catch shiners and pinfish, which opens the door of simplicity to all.
Moving inshore, live shrimp are working as bait here, too. Species such as redfish, black, drum, sheepshead and pompano are susceptible to live shrimp offerings, especially in the winter.
Fishing around inshore docks, wrecks, bridges and rock piles can be effective when targeting the inshore species as they tend to gather around structure.
Jig fishing is effective over open water where deeper grass flats exist. In these areas, the pompano would be a targeted catch, but anglers also can expect to encounter spotted seatrout, ladyfish, bluefish and jack crevalle — adding a nice variety to the bite. Be prepared to find more of these fish than the pomps, which can be elusive. However, once found — locating them can require hours on the water — anglers will find the pompano are aggressive.
Also, don’t forget flounder are on the roster after a brief closure. As of Dec. 1, anglers can keep the sought-after fish as long as they are a minimum length of 14 inches. The daily bag limit is five per person, although limits are hard to find, as flounder have remained scarce since the red tide blooms hurt the fishery in the past few years.
On my Just Reel charters, I’m finding a respectable number of redfish in the back country. Fishing rocks and docks is most effective. Mixed in are black drum and sheepshead.
Moving into the Gulf of Mexico, fishing ledges is working well for a variety of fish, including mangrove snapper, sheepshead, porgies, Key West grunts and an occasional hogfish.
Capt. David White is flyfishing with clients in Tampa Bay for large jack crevalle. These fish are enjoyable on the fly due to their ferociousness when they encounter any type of movement in front of them. Presenting a fly in front of a school of these predators typically results in a hook up as these fish cannot resist chasing down an unsuspecting bait and, being in the 10-pound range, these fish put up quite a fight on a fly rod, which is appealing to fly fishers.
Big snook are being targeted when fly fishing, although they are harder to catch as they need more convincing than the jacks. Presenting a fly over and over again may be required, although the payoff of a hookup is rewarding to the angler.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says pier fishers using shrimp as bait are getting the best results. Using a weighted rig combined with a live shrimp and casting under the pier is yielding sheepshead, black drum and redfish. He says the black drum are the most frequent bite and most catches are in the slot of 14-24 inches. The reds are mainly in the slot of 18-27 inches, with some larger examples mixed in. As for the sheepshead, keeper sizes of 12-15 inches are the norm, with some smaller catches having to be released.
Bait schools around the pier are becoming sporadic with cooler water temps, which results in fewer catches of migratory species. Blue runners are still available and Malfese says the’re being caught on speck rigs tipped with fresh-cut pieces of shrimp.
Capt. Johnny Mattay of Anna Maria Charters is working nearshore ledges and other structure in the Gulf of Mexico, which is leading to a variety for his anglers. Hogfish are the highlight of the week, with numerous fish being caught on both live shrimp and sandfleas as bait. Other species — mangrove snapper, Key West grunts, porgies and juvenile groupers — are in the mix for Mattay’s anglers.
Also while in the Gulf, Mattay is finding some cobia around the artificial reefs. Live pinfish as bait are attracting the fish to the hook and bringing thrills to his anglers.
Moving inshore on the flats of Tampa Bay, Mattay is finding action on spotted seatrout and redfish. The spotted seatrout are taking live shiners as bait, while the reds seem to prefer an offering of live shrimp.
On warmer days — especially in the afternoons — Mattay says his clients are hooking into a few snook despite the cooler water temperatures.
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