Fishing Report September 2013

In September, we experience afternoon thunderstorms on around Anna Maria Island on a regular basis. You can expect to see at least a 40 percent chance of afternoon showers five days a week.

Granted, these small squalls may last up to an hour although usually the duration is only 20 minutes or so. But these storms can appear suddenly with wind gusts, heavy rain and lightning.

My clients and I have been working the flats of Sarasota Bay and along the Intracoastal Waterway with good results on redfish, spotted seatrout and snook. For all three species, live shiners are the bait of choice.

To rig, we are either using corks to keep the bait out of the grass or free-lining. Redfish both in the slot and over-slot can be expected. The trout are mostly 15-20 inches. As for snook, most are under-slot, but going the sheer numbers of fish, it’s easy to wait for a keeper to bite.

Either way, it’s been a great time!