Pages Navigation Menu

Fish Anna Maria Island With A Local Charter Fishing Guide

Anna Maria Island Snapper & Cobia in July

Anna Maria Island Snapper & Cobia in July

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide
Captain Aaron Lowman – July 14, 2016
Snapper, Cobia and Sharks

—Reef fishing for mangrove snapper, cobia and sharks has been the hot ticket around Anna Maria Island and Tampa Bay during this first week of July.
—Mangrove snapper have been steadily slamming baits presented near the bottom, and at times have been rising up like a dark cloud in the water column to eat chum. Free lining a live bait, or a chunk of bait, will keep the snapper bite going after the school starts to catch onto what you’re doing.
— Live chum helps keep the party going through the brutal heat of the day. Spanish mackerel, and even a few king macs and cobia, will chase your live shiners free lined away from the boat.
—Big, spawning sized flounder are all over rock piles/reefs in anywhere from 10′ – 50′. Bouncing a live shiner, or pinfish on a knocker rig is a good bet. Half ounce bucktail jigs, worked sharply but methodically along the bottom, are big producers of flatties as well.
—Sharks, jacks and bluefish have made a push into the bay and surrounding beaches. They may be following the influx of hatch bait this week. Small spoons or bucktail jigs work great for these guys.

Snapper in July

Snapper in July

Big Flounder

Big Flounder

Cobia in the chumline

Cobia in the chum