Spring break ends, fishing turns on
With pristine weather and calm waters, Anna Maria anglers are flocking to the water to drop a line. Migratory species such as Spanish mackerel, kingfish and bonito are arriving in numbers around artificial reefs and hard bottom.
Find the bait schools — find the fish.
Offshore fishers are reporting good numbers of red grouper being caught in water depths starting at 100 feet. Around these depths, good numbers of mangrove snapper also are coming on the line. Live shiners or pinfish are the baits of choice, although frozen baits such as threadfin herring, Spanish sardines or squid will suffice.
Inshore fishing remains consistent for spotted seatrout, redfish and catch-and-release snook. Again, live shiners are the bait of choice, especially if you’re looking for snook action. Artificials such as DOA Cal jigs are catching good numbers of spotted seatrout on the grass flats of north Sarasota Bay. Try drifting and working the sandy potholes to hook up. For reds, try fishing sand potholes on shallow grass flats. Live shiners are a good bet, although a Berkley Gulp shrimp or a gold spoon will catch them, too.
Capt. Rick Gross of Fishy Business charters is fishing nearshore structure for king and Spanish mackerel. Using live shiners for bait, Gross is catching macks up to 4 pounds and kings to 20 pounds. For both, especially kings, Gross is starting at water depths of 30 feet and working his way to depths of 40 feet.
Moving inshore, Gross is targeting redfish on the falling tides. Gross is fishing southern Tampa Bay in search of these much sought-after fish. Fishing grass flats adjacent to mangrove shorelines, Gross’ charters are catching slot-size fish with the biggest coming in at 25 inches. For bait, Gross is using live shiners.
Spotted seatrout also are in Gross’ sights. For the trout, Gross is fishing rising tides. In depths of 5 to 7 feet, Gross’ charters are catching trout up to 23 inches — sufficient numbers to take home for a nice fish dinner. Again, Gross is using live shiners to catch these yellow-mouthed flats-dwellers.
Capt. Warren Girle is fishing offshore structure targeting both kings and Spanish mackerel. Using live shiners or threadfin herring, Girle’s clients are catching good numbers of both species. He chums live bait to get these high-activity fish feeding on the surface, then his anglers cast out a bait. Once it enters the water, it’s not long before the battle begins.
Moving inshore, Girle is working both live bait and artificials to target spotted seatrout and redfish, fishing sandy potholes on shallow grass flats in Sarasota Bay. Berkley Gulp shrimp on a 1/8-ounce jig head or live shiners are getting the bite. Girle’s biggest redfish this past week came in at 29 inches and the biggest trout measured 23 inches.
On deeper grass flats in Sarasota Bay, Girle is using soft plastics to catch spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish. Most trout are being caught on the deeper flats, averaging 12-15 inches.
Jeff Medley at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge South Fishing Pier is seeing a variety of migratory species being caught daily — especially in the early morning. Pier fishers using live or artificial baits are having good success on multiple species.
Spanish mackerel have shown up in full force. You can find these fish slashing through schools of threadfin herring or whitebait in the hours just after sun up. If using live bait, Medley says to make sure to rig with at least 30-pound fluorocarbon tied to a 2/0 extra long shank hook. For artificials, try using Gotcha plugs, silver spoons or small jigs. Average size of the macks is between 15 to 20 inches to the fork.
Bonito also are mixed in with the macks, ravaging bait schools around the pier. These fish fight a lot harder than any Spanish mackerel you’ll catch, so be prepared for some drag-screaming action.
If using light tackle, don’t be surprised to have a bonito peel off 3/4 of your spool. If you get a big one, they make take all of your line. You’ll catch these football-shaped powerhouses on the same lures or bait as Spanish mackerel. Average size is 7 to 10 pounds.
Another migratory species in the pier mix is jack crevalle. Like bonito, jack crevalle fight extremely hard for their size, so be ready. Average size of the jacks is 6 to 8 pounds.
Last but not least, the pompano bite remains consistent around and under the pier. Pier fishers using Love’s lures pompano jigs are getting the bite. Average size of pompano this past week is up to 16 inches to the fork of the tail.
Tom Cassetty at the Rod & Reel Pier says fishing is beginning to pick up with the arrival of warm weather and schools of baitfish.
Pompano and Spanish mackerel are being caught both early mornings and just before sunset. For the mackerel, pier fishers are using white jigs, silver spoons or live shiners to get the bite. For the pompano, small white or yellow jigs are the bait of choice.
For pier fishers using live shrimp for bait, fishing under and around the pilings of the pier is producing flounder and black drum. There are some over-slot redfish hanging around under the pier, so be sure to use stout tackle. Most of the flounder being caught are small, although the black drum are averaging 20 inches in length. As for the reds, fish up to 30 inches are coming to the deck. Remember, these larger reds are breeding fish, so make sure to release them quickly and with care.
Jonny Keyes at Island Discount Tackle says inshore and offshore fishers are reporting good results on both live bait and artificials.
Starting offshore, Keyes is fishing wrecks and ledges, targeting both migratory species and bottom dwellers, hooking up king mackerel, shark and black fin tuna. For bottom dwellers, Keyes is catching catch-and-release gag groper, red grouper and a few mangrove snapper.
Moving onto the grass flats of lower Tampa Bay and south to Sarasota Bay, Keyes is hearing of good spotted seatrout action. Flats fishers are using either live shiners or soft plastics on a jig head to get the bite. Fish up to 28 inches are being reported.
Redfish are still being caught on shallow grass flats. By anchoring and chumming, you can lure the schools of reds to your boat and keep them there. Then it’s game on. Average size of the reds is slot-size, 18 to 27 inches.
On the beaches, pompano are still dominating the bite. Live sand fleas or pompano jigs are the key. You should rig, at the most, 20-pound fluorocarbon leader. Sometimes these fish become leader shy, in which case, 15-pound leader is a better option.
Also on the beaches, anglers are catching small sharks and ladyfish. For the sharks, use frozen squid or a piece of fresh-cut ladyfish. Most sharks on the beach are averaging 3-4 feet in length, so gear up accordingly. Remember, even though these sharks are small, they still have a mouthful of shark teeth. Use caution to remove the hook.
Capt. Sam Kimball of Legend Charters is working offshore, catching a variety of both migratory and bottom species. To start the day, Kimball is catching Spanish mackerel, kingfish, bonito and shark around artificial reefs and hard bottom. Not only do these fish provide quick action, but they also fight hard.
Kimball next moves out to depths of 80 to 100 feet of water to target red grouper. Using live pinfish, shiners or threadfin herring, Kimball’s charters are reeling up keeper-size fish. Kimball’s clients are catching Key West grunts and porgies to round out the cooler.
Send fishing reports to fish@islander.org.