Anna Maria Island Fishing Report: April 2018

The fishing on Anna Maria Island as of late has been great! White bait is back, and along with it, the snook bite.

The water temperature around Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key has been hovering around 72 degrees pretty consistently as of late on the inshore side which has made for some awesome days on the water. We have turned our focus from the winter droves of sheepshead fishing along docks (although they can still be found in decent numbers around the passes) to snook, fishing mangrove lines and seawalls.

When targeting snook, I can't stress enough the importance of using a long leader. I prefer to use at least 6 feet of 20 lb. fluorocarbon with a 6-12 inch shock tippet of 30 lb. fluorocarbon tied to the end. Size 2 circle hooks have been my go-to, hooking white bait through the nose to allow for as natural of a presentation as possible. Always keep grass and gunk clear of the leader and when fishing a high tide in mangroves, get your bait as far back in there as possible.

Trout have been consistent as well lately, with more keepers hooked than not. Using white bait with 20lb. fluorocarbon leader over deeper grass flats and potholes has been productive. Feel free to use a popping cork as well.

Kingfish should start showing up any day now closer to the beaches and we are excited to get after them!

Either way, get out there, wet-A-line and have some fun!

Tight lines!

Capt. Scott