Spring time bite occurs later than previous years but providing action inshore, offshore
Springtime fishing around Anna Maria Island is really getting good, although compared to last year’s bite it seems late.
Better late than never, I guess.
With such a late springtime bite, many anglers are expecting May to really fire off as the inshore and offshore bite are on the upward swing.
With long stretches of little rainfall, the inshore and offshore waters surrounding Anna Maria Island are about as clear as they can get, offering plenty of opportunities like sight-casting to fish and a rare view into the intricate world that lives underneath the water’s surface.
On the flats, good numbers of snook are appearing in their usual springtime haunts. Redfish are following suit with schools of reds frequenting open flats as well as random fish being staged around mangrove shorelines and oyster bars.
Spotted seatrout are being found in many areas, too. Deep flats are offering numerous bites on slot-size fish, while shallow flats are holding big gator trout that seem to be solitary in their habits.
Moving into the Gulf, nearshore action is quite good for migratory fish like Spanish mackerel, kingfish and cobia. And, with water clarity being about as good as it gets, many cobia can be spotted on the surface creating great opportunities to sight-cast to them.
Finally, offshore action for red grouper is good while bottom fishing in depths of 100 feet or more. Live and frozen baits are getting results.
On my Just Reel charters, spotted seatrout are being found in many areas from the Gulf beaches all the way back to the shallows flat of Sarasota Bay northward to Tampa Bay.
Limits of trout are attainable as well as some larger examples that are mixed in. Many larger trout are being caught on shallow flats of 2-3 feet of water and plenty of smaller trout are frequenting deeper flats of 8-10 feet.
Snook fishing is really starting to shape up with some good rallies occurring during higher stages of the tide. Most catches are 20-26 inches with larger examples being caught by lucky anglers.
Redfish are being caught with most bites occurring in the same areas where I’m targeting snook. These catches are measuring 15-25 inches.
Finally, many small blacktip sharks are frequent in the shallow flat and sandy potholes, which produces some excellent action on medium spinning gear. The sharks are in the 15-pound range, which is just enough to be a handful on a spinning rod.
