Early December presents excellent fishing opportunities inshore, nearshore
With mild temperatures and calm waters, Anna Maria Island anglers are taking advantage of the excellent weather of the first weeks of December to get out on the water and do some fishing.
Inshore fishing around Anna Maria Island remains quite good as long as mild weather holds and no severe cold fronts close in on us.
Live bait fishing with shiners is producing some excellent action for redfish, trout and catch-and-release snook as water temps remain in the upper 60s to low 70s.
Migratory species — bluefish, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and jack crevalle — are responding positively with the water temps which gives the inshore angular many options when choosing what to fish for.
Carrying live shrimp is bait is advantageous while fishing inshore as we are starting to see some sheepshead and black drum along the beaches and around structure, such as rocks and docks.
Rumors of pompano are floating around so having a few shrimp handy could open the door for a nice addition to the fish box.
The nearshore bite is following suit, especially around nearshore wrecks and reefs. Spanish mackerel are dominating the bite in many of these areas so flat-lining live shiners can lead to hookups on every cast if you’re on the right chunk of rock.
Don’t hesitate to do some bottom fishing in these areas too, as mangrove snapper, Key West grunts and sheepshead are milling around. Of course, live shrimp for this bite is key, especially for the sheepies.
And finally, moving out past the artificial reefs to areas of hard bottom is producing plenty of action when using live shrimp is bait. Hogfish are the highlight with a mixture of mangrove and lane snapper, Key West grunts, porgies and plenty of juvenile grouper to round out the bite.
Having a few pinfish or live shiners in the baitwell is smart as there is an occasional keeper-size red grouper in these areas. Plus, you always want to be prepared as you never know what you’ll encounter out there, do you?
On my Just Reel charters, I’m fishing many locations depending on weather and water temps.
On calm days, I’m venturing in the Gulf to depths of 40-50 feet, which is producing plenty of ingredients best suited for a fish fry. Hogfish, mangrove snapper and lane snapper are the sought-after species at these depths, backed up by plenty of Key West grunts and porgies. In many instances, the baits are being eaten as soon as they reach the bottom.
On breezier days, I’m staying inshore, which is more sport-fishing than meat-fishing although I’m managing to put limits of trout in the box and usually a redfish or two to add to the collection.
Catch-and-release fishing for snook is filling the gaps as well as targeting migratory fish such as mackerel, ladyfish, bluefish and jack crevalle.
Finally, I’m starting to see a few sheepshead and black drum along the beaches while fishing around docks.
