Patrick, left, and Julia Dougherty, visiting Anna Maria Island from Royal Oak, Michigan, and Kurt Gallinger of Brighton, Michigan, show off some healthy mangrove snappers, all caught on sardines, while on a charter on February 2 with Capt. David White.
Offshore and inshore fishing structure is where it’s at for Anna Maria Island anglers.
Targeting species like mangrove snapper, sheepshead, Key West grunts and porgies is consistent as far as you can get in the fishing area.
Live shrimp as bait work well, not to mention shrimp are convenient. All the angler has to do is stop at a bait shop, load up and pay. No need to get up at 5 am to get out on the flats to cast the cast net multiple times in the hope of a good load of shiners bait.
The dilemma with the bite is that the seas need to be calm to venture into the Gulf of Mexico and, unfortunately, we haven’t had many calm days lately.
With frequent cold fronts sinking into our zone, bringing strong winds and bad weather, reaching offshore oceans has become difficult.
So for those who just need to be on the water, even during windy days, we find ourselves confined to the inland waters of Tampa Bay south through Anna Maria Sound and into Sarasota Bay.
It’s not that there are no fish to be caught in these areas. But it takes patience and determination, as well as a bit of know-how to have a successful day on the water during the winter months. Species such as sheepshead, black drum and redfish are in cross-hairs and are caught using live shrimp as bait.
Drifting and jigging along beaches or in bays where there are deeper grass flats provides action on pompano, as well as jacks and bluefish.
On my Just Reel charter, I work back country more than the Gulf because of the strong winds and rough seas.
Putting the bite together in land water has been difficult, although I lead my clients to respectable catches.
Rock and dock fishing is producing sheepshead up to 18 inches, as well as plenty of redfish and black drum. Many of the reds are 16-18 inches, while black drum are slightly larger, coming in at 20-24 inches.
Spotted seatrout are being caught in the deeper sandy areas adjacent to the grass flats. This bite is producing plenty of fish, although larger sized trout are hard to come by.
Bouncing jigs on the beaches also produces action for my anglers. Pompano respond to jigs tipped with shrimp such as whiting, jack crevalle and sheepshead.
And for what it’s worth, there are lots of bonnethead sharks on the grass flats where there are big sandy pits. While they are not the most prestigious fish to catch, they provide good action when the bite is tough.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says fishing the north tip takes some patience and determination.
Pier anglers — using live shrimp as bait — are targeting and catching some sheepshead and black drum, although the bite hasn’t been as good, according to Malfese.
Fortunately the restaurant and bar are open. So when the fish aren’t biting, you can always kick back and warm up with some good food and a cold beer.
Casting small jigs tipped with shrimp on the pier is also an option. Whiting and pompano are susceptible to those offerings and are known to frequent the pier on their way in and out of Tampa Bay.
Capt. David White of Anna Maria Charters works inshore on windier days and, although the bite is a bit poor, he puts clients on a variety of species and even puts some fish in coolers to take home for dinner.
Sheepshead is one such species and is caught around structure with live shrimp. Black drum are also taking bait, especially while working around docks.
Fishing the sandy beaches provides action, as White looks for pompano for clients to target.
On calmer days, working offshore in 50-100 foot depths results in more consistent action. Species such as hogfish and mangrove snapper are caught, as well as lane snapper and red grouper.
Capt. Johnny Mattay, working at Anna Maria Charters with White, fishes nearby structure when the Gulf of Mexico is calm. Using live shrimp or sand fleas as bait leads to Mattay’s charters of various species, including hogfish, sheepshead and various snappers, such as mangrove and lane. Porgies and Key West grunts are also included.
Moving inshore, Mattay puts anglers on redfish, black drum and sheepshead to keep them entertained. All these fish are caught with live shrimp.
Finally, drifting and jigging the deeper grass flats of Sarasota bay is resulting in some pompano on Mattay’s charters.
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