With cooler water temperatures settling in around Anna Maria Island, anglers are adapting to a wintertime pattern in the type of bait used and the species targeted.
Although live shiners are the go-to most of the year, live shrimp can produce just as much action, if not more, when water temperatures hover in the low- to mid-60s.
The species we target in the inshore and nearshore waters are susceptible to an offering of live shrimp, plus there are several species that only take shrimp, increasing your odds of catching a greater variety of fish.
Species such as sheepshead and pompano feed on crustaceans. So winter opens the door for anglers to catch something new instead of just the species that prefer shiners.
Shrimp can be used in a variety of ways, which makes them versatile bait, as well as effective bait in cooler water temps. You can free line them, fish them under a cork and even use pieces to tip and add scent your favorite jig. Shrimp can be used live or frozen and whole or in pieces, depending on the application you desire. And they work in the shallows as well as in the deep, making them wintertime favorites among many anglers.
As for finding shrimp, you don’t have to go out and catch them. You can visit your local bait shop and purchase them by the dozen. You’ll need a bucket and an aerator to keep them alive, making live shrimp attainable to all anglers, whether fishing from shore or in a boat — and that about sums it up.
As we progress through winter and into spring, you’ll find yourself becoming well acquainted with shrimp as bait because they bring more hookups and attract a variety of species.
On my Just Reel charters, I’m carrying live shrimp in the bait tank. Casting shrimp along the beaches over reefs, lime rock and hard-bottom areas is leading to a variety of catches. Spotted seatrout, mangrove snapper, flounder, small grouper and jacks are some of the species I’m seeing reeled up to the boat. Spanish mackerel and sheepshead are in the mix, too.
Moving into the backcountry, redfish are reacting to offerings of live shrimp with eagerness as they are devouring baits cast under docks and around mangrove edges where deep water exists.
Sheepshead are being caught in similar fashion, especially around the docks.
I’m even seeing a few snook having a taste when select shrimps swim past their noses.
Capt. David White says he’s fishing along the Gulf beaches with good results. Black drum and redfish are being found in these areas and he’s finding they are readily taking offerings of live shrimp as bait. Casting baits along the beaches also is yielding other species, such as ladyfish and jack crevalle.
Moving farther into the Gulf of Mexico in depths of 40-50 feet, White has his clients hooking into hogfish and Key West grunts. Mangrove snapper, sheepshead and porgies are available at these depths, too.
Finally, while fishing the flats, White has his anglers casting live shiners, which is attracting snook to the hook.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.