Capt. Mark Howard of Sumotime Charters said that fishing around Anna Maria for his charters has been good, with nice catches of trout and redfish. “Redfish and snook have been tight to the mangroves,” he noted, “and chumming with shiners will draw them in.” He’s finding trout “just about everywhere,” and Spanish mackerel are in 8 feet of water “and eating ferociously.”

Capt. Tom Chaya on the Dolphin Dreams in Holmes Beach out of Catchers said snook fishing for him remains the hot ticket. “There are plenty of large snook being caught up the Manatee River and around Terra Ceia,” he said, “and redfish are scattered and hitting on pinfish in Miguel Bay.” He added that he’s finding trout action to be excellent on the good-moving tides on the deep seagrass beds near Rattlesnake Key.

Capt. Zach Zacharias on the Dee-Jay II out of Parrot Cove Marina saidit’s all about the wind. “Above-normal winds coupled with dirty water in the nearshore Gulf have kept the Dee Jay II from plying the Gulf for several weeks,” he lamented. “On the bright side,” Capt. Zach said, “inshore action has been good. A party of three from Wisconsin nailed a good number of above-average trout along with chunky bluefish, mackerel and ladyfish. Broken grassy areas in about 4 feet of water in northern Sarasota Bay produced best.” He added that there was some excitement later in the week when a fisher from Valrico hooked up “with an easily 100-pound-plus tarpon on trout tackle in 5 feet of water. Much to our amazement, he had the big tarpon on for 10-12 jumps before the light line parted.”

Capt. Larry McGuire of Show Me The Fish Charters said he’s found that fishing turned on after the wind calmed. “We are catching lots of gag and red grouper, mangrove and yellowtail snapper, lots of big sharks, Spanish mackerel and kingfish hookups on most trips,” Capt. Larry said. “The kingfish are coming in stronger every day, with our main run probably running weeks or even a month later due to the windy weather. Our best action for kings has been out in 50- to 70-feet of water, using a variety of live baits.” He added that grouper and snapper catches are better at the 100-foot depths.

I finally got a patch for the fishing discussion forum, so feel free to tell us your tales!

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I will be adding updates periodically to our fishing video section. This will be a more organized section of fishing videos broken down by types of fishing.

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Good Luck in Your Fishing Adventures,

Bruce

Capt. Scottt Greer is a friend of mine, one I can highy recommend as I have been out fishing with him. Stray Dog Charters offers offshore charters out of Cortez Florida, going out through Longboat Pass.

If you live or just visiting , Tampa, Tampa Bay, Longboat Key, Anna Maria Island, Sarasota, Bradenton areas, visit his website for more charter rates and information. In the meantime enjoy the video filmed in the Gulf of Mexico off of Longboat Key Florida.

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Capt. Tom Chaya on the Dolphin Dreams out of Ann Maria Island Florida said he’s catching some nice-sized reds near sandbars on the lower tides. He’s also putting his charters onto trout and bluefish from the deeper pockets over seagrass flats in Sarasota Bay, and “there’s still plenty of snapper around area bridges.”

Capt. Zach Zacharias on the Dee-Jay II out of Parrot Cove Marina said “the roller coaster ride for water temperatures is back. Temps went from low 70s with a rash of Spanish mackerel and kingfish hitting offshore to water in the upper 50s and a whole different set of fish caught.” He said he went from hardly any bites on some rainy, cloudy days to colder and more blustery outings on extremely low tides producing trout, sheepshead, black drum and redfish. “Most of the latter action came while plying local canals and deep-water docks with live shrimp,” Capt. Zach said, adding he’s finding live shrimp, cut bait — especially ladyfish — and lead-head jigs worked very slow producing the best results. He also predicts that when water and winds die, beaches from Egmont Key to Longboat Key should start giving up big winter trout, plus pompano, bluefish, sheepies, flounder and some redfish.

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Capt. Scott Greer of Stray Dog Charters out of Cortez Florida has been catching Gag Grouper, Red Grouper along with large Amberjack. Fishing is great offshore currently if you know whee t look!

Capt. Mark Howard on Sumotime Fishing Charters said fishing has been good with the mild winter conditions. “A nice speckled trout bite has been happening on a variety of Berkley Gulps,” he said. He suggested fishing deep potholes on a moving tide for the best action. He’s also catching mangrove and gray snapper, plus grouper, off the nearshore rocks and reefs. Kingfish and bonito are also nearshore, Capt. Mark said.

Capt. Larry McGuire of Show Me The Fish Charters out of Cortez said offshore fishing has been good for his charters. He’s catching amberjack to 60 pounds, plus mangrove snapper. “We had to work harder for our big gag and red grouper,” he said. “We caught them but not as to the intensity of the last few months. On our trips we also caught yellowtail snapper, porgy, sea bass, kingfish and big sharks. Best action was out 30 miles or more starting in 125 feet for the monster amberjack. Our parties were catching them on everything from big live baits, jigs and even topwater lures.” He said he took Butch Owens from Lakewood Ranch and his sons Matt and Hunter along with some friends on a trip while the young men were home from college last week and put them all on lots of fish.

Capt. Tom Chaya on the Dolphin Dreams Charters  out of Anna Maria Island, said he’s catching big trout in the 4- to 6-pound range on the deep seagrass flats in Sarasota Bay. He’s also getting some good-sized mangrove snapper around big structures throughout the bay and Gulf, and catching some decent-sized snook for this time of year in the back of Terra Ceia Bay.

Capt. Zach Zacharias on the Dee Jay II at Parrot Cove Marina in Cortez said Spring-like conditions for the past three weeks have resulted in an increase of species available in the area. He’s catching Spanish mackerel, pompano are pretty thick, and “cobia may be a real option if the weather remains mild. A few offshore boats have reported kingfish out in the 50-foot depth. Snook have also started coming out of their winter holes very early and have been feeding in the 70-degree water comfort zone.” Other fish caught include trout, mangrove snapper, flounder, sheepies, black drum, redfish, grouper, bonito, bluefish, ladyfish and jacks. “Not too bad for January!” Capt. Zach said.

Capt. Sam Kimball of Legend Charters out of Annie’s Bait & Tackle on Cortez Road said offshore fishing for gag grouper remains phenomenal. There are big fish to be caught anywhere from 5 to 15 miles from Anna Maria Island in the Gulf - beside gags, there are amberjack, kingfish and banded rudderfish, plus mangrove snapper and red grouper.

Capt. Mark Johnston of Legend Charters said his backwater charters are producing terrific gag grouper by the inlets. He suggests fishing off any ledge or rock outcrop to bring in keeper-size grouper. He’s also following the thick whitebait, which in turn is being followed by big bluefish, bonito and kings. Mangrove snapper are also thick in the bays, he said, with lots of 12- to 16-inch fish being caught.

Capt. Zach Zacharias on the Dee Jay II out of Parrot Bay Marina in Cortez said December’s Spring-like weather has brought the water temperatures up to unseasonable levels. “Just a few weeks ago, it was in the mid 50s and now has reached the 70-degree mark in a lot of backwater areas - it makes it kind of tough to nail down any patterns.” He said he’s found that speckled trout have taken over as the top species since the reopening of the season, and he’s catching trout from 14 inches up to a 26 1/2 inches. Most of the trout have been found on grassy drop-offs near shoals and bars. “Once you find the trout,” he said, “the trick for the bigger ones is to move short distances in the same area until you hone in on the bigger units. A good number of pompano, bluefish, flounder and ladyfish have been taken in the same areas.” Capt. Zach said that above-average snapper fishing inshore continues, and “It is easier to catch a mess of mangos then it is sheepshead right now, although the sheepies have been coming on a little better this past week. Black drum to 27 inches and precious few redfish to 25 inches have been nailed fishing docks and structure.” He’s also catching Spanish mackerel and bonito.

Capt. Larry McGuire of Show Me The Fish Charters  out of Cortez Florida said he’s been catching lots of big gag and red grouper, “and on some trips hooking into some so big they are too much for some guys to handle. Our parties are also catching monster amberjack, mangrove and yellowtail snapper, porgys, flounder and sharks. There is great action from 40 feet out to 165 feet, but going out deeper is better. Best bait has been live pinfish and Spanish sardines. On one of our four-hour trips with Jim and Nanci Farese and family we caught eight big gag grouper and some big mangrove snapper. Their sons 8-year-old Ryan and 12-year-old Michael and daughter, 17-year-old Kate, all caught keeper grouper and snapper.”

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Danny Stasny at Island Discount Tackle at Catchers Marina in Holmes Beach Florida said water and weather has been rough for fishers, but there are still redfish and sheepshead to be caught, plus ladyfish on the seagrass flats in the bays. Snook are in a transitional period en route to their winter homes and don’t seem to be biting, he added.

Capt. Larry McGuire of Show Me The Fish Charters out of Cortez Florida, said that “this is probably the best time to catch gag grouper. As our water temperature drops, grouper move closer in for the winter and they bunch up on the rock piles, ledges and hard bottom areas and they have a ferocious appetite.” He is also putting his charters onto limit catches of red grouper, mangrove snapper, amberjack, sharks, triggerfish, porgys and even a few kingfish and Spanish mackerel. He’s finding the best action in less than 65 feet of water, with live and cut bait both working great.

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Good Luck in Your Hunting Adventures,

Bruce

Everyone is saying the snapper are on fire, both in the bay and shallow Gulf waters.

Capt. Scott Greer of Stray Dog Charters out of Cortez Florida says he has been putting his charters on gag and red grouper, snapper, even catch and release red snapper, cobia, African pompano and evean an occasional true black grouper.

Capt. Tom Chaya of Dolphin Dreams Charters out of Anna Maria Island said that kingfish and big Spanish mackerel are feeding on the big bait schools throughout the shallow Gulf. He’s catching lots of sharks and a few tarpon while the big fish are feeding on schools of threadfin herring. There are also nice redfish populations in Sarasota bay. “Snook will make a better showing on the flats as the water cools,” he said, “and the best bet for snook is night fishing under the lights and all the passes.”

Capt. Zach Zacharias on the Dee Jay II out of Parrot Cove Marina in Cortez said the past week has seen “a decent amount of kingfish and Spanish mackerel running along the beaches of Anna Maria and Longboat Key. Stiff easterly winds have kept most boats close to shore, as the Gulf got pretty rough a mile or so from the lee. When the huge amount of bait fish that has summered in the Tampa/Sarasota Bay estuary starts pouring out into the Gulf in the next month or so there should be some top action with all the critters that pass by in the fall.” He’s finding the inshore fishing scene to be excellent for mangrove snapper, redfish, snook and trout. “Slot-sized reds are being found in and around dock and seawall structure from north Sarasota Bay to Palma Sola Bay and near the mouth of the Manatee River. Most of the snook that are filtering back to the estuary have been on the small side, but numerous.” Capt. Zach added that the best flounder fishing of the year is between now and Christmas, with flattie action really picking up in the past few years.

Capt. Sam Kimball of Legend Charters out of Bradenton on Cortez Road said snapper fishing is phenomenal right now. He’s catching snapper to 6 pounds offshore, gag grouper to 16 pounds, red grouper to 12 pounds, plus amberjack farther from shore. The snapper, he said, are anywhere there’s structure from 6 to 30 miles out in the Gulf.

Capt. Mark Johnston, also of Legend Charters out of Bradenton on Cortez Road, said redfish action is fair to excellent right now. He’s also catching keeper trout and snook in the backwater, while his offshore trips are producing mangrove snapper and mackerel.

Capt. Rick Gross on Fishy Business out of Catchers Marina in Holmes Beach said he’s putting his charters onto keeper-size snook and limit catches of redfish. For reds, the tides are playing a big role, with the best action coming on low incoming or low outgoing water.