Snook, redfish, trout and mangrove snapper round out June fishing action
Despite having to dodge some pop-up thunderstorms here and there, Anna Maria Island anglers are finding the inshore bite to be good.
With water temperatures reaching the mid 80s, catch-and-release snook fishing is proving to be the best inshore bite.
Whether fishing the flats around mangroves or oyster bars or site-casting along the shorelines of the gulf beaches and in the passes, the linesiders are being accommodating to anglers of all skill levels.
Using live bait — such as shiners or pinfish — is working well to get these popular fish to bite.
If live bait fishing isn’t your thing, artificials will work too. When fishing around piers or along Gulf beaches, the Yo-Zuri Crystal minnow can prove to be quite deadly. On the flats, soft plastics on a jighead or topwater plugs will get the job done. Of course, when using lures, don’t expect to catch the numbers of fish you would when using live bait, but the enjoyment of figuring out how to trick snook with a lure is the real reward.
With an influx of hatch bait showing up in Tampa Bay, many anglers are gearing up in anticipation of catching mangrove snapper.
It’s time to break out the 15-pound fluorocarbon leader and size-4 hooks in order to be discreet enough to trick these spooky fish to take a bait. Anchoring over wrecks and reefs and chumming is effective when targeting snapper. As they frolic in the chum, they become less wary of being caught and will take a small shiner without close inspection. And with the light leader and small hook you can find your way to a limit of fish before you know it. You may attract mackerel in the chum, so come prepared with plenty of hooks and plenty of patience. Light fluorocarbon leader in a number-4 hook are no match for the razor-sharp teeth of the macks. And, if the macks are too much to handle, try bottom fishing instead of free-lining baits to the snapper on the surface in the chum — there could be more on the bottom.
On my Just Reel charters, I am seeing plenty of snook being reeled to the boat, photographed, and then released back into the water unharmed. Both visiting and local anglers are enjoying the steady action of catching these hard-fighting fish. With drag-screaming runs toward the mangroves and acrobatic jumps into the air as they attempt to throw the hook, these fish are and always will be a crowd-pleaser.
After getting worn out on snook, my clients are enjoying targeting redfish along the mangrove shorelines. Casting live shiners or fresh-cut chunks of pinfish is working well to lure the elusive fish out from their hiding places among the roots of mangroves.
Lastly, spotted seatrout are rounding out the bite. Fishing deeper grass flats is resulting in numerous catches.
