More windy days, rough seas make fishing in the Gulf difficult

Fishing offshore and nearshore structure is where it’s at for visiting and local anglers on Anna Maria Island.

Targeting species such as mangrove snapper, sheepshead, Key West grunts and porgies is proving to be consistent as long as you can get out to the fishing grounds.

Live shrimp as bait is working just fine, not to mention that they are convenient as all the angler has to do is stop by a local bait shop and purchase some. No need to get up at 5 in the morning to get out on the flats to throw the cast net numerous times in hopes of catching shiners. 

The only dilemma with the bite is the seas need to be calm in order to venture into the Gulf of Mexico and unfortunately, we haven’t had many of those days recently. 

With frequent cold fronts dipping down in our area, bringing strong winds and inclement weather, reaching those offshore waters has been challenging. And for those of us who just have to be on the water, even during the windy days, we’re finding ourselves confined to the inland waters of Tampa Bay, south to Sarasota Bay.

It’s not that there aren’t any fish to catch in these areas, it’s just requiring patience and determination as well as a little know-how to have a successful day on the water. Species such as sheepshead, black drum and redfish are in the cross-hairs and are being caught using live shrimp as bait. 

Drifting and jigging along the beaches or in the bays where deeper grass flats exist is providing action on pompano as well as jacks and bluefish.

On my own Just Reel charters, I’m fishing the back country more than the Gulf due to strong winds and rough seas. 

Putting a bite together in the inland waters has been challenging although I’m leading my clients to respectable catches. 

Fishing rocks and docks is resulting in sheepshead up to 18 inches as well as numerous redfish and black drum. Many of the reds are 16-18 inches while the black drum are slightly larger coming in at 20-24 inches. 

Spotted seatrout are being caught on deeper sandy areas adjacent to grass flats. This bite is providing good quantities of fish, although larger size trout are hard to come by. 

Bouncing jigs along the beaches is producing action. Pompano are responding to jigs tipped with shrimp as are whiting, jack crevalle and sheepshead. 

And for what it’s worth, there are many bonnethead sharks on the grass flats where large sandy potholes exist. Although they are not the most prestigious fish to catch, they provide some good action on those days when the bite is tough.