Winter 2020 Fishing Around Anna Maria Island

—What a weather roller coaster ride, here on Anna Maria Island, in January! We started out January 2020 with record setting heat, only to plunge into the 50°’s on most days, during the latter half of the month! 

—I started out the month fishing many of the same areas that I was frequenting in December.

Anna Maria Island December 2019 Fishing

—Christmas and New Year’s Every aren’t the only things to celebrate in December here on Anna Maria Island. Inshore and nearshore fishing opportunities abound late in the year. 

Fishing Anna Maria Island-February 2019

  Fishing around Tampa Bay and Anna Maria Island this time of February can really be a challenge when the cold winds are whipping. I had to re-schedule some trips over the last couple weeks but all in all we have been able to catch nice fish in the backwater areas. On the cold, windy days, fishing around docks in the Intracoastal Waterway or Holmes Beach and Longboat Key canals has been very productive for sheepshead, black drum and redfish.

Anna Maria Fishing Report-January 2019

—Late January usually finds some pretty good sheepshead fishing here around Anna Maria Island and Tampa Bay, and 2019 is no exception. Sheepshead are a great winter-time target. They will feed aggressively when most of our other local species are sluggish from the cold water. Sheepshead are also fantastic on the plate, sporting firm, white, flaky fillets.

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.