Category Archives: Fishing Reports

Wild weather in March creates inconsistent bite After experiencing a warm February, Anna Maria Island anglers are receiving a reality check for the last two weeks as sudden cold fronts bringing strong winds and chilly waters are settling in. With water temps dropping more than 10 degrees in a matter of a couple days, the […]

It may be spring break for students, but no break in red tide blooms As we are move through spring break, Anna Maria Island fishers find themselves facing the dark cloud of red tide looming in our local waters.  And once again, we’re standing around discouraged and feeling helpless as we watch our delicate ecosystem […]

Snook season is open, be in the know to hookup March is upon us and you can bet most inshore anglers around Anna Maria Island have one thing on their minds – the opening of snook season. With water temps hovering in the low to mid 70s, you can bet the snook are getting hungry […]

Hot temps results in hot action more fish species With numerous warm days behind us and more to come, fishing around Anna Maria Island is starting to heat up. Many anglers are making the switch from using live shrimp to live shiners as bait, which introduces new species into the lineup.  Snook are finally venturing […]

Windy days causes anglers to switch tactics for hookups With moderately strong winds prevailing for numerous days in a row, Anna Maria anglers find themselves migrating to calmer waters in the back bays and Intracoastal Waterway.  And with water temperature is warming up between the fronts, targeting catch-and-release snook is possible in the shallows, especially […]

Targetable species vary as much as recent temps  With temperatures ranging from the mid 40s to the mid 80s, trying to figure out what to target from one day to the next has Anna Maria Island Fisher’s heads spinning.  With days in the 80s, some anglers are using live shiners as bait to target, snook, […]

Calm days and slick waters perfect ingredients for trophy catches With a string of calm days, Anna Maria anglers are finding themselves venturing into the Gulf of Mexico in hopes of finding some nearshore and offshore action.  Those fishing nearshore around the artificial reefs, wrecks and ledges are experiencing a variety of species while using […]

Find shelter to avoid wind, catch fish With winds of 13-20 m.p.h. seem to be the “new norm” fishers around Anna Maria Island are trying to find sheltered areas to fish. Fishing around mangrove islands in the back bays works to get out of the wind and catch fish. Fishing in canals and marinas also […]

Venture into the Gulf for consistent bite, variety of species Anna Maria Island anglers are finding themselves venturing into the Gulf of Mexico to find a consistent bite.  Fishing structure anywhere from along the beaches to around 9-10 miles seems to be producing the best action as cool water temperatures seem to have slowed down […]