Fall bite heats up as daylight decreases

With the arrival of November, Anna Maria Island anglers are anticipating the “fall bite” to occur in the back country and along the Gulf beaches.

As the amount of daylight decreases you can expect water temperatures to start dropping which will trigger many species to being their wintertime hunting grounds. 

In the back country, snook will start to become more apparent as they being leaving the Gulf beaches to head toward the flats. 

Redfish and spotted seatrout will follow suit as they send a change in water temperatures which should result in an abundance of them on the flats and in the Manatee River.

We should also see great numbers of Spanish mackerel arriving in Tampa Bay during the next few weeks as they follow the bait slashing and sky rocketing through acre-sized schools of shiners, sardines and threadfin herring. 

Kingfish will be in on this action, especially around the shipping channel just north of Egmont Key all the way to the north Skyway fishing pier.

And with the macks come the sharks. A variety of species including blacktip, spinner and hammerheads will be in tow of the macks hoping to find an easy meal, so be prepared to all types of scenarios when heading into Tampa Bay to cast a line.

Fishing off of the beaches around the artificial reefs and wrecks should be good with some variety of macks, kings and sharks plus you can add a few bonita to the mix which are always a thrill on medium spinning gear. 

Finally, moving out to depths of 40-60 feet in the Gulf, keep your eyes peeled for the brown silhouette of a cobia cruising the surface as they will be migrating down the coast. A free-lined pinfish or shiner as bait will usually do the trick to get you connected.