Anna Maria Island anglers wishing to get out and do some fishing over the Christmas break are finding good results from casting jigs and live shrimp along the Gulf beaches.
A variety of catches are available this time of year and they can be caught with some of the most basic rigs or lures, making beach fishing a great option if you don’t have a boat.
Plus, with both fishing piers on the north end of the island being out of operation, options for casting a line in Tampa Bay are fewer than normal.
Fishing the Gulf beaches can be satisfying as there is not a lot of planning or dedication involved in a walk on the beach to cast a line.
Plus, the tranquility of being on the beach in the early morning before the crowds and splashing kids arrive can be worth the effort.
As far as gear is concerned, a medium-light spinning rod and reel is ideal for most species you will encounter. Combine this with a pompano jig, leader material and a pair of pliers for plucking hooks out of the fish’s mouth and you should be in good shape.
Fishing with only artificials along the beaches enables an angler to be quite stealthy, which allows for a casual, relaxing experience. You won’t have to worry about lugging a bunch of gear to the beach. It’s a leisurely walk with your rod and then a stop to cast your line. Those who take the matter more seriously may carry a small bait bucket with live or frozen shrimp to tip their jigs for an added advantage.
And, of course, if you plan on keeping some fish, make sure to being a tape measure to check that you’re harvesting legal-sized fish and don’t forget to keep a 5-gallon bucket handy to hold your catch.
You’ll also need to keep an eye on the great blue herons that will most likely be hanging around as they love to investigate what’s in your bucket. They’ll try to eat your bait and possibly even your catch if you’re not careful.
And speaking of catches, you may encounter species such as ladyfish, jack crevalle, black drum, pompano, sheepshead and spotted seatrout while fishing the beaches. With this list of species, you can bet on being busy.
You’ll have to do your homework to figure out which areas of the beaches are most productive, but just getting out on the beach and walking along the shore is a great way to figure it out. The biggest decision will be whether to walk north or south.
Finally, keep your eyes peeled for fishy situations. Shorebirds diving on bait is a great indicator that predator fish are in the area. Also look for structure — rocks, piers or jetties — as these areas typically hold fish.
So if you have some spare time over the holidays, take a stroll on the beach and don’t forget your fishing rod.
Merry Christmas.
On my own Just Reel charters, I’m finding plenty of spotted seatrout throughout the grass flats and channel edges of Sarasota Bay. Casting live free-lined shrimp with the addition of a split shot to the rig is working to attract trout to the hook. Soft plastics on a jig head also are a good bet when the trout are spread throughout the flat. Drifting and jigging is quite effective in these scenarios. In areas around docks and rocky channel edges, redfish and sheepshead are being caught on live shrimp and you can expect an occasional flounder or mangrove snapper.
Lastly, on calm days, the nearshore bite is quite good for hogfish, mangrove snapper and Key West grunts. There’s also plenty of juvenile grouper in between other bites.
Capt. Johnny Mattay is finding plenty of action for his charter clients while working nearshore ledges, reefs and other structure in the Gulf of Mexico. He says, using live shrimp combined with a knocker rig is resulting in numerous species, including mangrove snapper hogfish, Key West grunts and porgies. On some days, Mattay’s anglers are hooking into catch-and-release gag grouper in the 30-inch range.
Moving inshore, Mattay says there are plenty of spotted seatrout on the deeper grass flats. Live shrimp under a cork or fresh-cut pieces on a jig head are working to catch all sizes of trout. Finally, casting live shrimp around rocks and docks results in redfish and a few sheepshead for Mattay’s clients.
Capt. David White reports putting his anglers on plenty of redfish while working the inshore waters from Tampa Bay southward to Sarasota Bay. Using live shrimp as bait is working best to target these fish, especially while fishing around docks, canals and oyster bars.
Casting live shrimp along the Gulf beaches is resulting in redfish for White’s anglers, particularly during the higher stages of the tide when these fish are up along the beach foraging for crabs and other crustaceans.
While targeting reds along the beaches, White says he’s encountering black drum and sheepshead, which adds some variety to the bite for his anglers.
Targeting spotted seatrout on the deeper grass flats of Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay is going well, too. Small jigs tipped with shrimp and whole live shrimp under a cork are resulting in trout of all sizes with some being over 20 inches.
White also is spotting adyfish, jacks and even a stray pompano prowling the deeper flats where they are readily taking offerings of live shrimp.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.