Inconsistent March weather patterns helpfully end as April approaches

Fishing a consistent bite is becoming hard to come by as numerous weather patterns fluctuate in our area, causing strong winds and drastic temperature changes. 

This being said, Anna Maria Island anglers are resilient in their efforts to be on the water — despite the no so favorable conditions  — in an attempt to catch fish. 

With numerous days of winds blowing in various directions reaching speeds of 15 to 20 mph most fishing that is occurring is of the nearshore nature. 

With mangrove islands and long shorelines to block the wind, as well as conditions on the water the inshore fishing is where it’s at. These sheltered waters are attainable to a majority of anglers, whether they’re fishing from a boat, wading, pier fishing or fishing the shore making inshore fishing the most popular option in our local waters. 

Species such as snook, redfish and spotted seatrout are typically found in the shallows making them targetable to a wide genre of anglers. 

As we approach April, you can bet on all three of these species to settle into their springtime ambush points to do a little fattening up after a lengthy winter. 

Typically April can be consistent and weather patterns making it one of the best months to fish. And not only does the flats fishing really turn on but so does nearshore and offshore action. 

With endless opportunities just on the horizon the windy days of March will soon be behind us. So make sure your tackle is in good working order and clear some days in April to get out on the water.

On my Just Reel Fishing charters, I’m finding myself in a wide range of fishing scenarios on the daily as frequent weather changes such as temperature and wind are playing major factors in the bite. 

On the warmer days between the cold fronts, flats fishing for snook is good. Casting live shiners as bait around shallow grass flats, mangroves, and oyster bars is leading to some great snook sessions with more than 20 fish being caught without even having to pull the anchor. 

On the windier days right after a front, I’m seeing the bite diminish slightly with only a few fish being caught before I have to move down the shoreline to keep the bite going. In many instances drops in water temperatures or cloudy water due to windy air conditions is triggering a slower, less motivated bite. Targeting spotted seatrout is following suit. On the nicer days in the areas where the water is clear, the trout bite is nothing short of excellent, but add some cold weather and wind, and they tend to get lockjaw. 

I have found a good alternative for those cooler windy days, and that comes in the form of sheepshead. Sheepshead are quite tolerant of the cooler water temperatures and don’t seem to mind some dirty water, which is making them a good choice when trying to get a bite in March. Using live shrimp bait is working fine to attract these tasty sheepies to the hook. 

When targeting them on the reefs in the Gulf, I’m catching handful of mangrove snapper and Key West grunts which make a nice addition to an upcoming fish fry.