Anna Maria Island anglers are experiencing withdrawals, lacking their typical fix of fishing due to cold temps and windy conditions.
All the chores around the house are done and the fishing rods are rigged, awaiting a break in the weather, which should be in the near future.
And when it does break, the fish had better hide, because every angler in Manatee County has been itching to get out and wet their lines.
Sheepshead — a fish that seems to shake off the cold without much effort — will be one of the main targets when anglers get back on the water.
Casting live shrimp, fiddler crabs or sand fleas around barnacle-encrusted pilings is a good plan of attack if you’re fishing from land. If you’re on a boat, you may start on the artificial reefs to test your luck.
Redfish also seem to be fairly hearty when it comes to cooler water temps, which makes them a good option to target.
Creek mouths, docks, canals and oyster bars are a great place to start when looking for a redfish hookup. Casting live shrimp or small crabs cut in half will usually get the job done. Plus, these baits will attract other predators, like sheepshead and black drum, which may help increase your odds when the cold gives you the feeling that the cards are stacked against you.
Lastly, casually doing a drift over deep grass flats with shrimp-tipped jigs may surprise you — as you stumble upon a school of pompano, bluefish or ladyfish. These species are semi-tolerant of the cooler water and can provide some excellent action when you aren’t expecting much. Also, the drifting and jigging help you cover more area, which should increase your odds of finding fish.
Despite the colder-than-normal temperatures, Capt. David White is managing to find some action for his “cool” clients on sheepshead, black drum and redfish, especially when deploying live shrimp as bait. These fish are being found in deeper canals where water temps remain slightly warmer than open water spots. On cold but sunny days, the concrete seawalls can help warm the water temp, which, of course, improves the bite.
Some patience is required, but persistence is being rewarded with some nice-sized fish for the cooler.
Moving out onto the flats, White has clients drifting and jigging. Using soft plastics on a jighead is yielding action on bluefish and a few pompano for the cooler.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.