Anna Maria Island Fishing Report – Summer 2019

—So far, July 2019 has paid off big for fishing charters aboard my 24′ Carolina Skiff. We are having fun charter fishing the waters around Anna Maria Island, Sarasota Bay and the Manatee River in Bradenton. The weather has been hot and muggy, as expected this time of year, but the inshore bite has been equally hot! My fishing excursion clients have been finding continual, exciting backwater action with snook, seatrout, redfish. We have also been able to zero-in on spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper and gag grouper in and around Tampa Bay. We are locating the spanish mackeral, snapper and gag grouper over inshore structure, such as wrecks, rock, even bridge pilings.
—Throughout July, snook and redfish can be foundĀ in association with mangroves, oyster beds, sandbars and docks.
—Seatrout are making a real comeback after being devastated by last year’s red tide event. I am finding big schools of immature fish over clean, deep
grassflats, and larger mature trout in shallow sand holes adjacent to mangroves or oyster beds.