Anna Maria Island anglers search for fish after Hurricane Idalia

After withstanding our first hurricane of the season, Anna Maria Island anglers are putting the pieces back together before heading back on the water.

As the storm surge recedes making it possible for the island to “air out,” most anglers are tending to the chores that follow a large storm such as cleaning debris from yards or tending to flooding issues in their dwellings. 

After the chores are done, one last chore remains — trying to figure out where the fish have gone. 

Large storms such as a Idalia tend to change all of the patterns that were followed prior to the blow. With large storm surges and numerous inches of rain, many fish will move from their normal areas to seek refuge in deeper waters.

So the task remains, it’s back to the old drawing board to locate fish. 

The logical place to start is where the fish were prior to the storm. Then you start branching out from there. 

So, this week we’ll talk about where the fish were prior to Idalia, which may give some of you a point of reference on where to start your mission. 

Hopefully everyone fared well during the storm with minimal amounts of damage and if nothing else we had a brief refresher course on what is needed to prepare for the next storm.