Anna Maria Island Fishing – August 30, 2016

Anna Maria Charter Fishing Guide
Captain Aaron Lowman – August 30, 2016
Redfish, Flounder, Snook

Lots of trout on shallow flats around Anna Maria.
Looking for combo of moving, clear water, and bait presence.
Great numbers, 1 out of 10 is a big fish.
Also finding schools of jacks, mangrove snapper, and bluefish mixed in.

Tarpon Fishing Anna Maria Island- June 30, 2016

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide
Captain Aaron Lowman – June 30, 2016
Anna Maria Island tarpon and snapper

— There are still plenty of tarpon around Anna Maria Island and Tampa Bay.  Over the last few weeks, we have had a lot of fun boating and releasing some really big fish that were caught from the pods that are moving along the beaches of Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key. Early morning and late day trips have been producing the most action on these beach fish. They are easier to see when the sun is not directly overhead. ( And it’s not so darned hot!} Crabs have been the best bait for these fish. Fishing in the passes from Egmont Key south through Longboat is also still productive. I’ve been using mainly threadfins as bait for pass fishing.

— Near shore and inshore reefs and wrecks are producing some really big mangrove snapper right now. This reef fishing is also steadily producing gag grouper, BIG flounder, spanish mackerel, blacktip sharks, and cobia. I use live shiners or threadfins on a knocker rig for snapper and grouper and a free-lined shiner rigged with a small piece of light wire leader for the macks and sharks.

— I expect the bite to be even better with the upcoming new moon this week.

Big Tarpon

Snapper on the reefs

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide – June 10, 2016

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide
Captain Aaron Lowman – June 10, 2016
Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island Waters
Cobia

—During the heat of the day, when the tarpon bite slows down, I’ve been taking my clients to look for hard-fighting cobia. Cobia are nomadic wanderers, and can be difficult to pin down to a pattern most of the year.

—Right now I’m finding a pretty consistant cobia bite on many nearshore/inshore structures, as well as free swimming fish on sandbars. Nine year old angler Alex Jorgensen from Iowa caught this stud 25# cobia in between mangrove snapper and spanish mackerel this week!

—Mark Winters and crew doubled up on cobia earlier in the week, while snapper fishing as well. Cobia are delicious, fast, and hard hitting.

—Come get em while it’s hot!

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide – May 14, 2016

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide
Captain Aaron Lowman – May 14, 2016
Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island Waters
Tarpon, Kingfish, Snapper, Grouper

 
—It’s that time of year again. Tarpon are beginning to make a good show here in the bay, and on the beaches. Sight fishing with live bait is definitely the most exciting way to fish for these giants, although chunking with dead bait can produce days with double digit hookups. The tarpon bite seems to fade during the high sun hours around mid day, allowing for some great snapper, grouper, mackeral, and kingfish action on some of the nearshore reefs.
 

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide – April 19, 2016

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide
Captain Aaron Lowman – April 19, 2016
Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island Waters
Snook, Seatrout, Redfish, Kingfish, Snapper, Grouper

 
—Inshore:

Good numbers of trout showing up on the grass flats, with the biggest fish coming from skinny water around mangroves. Redfish and flounder are around residential docks, and shiner or pinfish around pilings have produced this week.

Snook bite seems to be getting going. Catching plenty of schoolie sized fish, with a few slotties in the mix.

—Nearshore:

Mangrove snapper are still making a good showing on nearshore structure, along with plenty of throw-back gag grouper. Kingfish and sharks are beginning to make a show around schools of bait, gathering around local reefs/wrecks. Most action this week coming from 3 – 7 miles off the beach.