Spring fishing in full swing on Island waters
If you haven’t noticed, springtime fishing around Anna Maria Island is about as good as it can get.
Live bait such as shiners — white bait or scaled sardines — and threadfin herring are the baits of choice this time of year. You can’t beat using either to target almost all the species that swim in local waters. But what do you do when the live bait is hard to come by? We’re going to look at some options that may help you out when that prized live bait gets scarce.
If you’re going offshore to target bottom-dwelling species, you can take frozen baits with you and most likely come home with dinner. Frozen threadfin herring, sardines and squid are the most-used baits around here. Grouper, snapper and grunts will usually take frozen bait without being too picky. You may want to do a little chumming first just to get the fish in the mood.
If you’re fishing the backwater, you can use some artificial lures. Most of the species we target in the backwater are highly active fish. They like to chase or ambush their prey. Frozen bait probably isn’t a good choice for these species because they want to hit something that is moving.
There are, however, a number of artificials that do just that. Whether you’re working a jig, top-water lure or sub-surface lure, the movement of the lure attracts fish. You may also find that you’ll catch more fish on artificials simply because you can cover more area with a lure than you can fishing live bait. Don’t think you’ll always catch more on artificials though, because that’s not how it works. Sometimes the fish only want live bait. And if that’s the case, try changing locations.
Whether you’re fishing offshore or inshore, there are always options for bait. Frozen-bait methods for offshore fishing follow suit with live-bait techniques. Fishing artificials in the backwater may take a little practice. You need to learn how to work the baits properly for best results. If you need help choosing lures, colors and how to work them, stop by your local tackle shop for advice. Store staff can usually tell you what’s working and what’s not.
Good luck getting live bait out there. And if you can’t, try some frozen alternatives or artificials.
Jonny Keyes at Island Discount Tackle says bay fishing is starting to take off. Reports of spotted sea trout are coming in daily with fish up to 26 inches being caught. And fishers using white bait are having the best results. “Most people are anchoring on the flats,” Keyes says, “and chumming with live bait.” Redfish also have moved onto the flats and live shrimp or shiners are the bait of choice for the reds.
Moving over to the beaches, anglers are catching a variety of species. Spanish mackerel and ladyfish are cruising the beaches chasing schools of bait. “Silver spoons, white jigs and Gotcha plugs are the lures to carry if you’re beach fishing,” Keyes says.
Also on the beaches, fishers are catching pompano and whiting using live shrimp and pompano jigs.
Offshore fishers are still targeting kingfish and gag grouper within 9 miles of shore. For the kings, live threadfin herring on a flat line behind the boat is working well. You may find that the gag grouper are coming up and hitting the flat lines as well. If not, try a 1/2-ounce jig head baited with half a threadfin for the gag grouper.
Bob Kilb at the Rod & Reel Pier says pier fishers are catching Spanish mackerel on crappie jigs and silver spoons. On these same lures, fishers are reeling up ladyfish and blue runners. Fishers opting to use cut bait on the bottom are catching plenty of small bonnethead and black tip sharks. Live shrimp fished on the bottom are producing pompano.
Capt. Steve Salgado of the Compleat Angler Fishing Charters says kingfish in the 15- to 20-pound range are still available on the nearshore and offshore structures around Anna Maria Island. Salgado likes to anchor up around the structure and throw out “live chummers” to attract the king macks. Threadfin herring and white bait are the baits of choice. Salgado is catching keeper gag grouper and mangrove snapper at these same structures. “Use the same bait, just fish it on the bottom,” Salgado says.
Moving inshore, Salgado is targeting spotted sea trout and redfish in Sarasota Bay. Live bait, including shiners, is the way to go. While fishing the bay for trout, Salgado also hooked a cobia that was cruising the flats.
Capt. Mark Howard of SumoTime fishing charters says, “Action on the water had been red hot this week — a multitude of species have been on the chew.” The speckled trout bite has been exceptional and continues to “sizzle” with limit catches of quality-size fish. Howard’s clients reeled in gator trout on every charter last week. Redfish and snook have been actively feeding during the moving water periods. Both species have been staging in potholes close to the mangroves. Shiners, pinfish and cut bait are working. Flounder have been hitting well on deep sandy-bottoms adjacent to the grass flats. “My charters have been catching flounder up to 5 pounds,” Howard says. “Use a split-shot to get the bait down to the flounder strike zone.”
Capt. Warren Girle is fishing offshore with good results. Kingfish in the 15- to 20-pound range have been abundant on offshore structures. Girle is using threadfin herring to target these high-speed predators. While targeting kings, Girle is catching Spanish mackerel and bonito. Mangrove snapper are being caught in the same areas, only you have to drop a bait down to the bottom to get a bite.
The most apparent bite offshore is from the abundance of sharks. “There are so many sharks out there, it’s unbelievable,” Girle says. Most fish Girle is encountering are in the 100-pound range, although he recently caught and released a 200-pound bull shark.
Moving inshore, Girle is catching redfish up to 30 inches. Select shrimp and shiners are working well for the bull reds. Also on the flats, Girle is catching spotted sea trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on white bait.
Capt. Sam Kimball of Legend Charters says both half- and full-day fishing trips are producing a variety of species. On Kimball’s half-day charters, fishers are catching king mackerel in the 15-pound range on live threadfins. Kimball is bottom fishing on the near shore structure catching Key West grunts, porgies and triggerfish. Live shrimp and cut bait are working well for the tasty little reef dwellers.
On Kimball’s full-day offshore trips, fishers are catching all of the species mentioned. as well as amberjack, mangrove snapper and cobia. Live threadfin herring, white bait and select shrimp are the baits of choice.
Jeff Medley at the south bait shop on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Fishing Piers says fishing is getter better by the day. Fishers using live threadfins are still reeling in keeper kingfish. “We had a 32-pound king and a 35-pound king landed within 10 minutes of each other the other day,” Medley says.
Keeper-size gag grouper are still being caught on large pieces of cut bait fished on the bottom. Both pompano and jack crevalle are being caught consistently around the pier using Love’s lures tipped with pieces of shrimp. The pompano have been on the smaller side, but the jacks are averaging 4-5 pounds. Bonito are beginning to appear but have not yet made a strong showing. He recommends using small jigs and spoons to catch these football-shaped cousins of tuna.
If you’re into night fishing, try targeting mangrove snapper using small pieces of cut bait under the pier. “You can’t throw your bait far enough under the pier,” Medley says. “When you get your bait under there, hang on. There’s some nice-size snapper down there.”
Also, pier fishers are targeting blue crabs on the incoming tide. Get a 20-foot handle and attach a decent-size net in order to target these tasty crustaceans. You can just keep scooping and fill a 5-gallon bucket.
Capt. Rick Gross of Fishy Business Charters is fishing gator trout on the edges of the flats in 4-5 feet of water. Trout up to 26-inches are being caught on free-lined whitebait and also on whitebait fished under a Cajun Thunder cork. Along with the trout, Gross is catching Spanish mackerel, bluefish, snook flounder and a stray tarpon. “There’s not much you can do when you hook into a 120-pound tarpon while using trout tackle,” Gross laughs.
Gross is taking advantage of the offshore bite on days when the winds are light. Kingfish in the 10- to 15-pound range are being caught on live whitebait and threadfin herring. Gross also is catching mangrove snapper in the 2-pound range on cut bait dropped to the bottom.” The bite out there has been good, as long as the bull sharks and goliath grouper don’t show up,” Gross says.
Send fishing reports to fish@islander.org.