Anna Maria March Fishing Report

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide
Captain Aaron Lowman – March 8, 2017
Redfish, Snook, Trout, Sheepshead

—With all the wind around the Tampa Bay area this week, I’ve been forced to stay inshore. My clients have been catching snook along Anna Maria mangrove shorelines, oyster bars, and channel edges.  We are catching them on free-lined shiners, or under a popping cork. We’ve landed a few nice keeper sized fish, but the majority are sub-slot juveniles. A slot sized snook has every advantage in the fight vs. the angler! About half of big snook hooked, will win the battle and break free somehow.

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide – June 1, 2016

Anna Maria Island Fishing Guide
Captain Aaron Lowman – June 1, 2016
Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island Waters
Tarpon, Snook, Grouper

 
—Tarpon bite still going strong. With all the pressure in the pass, I’m looking in the bay and on the beach for less pressured fish. Using long, light leaders, and burning a little gas, I’m catching fish away from the big crowds.

—Mackerel, trout, and snook have been good on bigger tides of the week inshore.

—Gag grouper bite has been on fire. Catching them in as little as 10ft of water inshore, out to 9miles. Snapper mixed in have been big, not a ton, but nice ones.
 

Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing – May 21, 2016

Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing
Captain Aaron Lowman – May 21, 2016
Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island Waters

 
—Tarpon fishing is in full swing now, and multi-fish days are not uncommon. Yesterday, my clients and I witnessed a huge hammerhead shark attack one of our tarpon in shallow water. See this amazing footage below.
 

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.
 

Anna Maria Island Fishing Charter – April 3, 2016

Anna Maria Island Fishing Charter
Captain Aaron Lowman – April 3, 2016
Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island Waters
Snook, Seatrout, Redfish

 
—Strong tides and a warming weather trend helped the inshore bite really get going the past couple weeks.
—Bait is on the move into Tampa and Sarasota Bays once again, sparking a good seatrout, snook, and redfish bite.
—I’m finding snook, trout and redfish close to mangroves, in potholes on grassflats, and around docks and oyster bars. A live shiner under a popping cork is my go-to rig for these situations.