Well, Anna Maria Island Tarpon fishing has been pretty hit or miss during the dog days of summer. We are still catching fish, but some days the bite is really slow.
Fry/ Hatch bait has moved out to the beaches and near passes. The bait is plentiful and the fish seem to prefer it over the lager baits. I have been bouncing from Sarasota Bay to the Skyway and everywhere in between trying to find a consistent bite but generally nothing is staying the same day-to-day.
I am finding a couple areas where I am consistently catching fish, but one day we will catch 20+ fish and the next day we will only catch a handful then the day after that we will catch 20+ fish again.
TARPON:
Most of the Tarpon have migrated from our area. There are still some fish around we just have to work pretty hard to get them on. Although I did not Tarpon fish this week, I am still getting reports that fish are being caught. Its going to take patient and dedicated clients to go Tarpon fishing right now, but if you are willing to wait in between bites there is a pretty good chance to catch one its probably going to take the majority of the trip to get them going and are better chances are around the new moon coming up in two weeks.
TROUT:
We caught a fair amount of trout this past week with most of the trout coming from the mouth of the Manatee River and around Terra Ceia Bay. The only problem is that most of the trout are around 14″ just shy of keeper size of 15″. Most of the larger trouthave been coming from Sarasota Bay around the Long-bar area. Most of the fish we are catching are in 3′-5′ of water on the edges of small to medium grass patches near good moving water. We are managing to catch some trout while we are targeting Snook and Redfish.
MANGROVE SNAPPER:
Along with Trout, the Mangrove Snapper bite has been the most consistent. Most of the fish being caught near the Skyway bridge and shallow bay reefs. They are also around 3-miles offshore on non-publicized rock piles and structure. We are managing to get mostly keepers. When we are targeting them we are managing to bring home a dozen or more before we move onto the flats to targetSnook and Redfish.
SNOOK and REDFISH:
The Snook and Redfish bite has been excellent of some days and then brutal on others. We are managing to catch more and more Redfish. They are starting to move into the Flats around lower Tampa Bay. The biggestRedfish this week was 29″ and was caught by Kenny Loyd from St. Louis. The Snookbite was tough at the start of the week. We had a small cold front (at least that’s what the “weather man” called it. It did not feel any cooler to me) which blew most of the fish off the flats when the winds reached 20-30 knots on Monday afternoon and night. By the Wednesday the Snook bite picked up again and we were catching around 20 small Snook a trip.
I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July and enjoyed time with their families, friends, and loved ones. We could not enjoy our freedoms, and I could not do what I do, without the sacrifice from our Veterans and Active Military personnel. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for our country.
If you are looking to book at fishing charter or fishing trip and are near Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Longboat Key, Bradenton, Sarasota, St. Pete, or Tampa areas book with Anna Maria Inshore Fishing, LCC call Fishing Guide Capt. Kyle (941) 345-7182 www.annamariainshorefishing.com
