Anna Maria Island anglers suffering from tarpon fever are experiencing near-peak symptoms, trying to pack in as much boat time as they can before June 29, the next full moon.
Before the full moon, tarpon numbers should be increasing as fish are gathering along the beaches in preparation for their offshore spawn in the Gulf of Mexico.
During the full moon, most tarpon in our waters will begin their migration, causing them to temporarily disappear into the deep offshore waters and making them virtually impossible to target.
Tarpon anglers know that a few weeks before the migration should be some of the best tarpon fishing they’ll see all year.
After the spawn, some fish will return and they’ll be quite hungry, but many tarpon will be moving on, resulting in fewer numbers to target.
So, from now until the full June moon is your best option if you want to hook up with a silver king.
Meanwhile, backwater action around Anna Maria Island is quite good despite water temperatures rising into the mid-80s.
Early morning catch-and-release snook sessions provide great action on shallow flats and at the passes of Longboat Key and Bean Point. Swift-moving tides are best on the flats, while slightly slower tides will provide action in the passes.
Redfish are being caught on the shallow flats throughout Tampa Bay southward to Sarasota Bay. Live shiners as bait work well, but don’t rule out fresh-cut chunk baits, especially when the bite is slow.
Finally, spotted seatrout are abundant on most deeper grass flats, providing rallies of fish in a short amount of time. Working shallow flats for large trout is an option. Just pack some patience because the bigger ones seem to be more spread out.
On my Just Reel charters, I’m chasing spotted seatrout during the early mornings, which yields limits of trout in the cooler for clients who want to take a few fish for dinner. Many catches are in the slot of 15-19 inches, with quite a few over-slot trout mixed in, depending on the location.
Once the trout bite slows down, I am moving to the shallow grass flats of Sarasota Bay to target catch-and-release snook, finding quite a bit of action most days.
Free-lined live shiners as bait are attracting snook of all sizes, with the most frequent catches measuring 20-30 inches. Some larger examples are mixed in for lucky anglers.
Redfish are being found in the same areas as the snook and are being caught at random. Numerous fish 20-25 inches are being caught, with some large sizes in the 30-inch range.
Capt. Johnny Mattay is working inshore with good results on trout, redfish and catch-and-release snook.
Spotted seatrout on deeper flats is providing plenty of action for Mattay’s anglers, with limits available on most outings. Slot-size trout 15-19 inches are most frequent, with a mix of smaller and larger fish being caught, too.
Fishing shallower flats along mangrove shorelines yields both redfish and catch-and-release snook, especially during higher stages of the tide.
Moving into the Gulf in depths of 20-40 feet is proving to be good, as mangrove snapper numbers are increasing at these depths. Small shiners or cut pieces are working to lure snappers to the hook. Red grouper are present in these areas and are being caught and released on live pinfish as bait.
Moving in the Gulf to depths of 100 feet or more is providing limits of American red snapper, as well as plenty of yellowtail snapper.
Capt. David White is patrolling the Gulf beaches for tarpon. With slightly windy conditions, the tarpon fishing is slightly difficult, although White is putting his client on the fish. On the calmer days, the tarpon are easier to spot, which yields more bites. White says using threadfin herring as bait along the beaches works best. Switching to pass crabs as bait during the outgoing tides in the passes is also producing action. Most catches are between 75 pounds and 125 pounds, with some larger examples mixed in.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.