With hopes that constant winds and cold fronts will subside, Anna Maria Island fishers anticipate a good bite for the second half of April and the second month of spring.
As water temperatures rise, we should see an influx of fish — especially snook — filtering out of the Manatee River and onto the flats of Anna Maria Sound southward to Sarasota Bay.
Spotted seatrout and redfish should become more apparent in the weeks to come, while reaching their full potential in May.
With the slightly prolonged winter weather we’ve experienced, many fish we expect to see in April remained in their wintertime haunts, but they can only wait so long.
Large quantities of bait arriving in Tampa Bay will sustain the fish as they reach the flats, which should hold them for a while, making them targetable.
Speaking of large quantities of bait, don’t forget migratory species — macks, jacks, kingfish and sharks — can be found near the bait schools. These high-speed predators are on patrol along the Gulf beaches and in Tampa Bay, monitoring the bait as they feed along the edges of the schools.
Spanish mackerel and kingfish are worthy adversaries on medium-heavy spinning gear and, pound for pound, can be quite sporty on the hook. And, if you run across a school of large jacks in the 10- to 15-pound range, be ready for a fight. These tackle busters can test the stamina of a seasoned angler.
With less wind also comes calmer seas, making it more comfortable for boaters to venture offshore. Red grouper and mangrove snapper can be had over hard bottom areas and ledges. Cobia, kingfish and amberjack, as well as apex predators — barracuda and sharks — will be found around the reefs and wrecks.
So although the late season has made April angling tougher than normal, have faith that fishing is going to get better.
Just a reminder, you might want to add the Full Send Reef Habitat Fish Fry Soiree at the Center of Anna Maria Island to your calendar.
The soiree is taking place noon-5 p.m. Sunday, April 21, and there will be plenty to do for the whole family, including live music, food and speakers on the positive impacts of creating artificial reefs in our local waters.
Full Send is working with Manatee County to place an artificial reef off Anna Maria Island that would be named for the late Michael “Sol-Man” Steach, who died in November 2020. Steach loved fishing, surfing and his Anna Maria Island lifestyle.
Organizer Jason Stock posted on the Full Send website, “I know Sol-Man would be stoked to have his ashes in a reef offshore, holding a variety of marine life and ecosystem for generations to come.”
Proceeds from the soiree will go toward the SolMan reef and future reefs.
On my Just Reel charters, I’m seeing numerous spotted seatrout being reeled to the boat by my clients. Fishing over deep grass flats with free-lined shiners is luring many trout to the hook, as well as a variety of other species, including jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish.
On shallower flats, snook are the main target and, with the addition of live shiners as bait, we are catching quite a few. While targeting the snook, I’m also seeing an occasional redfish on the hook.
Capt. Johnny Mattay of Anna Maria Charters is finding great action on the inshore bite while working the flats of Sarasota Bay north to Tampa Bay. Redfish are being caught frequently, with catches reaching 35 inches. Mattay says casting live shiners or pinfish against mangrove shorelines is drawing the most attention from the reds.
Snook are being caught in a similar fashion, with most catches 22-26 inches, although slot fish, 28-33 inches, are mixed in on this bite.
On the deeper flats, spotted seatrout are being caught. Free-lined live shiners in depths of 3-6 feet are being devoured. Moving into the Gulf of Mexico, Mattay is fishing nearshore structure and hard bottom.
In these areas, kingfish and mackerel are prominent, as well as numerous sharks. And some of the mackerel being reeled in are chomped in half before they can be boated.
Also, moving offshore in depths of 100 feet or more is yielding Mattay and his clients an assortment of red grouper, mangrove and lane snappers. Catch-and-release action on amberjack and red snapper is good, too.
Capt. Todd Romaine of Backcountry sportfishing charters says he’s finding a good bite in the inshore waters on the days before cold fronts.
On the south winds, a couple of days before the fronts, Romaine is catching snook, redfish and trout while fishing mangrove shorelines and spoil islands.
On the day of the front and several days after, Romaine warns trout fishing becomes challenging due to a drop in water temperatures and strong north winds.
On calmer days when the Gulf of Mexico is accessible, Romaine is targeting macks around areas where hard bottom exists. Numerous spotted seatrout are being caught in these areas. For the macks, free-lined live shiners work well. As for the trout, the addition of a split-shot to the rig is proving to be effective.
Capt. David White of Anna Maria Charters is finding action for his clients along the Gulf beaches for a variety of species. Macks and kingfish are being caught frequently, although an abundance of sharks is making it hard to get these fish to the boat. Free-lined live shiners combined with a long shank hook works well for the macks.
As for kingfish, the addition of hardwire is required to guard against their razon-sharp teeth.
Moving offshore, White says red grouper is responding well to offerings of live pinfish and frozen sardines. Mangrove snapper also are being caught while offshore, although they prefer to the live shiner as bait.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.