Cooler weather brings high-activity fish to local waters
Early morning action along the Gulf beaches remains a hot bite for another week around Anna Maria Island. If you’re into hooking into high-speed fish that fight to the end, these species are right up your alley. Spanish mackerel, bonita, kingfish and jack crevalle are infesting the waters with a mile of shore, which can create a frenzy of action when bait schools are present.
Blue runners and ladyfish are in the mix and can be found right in the surf creating opportunities for surf casters as well as those in smaller boats. Sharks of several varieties are in on this action so bring your heavy gear if you want to test your strength. Most sharks are blacktips and spinners, although sandbar, lemon and hammerheads are not unheard of.
Fishing structure like reefs and wrecks yields cobia, which are always worthy adversaries of medium-heavy spinning gear. Don’t forget the new minimum size for cobia which is 36-inches to the fork.
Moving inshore, snook are staying on the flats to feed as they sense cooler weather in the near future. Packing on an extra layer of fat is on their agenda so they should bite ferociously during the ideal stages of the tide.
Spotted seatrout have become slightly more elusive, although deeper grass flats are producing a decent bite. You may find many trout catches are just under the 15-inch minimum size limit, so determination is key if you desire a limit of trout to take home for dinner.
Lastly, redfish are lurking on the flats however, some of the recent schools seem to have disembarked spreading out over vast areas, making them slightly more challenging to target.
On my own Just charters, I’m starting most mornings along the Gulf beaches.
Fishing structure is yielding a wide variety of species, including Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle, ladyfish, blue runners and bonito. All of these species are famous for high-speed action on medium spinning gear. With fierce strikes and drag-screaming runs, these fish are definite crowd-pleasers for those who want action.
Cobia are on the prowl around these areas and are being hooked on larger baits, such as pinfish or large shiners.
Blacktip sharks are another species I’m frequently seeing. Most catches are between 4-6 feet.
Moving inshore, snook fishing remains consistent during the higher tides. Spotted seatrout are following suit and are biting best during the last half of the incoming tides. As for redfish, those catches are occurring while targeting snook along the mangroves.
