As Anna Maria Island anglers settle into the second week of August, the weather patterns are becoming tropical in nature, resulting in the need for the fish and the angler to make adaptations to more immediate conditions.
Many weather variables — extreme heat, strong winds, thunderstorms and even hurricanes — are potential obstacles this time of year. So pay extra attention to the daily forecast and watch the weather radar, especially when you’re on the water.
Conditions all have an impact on planning for where you’ll be fishing and what you’ll be targeting.
On the hot, sunny days when the water temps are near 90 degrees, you’ll probably want to fish around sunrise for a few hours and then call it off, especially when you’re working the flats.
In most instances, snook, redfish and trout will have a brief feeding time in the early morning before water temps are too hot for their tastes, at which time they will find a cool spot under a mangrove limb or in a deep hole.
On the other hand, if it’s overcast and water temps remain slightly cooler, your window of opportunity to find the flats fish on the feed may extend throughout the day.
In recent weeks, the best bite seemed to occur during the overcast days where the water temps were manageable — in the low to mid 80s.
With numerous days of intermittent rain and good cloud cover, the water temperatures drop, triggering activity on the flats and resulting in better action for the anglers. On the calmer days when the Gulf waters are smooth and clear, some anglers like to venture to deeper waters in search of a bite.
Bottom fishing in depths of 40-60 feet can yield great action on snappers and small groupers. At these depths, a milder, more consistent water temp exists, creating a comfortable environment for the species to frolic and feed.
And moving out deeper to depths of 100-feet or more can lead to larger species, like mature groupers, red snapper and some of the migratory species, including tuna, wahoo and cobia.
Most importantly, when fishing offshore it’s crucial to keep an eye on the weather — especially in August, when conditions can change instantly.
August weather could be labeled volatile at best, so planning is in your best interest.
Remember, fishing the flats on the cooler overcast days is a good option and on those hot steamy days with no wind, try venturing into deeper waters to find a more consistent bite.
On my Just Reel charters, mangrove snapper are the highlight for clients who want to take home some fish for dinner. Limits are still attainable on most days by fishing around the slack parts of the tide. Most snappers are 12-16 inches, with a few larger ones mixed in for lucky anglers.
After catching snapper, I’m taking anglers to deeper flats in Sarasota Bay to target spotted seatrout. Numerous small trout of 12-14 inches have infested the flats, and persistence is paying off. We’re seeing catches of trout up to 22 inches.
Fishing mangroves for redfish is yielding good action during the higher stages of the tide, with catches up to 30 inches. Catch-and-release snook are mixed in with this bite, with some slot fish included for sport anglers looking for a fight.
Capt. David White is working his charters inshore for a variety of species. He says live bait fishing on shallow grass flats and mangrove shorelines is yielding plenty of action on redfish and catch-and-release snook. Casting around oyster bars also is working well.
On the deeper flats, spotted seatrout are cooperating with frequent catches of slot-size and over-slot fish.
Jack crevalle and bluefish are lurking on the deep flats, causing unexpected explosions on the surface of the water as they strike a bait.
On the nearshore bite in the Gulf of Mexico, the mangrove snapper action is as good as it gets, White says.
Capt. Johnny Mattay is spending his days fishing the inshore waters from southern Tampa Bay south through Sarasota Bay.
Casting live shiners as bait around mangrove shorelines and oyster bars is leading to good action on redfish and catch-and-release snook. Higher stages of the tide are yielding the best results.
Mattay says spotted seatrout are being caught, especially over deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay, where free-lining live shiners or adding a popping cork to the rig is attracting the trout to bite.
Lastly, fishing structure like rocks, docks and ledges is providing plenty of action on mangrove snapper. Limits are being caught in short order.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.
Kingfish parking alert
Beware fishers, boaters and others who park at Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach.
The Holmes Beach Police Department is enforcing parking regulations relaxed during construction work on a water main in the area.
The HBPD issued the following notice for regulations: The construction of the boat ramp area has been completed and the parking areas have been marked with the proper signage. Please, be observant of the new parking signs when entering the parking area and park accordingly. There will be no warnings issued.