Despite an abundance of boaters throughout our region — just like traffic on the roads — the waterways also see increased use in high season and fishing around Anna Maria Island is putting smiles on anglers’ faces.
The inshore bite on snook and spotted seatrout is especially good, with daily limits on trout and plenty of rallies on snook.
Offshore, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, cobia, permit, amberjack and blackfin tuna are being reported. These fish are being found around wrecks and reefs and areas where hard bottom and ledges exist.
My results on Southernaire fishing charters include snook, redfish and trout — to name a few. I’m also seeing an occasional flounder, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and shark. For the snook and redfish, I’m targeting shallow grass flats during the incoming tides. Mangrove shorelines are usually present, although a little structure, such as oyster bars or seawalls, can be a great addition. The spotted seatrout I’m catching are hanging on the deeper flats — 7-10 feet in depth. Mixed in with these trout are bluefish, mackerel and an occasional blacktip shark.
Capt. Aaron Lowman is working the flats of Anna Maria Sound and Sarasota Bay, where he is encountering spotted seatrout, as well as Spanish mackerel and bluefish. This bite is occurring on deep grass flats while using live shiners as bait. On shallower flats, Lowman reports snook are ferociously responding to free-lined shiners cast along mangrove shorelines.
On his ventures into the Gulf of Mexico, where limestone ledges make up the terrain on the bottom, Lowman is finding mangrove snapper, mackerel, bonito and catch-and-release grouper.
Capt. Jason Stock is running clients offshore with good results. Live free-lined shiners, threadfin herring and cigar minnows are attracting the attention of many predators, including cobia, kingfish and amberjack. These fish are turning up around offshore wrecks and reefs.
Also found in these areas: the elusive permit. To lure these “garbage can lids” to the hook, Stock is sight-casting live crabs into schooling fish, resulting in permit up to 30 pounds.
Capt. Rick Gross of Fishy Business Charters is putting clients on fish on the flats of southern Tampa Bay and beyond. By casting live shiners along mangrove shorelines during the higher stages of the tide, Gross is leading clients to a variety of species. The snook, redfish and spotted seatrout hiding in these areas and are not safe with Fishy Business in the vicinity.
Also in Tampa Bay, Gross is hooking up with a mix of flounder, barracuda, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. All of these fish are being caught via live shiners as bait.
Capt. David White of Anna Maria Charters is hunting offshore reefs and wrecks for a variety of species. Kingfish, Spanish mackerel and blackfin tuna are White’s focus while working in the Gulf of Mexico. Live shiners as bait, as well as an array of cigar minnows, threadfin herring and even pinfish, are getting the job done.
Moving inshore, White is enjoying seeing spotted seatrout, snook and redfish being reeled to his boat.
Capt. Warren Girle is catching some fine fish on his runs in the Gulf of Mexico. By targeting structure — reefs and wrecks — Girle is hooking up clients with plenty of mangrove snapper and grouper. Kingfish, Spanish mackerel and an occasional cobia are showing up in these areas, too.
Moving inshore, Girle is finding an abundance of spotted seatrout throughout the deeper grass flats of Sarasota Bay, where shallower areas adjacent to mangrove shorelines or oyster bars are providing action on redfish and snook.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.