Author Archives: fearsnofish

Prior to Tropical Storm Nestor, fishing around Anna Maria Island was proving to be as good as it gets. With numerous days of no rain and no wind, the inshore and offshore waters were pristine. But the storm put a damper on the quality and quantity of fish. Catch-and-release species — snook, redfish and spotted […]

Fall fishing around Anna Maria Island is shaping up to be quite good when targeting native and migratory species. On the flats, numerous catch-and-release snook are on the feed in attempts to fatten up for the winter. Catch-and-release redfish are arriving on the flats in good numbers and are equally eager to take a bait […]

Fishing the inshore waters around Anna Maria Island continues to improve as we move through autumn. Large quantities of baitfish are invading Tampa Bay and the Gulf beaches, causing many predatory species to be on the prowl.  The most prominent of the predatory fish is the Spanish mackerel. Joined by its cohorts, jack crevalle and […]

Fishing the inshore waters surrounding Anna Maria Island is beginning to improve as we move into fall. Cooler nigh temperatures seem to be bringing water temps down slightly, triggering the beginning of migrations for a number of species. Baitfish such as scaled sardines — or shiners as we call them — are in abundance in […]

If you haven’t noticed, there’s a little touch of fall in the air — at least on the water surrounding Anna Maria Island.  A slight drop in the water temperature, some drier air and cooler nights and mornings is prompting us to want more of this fall weather. And it’s prompting the fish too.  Snook […]

Fishing around Anna Maria remains consistently good inshore and nearshore. Fishing along the beaches is especially good for catch-and-release snook. Walking the shoreline in the morning or evening when the seas are calm is a great opportunity to some sight casting for snook — a typically back-country species. For a hookup, an assortment of baits […]

Flats fishing around Anna Maria Island and its surrounding waters is host to some good catch-and-release snook fishing this past week. Linesider fishing is productive for sport anglers, especially along the eastern shorelines of southern Tampa Bay. Fishing during the higher stages of the tide is proving to be good around mangrove shorelines, where good […]

If you can find the time to go fishing between anticipated hurricanes, Anna Maria Island is host to a number of good species to catch. Fishing around the Rod & Reel Pier seems to be productive with anglers hooking into over-slot catch-and-release redfish, as well as some large catch-and-release snook.  That being said, “hooking into” […]

The catch-and-release redfish bite in local waters is the highlight around Anna Maria Island this past week.  Millions of gallons of fresh water flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from Lake Manatee is pushing these fish toward the mouth of the Manatee River, as well as the adjacent waters of Terra Ceia Bay, Miguel Bay […]

With the vast amounts of rainfall we are receiving, fishing around Anna Maria Island has become slightly challenging.   Large quantities of freshwater flushing out of the Manatee River is causing inshore species to move from their usual spots to find higher salinity levels.  But, don’t be discouraged. Species such as catch-and-release snook and redfish have […]