Fishing Report January 3, 2016

 

December and 2015 ended with tight lines and great weather

With temperatures in the mid 80s for the last week of December, both local and visiting fishers found themselves flocking to Anna Maria Island to celebrate the mild temperatures and excellent fishing conditions.

Whether fishing the flats for snook, trout and redfish or venturing out into the Gulf of Mexico, fishers found tight lines and pleasant conditions on the water.

On my own fishing charters I find myself torn on what to do. The backwater fishing in Sarasota Bay was producing respectable numbers and sizes of spotted seatrout. The snook fishing in Anna Maria Sound was producing considerable numbers of catches of schooley snook. And the snapper bite on the artificial reefs was just on fire. Limits of snapper were being caught by my clients with consistency.

Needless to say, it’s not often that we are dealt with this kind of hand on the last week of December. This kind of fishing can spoil a fisherman. Well, be that what it may, I managed to spoil my clients with bend rods and fish in the cooler for dinner. There’s nothing like finishing out the year with a bag or a cooler full of mangrove snapper.

Now, with the approaching cold fronts of January just around the corner, we can only wait and adapt to what Mother Nature places in front of us.

Happy New Year and good fishing.