Anglers experience spring fever as fishing action heats up
As we move through April, Anna Maria Island anglers built-up anticipation of springtime fishing is finally being released.
Water temperatures are on the rise and the bite inshore and in the Gulf is beginning to break loose causing many anglers to spend as much time as possible on the water after experiencing such a long, cold winter — at least by our standards.
With minimal amounts of rainfall, most of the inshore waters from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge south to Sarasota Bay are about as clear as they can get, making for a surreal experience in the shallows. It’s possible to see everything on the bottom and peer into a mysterious lush world that most of the time is hidden from the naked eye.
Lush grass flats, or lack thereof, are exposed for all to see as well as props scars and bare patches from delinquent boats that have been abandoned and remain resting in place as the boats block all light to the habitats below.
These clear waters present opportunities to find inshore and nearshore structure like wrecks, rock piles and reefs for future reference. Spending some time during the midday when the sun is straight above can be well worth the effort as it can lead to new discoveries where potential to catch fish is present.
Or in some instances, just going over old waypoints that you have is good as you can monitor if they’re still there, broken up or even covered with sand from Hurricane Milton.
In any scenario, now’s the time to get out and do some exploring as well as some fishing. The inshore bite is really getting good with good number of snook, redfish and trout inhabiting the flats and mangrove shorelines.
Migratory species like cobia, kingfish and mackerel are patrolling structure in the bays and in the Gulf. And with the clear water in the Gulf, you should be able to spot cruising cobia from a long distance away as they typically stick out like a sore thumb.
Moving further into depths of 100 feet or more is getting good as red grouper and mangrove snapper are frequenting wrecks and hard bottom areas in good numbers.
So, while the waters are perfect, make some time to get out there to do some scouting and fishing.
On my own Just Reel charters, the clear, calm conditions of the inshore waters of Tampa Bay are yielding pleasurable days on the water and plenty of action.
Spotted seatrout are making quite an impression as they are striking live bait and artificials aggressively. All size ranges are being caught, depending on location making limits attainable on most days, plus plenty more being caught and released.
Larger specimens 22-25 inches are being found on shallow flats during high tides while fish 13-18 inches are abundant on the deeper flats.
Targeting snook is finally getting dialed in as many fish have finally moved out of their wintertime haunts and are prowling the flats in search of a meal. Live shiners free-lined along mangrove edges are quickly being inhaled by hungry linesiders. Many are schoolies 20-24 inches, although larger fish are mixed into surprise unexpected anglers as they dump line off the spool as the drag screams loudly across the flat.
Redfish are frequenting the same areas as snook and can be caught randomly to add some variety to the bite.
Fishing over structure or deep grass in the bay yields migratory fish like Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and jack crevalle. The size of most macks being caught is impressive as some exceeding 24-inches to the fork. As for a tablefare, not everyone likes them, but they drive some folks wild. As for ladyfish and jacks, they’re good for action or shark bait and are effective in both departments.
