After a mild cold front, fishing around Anna Maria Island is proving more accessible and productive.
Venturing offshore to ledges and wrecks is providing plenty of action on live shrimp.
An assortment of species are coming to the hook, including porgies, hogfish, mangrove snapper, sheepshead, flounder and Key West grunts.
If that’s not the makings of a great fish fry, I don’t know what is. Every fish mentioned can be breaded and deep-fried — and delectable.
And, if you know where to find fish, those species will readily take the bait.
If catch-and-release is more your speed, inshore sport fishing from Tampa Bay south to Sarasota Bay has a lot to offer.
Dock fishing for catch-and-release redfish remains steady. Casting live shrimp on a knocker rig under the right dock will get you in on the action. Also lurking around these docks and pilings are sheepshead and black drum.
Jigging over deep grass flats and channel edges is proving to be good for catch-and-release spotted seatrout. While targeting these fish, you can expect to hook into ladyfish jacks and bluefish. Lucky anglers are even hooking into pompano, another tasty species.
On my Southernaire charters, I am working the nearshore ledges on days when the Gulf of Mexico is calm.
Anchoring over ledges in 40-60 feet of water is yielding a bite on just about every drop. A live shrimp combined with a 3/4- or 1-ounce knocker rig is attracting mangrove snapper, sheepshead, triggerfish, porgies, grunts and sheepshead. This bite is great if you’re looking for nonstop action.
Moving inshore, catch-and-release redfish action is good around residential docks where sheepshead and black drum are in the mix.
Finally, fishing deep grass in the bays for catch-and-release trout is proving to be entertaining. Mixed in are bluefish, jack crevalle and an occasional pompano.
Hamilton Brown at the Rod & Reel Pier says sheepshead are producing the best bite at Anna Maria Island’s northern-most pier for yet another week. Pier fishers using live shrimp as bait are hooking up sheepies 1-2 pounds.
When the bite slows down on shrimp offerings, experienced sheepherders are switching baits to live crabs. Fiddler crabs, slightly more challenging to catch, are excellent bait when the sheepshead get finicky.
Black drum are being caught by anglers targeting the sheepshead. These fish are 15-25 inches and will take fiddler crab or shrimp offerings.
Capt. David White is working offshore on calm days when the Gulf of Mexico lays down smooth. On these days, White is bottom fishing with live shrimp, which is yielding some nice-sized hogfish.
Moving inshore, White is seeing more sheepshead as the days progress through January.
Also, while inshore, White is hooking into a good number of catch-and-release redfish. For the reds, casting live shrimp under docks is providing the best action.
Capt. Aaron Lowman is taking charters to work some of the structure in the Gulf of Mexico, where a variety of species await.
Using live shrimp combined with a bottom rig is yielding mangrove snapper, hogfish, porgies, Key West grunts and some catch-and-release gag grouper. The most apparent are the grunts and porgies, although respectable quantities of the snappers and hogfish are being caught, too. To find this bite, Lowman is working areas such as artificial reefs, wrecks and ledges.
Moving inshore, Lowman is seeing a mixed bag of results with live shrimp on the hook. Black drum and sheepshead are being caught along sandy beaches and some pompano can be found in these areas, too.
Meanwhile, fishing docks and canals is providing action for Lowman’s clients, especially for catch-and-release redfish.
Capt. Jason Stock is working offshore when the weather permits. Once at the Gulf fishing grounds, Stock’s clients are catching hogfish, mangrove snapper and porgies. Live shrimp is Stock’s bait of choice. While these may not be the largest fish, they are some of the tastiest. Especially the prized hogfish.
For folks wanting to get their arms pulled out of their socket, Stock is turning them onto the catch-and-release action on the big gag grouper.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.
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January 26, 2021 at 03:05PM
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Plenty of species are going for live shrimp inshore, offshore - The Anna Maria Islander
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