Fishing Report Anna Maria 7/24/24
With water temperatures hovering in the upper 80s and lower 90s on some days, Anna Maria Island anglers are finding themselves migrating to deeper water to find a bite.
Fishing nearshore wrecks, reefs and hardbottom areas in the Gulf of Mexico is leading to action on a variety of species.
Mangrove snapper are the most frequent bite when fishing in depths of 30-50 feet. Using live shiners as bait combined with a knocker rig consisting of a 1-ounce egg sinker and a circle hook is yielding limits of mangrove snapper as well as a variety of other species including lane snapper, yellowtail snapper, Key West grunts and plenty of juvenile grouper.
Free-lining shiners over wrecks and reefs is working to attract migratory fish such as Spanish mackerel and bonito. Anglers willing to venture further to depths of 80-120 feet are being rewarded with limits of American red snapper, large red grouper and an occasional cobia.
For anglers who prefer inshore fishing, the high temperatures are definitely playing a role in the success of the fishing trip. Getting out early is key to beat the heat.
Fishing the flats for snook and redfish can be successful during the first couple of hours after sunrise, especially if timed to correspond with good moving tides.
Live shiners as bait are your best bet, although in many instances you may find the redfish will prefer dead bait.
In either scenario some patience is required as the warm water temperatures have the fish kind of sluggish and less motivated than normal.
As the flats heat up, many anglers are opting to fish deeper grass flats which can potentially be holding spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and mangrove snapper.
Using hatch bait or small size live shiners as bait works best to get the fish to bite. Again, swift moving tides are best and will yield the most action.
Finally, if nothing else works, you can try targeting sharks along the beaches and in the passes. Small blacktip sharks put up a great fight and can save the day if the bite is slow.
On my Just Reel charters I’m fishing in the Gulf of Mexico to find a consistent bite. Bottom fishing around wrecks, reefs and hard bottom areas is leading to limits of mangrove snapper. Mixed in with the mangrove snapper bite are lane snapper, yellowtail snapper and plenty of juvenile grouper.
Migratory fish such as Spanish mackerel and bonito are lurking in the same areas and are being caught by free-lining baits on the surface rather than bottom fishing.
Moving inshore, spotted seatrout and Spanish mackerel are being found over deep grass flats in Tampa Bay. Ladyfish and jack crevalle are in the mix which adds a nice variety to the bite.
Lastly, black tip sharks are being caught on fresh-cut pieces of bonito or Spanish mackerel. The sharks are measuring 4-5 feet and are feisty once on the hook.
