Guests aboard our fishing charters have been experiencing great fishing and great weather the last few weeks overall. We are still having a cold front every week or two come through and stir things up but we are getting into summer time slowly as the month of May approaches. Summer is a great season to fish Tampa Bay and the beaches of Anna Maria Island. We mainly are targeting snook, seatrout, redfish, tarpon, mangrove snapper, and Spanish mackerel. Summer time also is good action for shark fishing. The predominant species of sharks that we encounter are blacktip, sandbar, and lemon sharks.

The last 3 weeks the king mackerel have been a good fish to target on our fishing charters when the weather allows us to get out into the Gulf of Mexico. Just a couple miles off the beaches of Anna Maria Island at some of the artificial reefs and sunken boat wrecks we are able to target the king mackerel “kingfish”.  Along with the kingfish we are seeing good numbers of Spanish mackerel, bonita, and some cobias and sharks. This provides great action and all of these fish put up an awesome battle on light tackle for our guests aboard our fishing charters. As the water temperature continues to warm the kingfish will push north out of our region and we will start to focus more on the mangrove snappers and the elusive permit in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tarpon have shown up in good numbers and the migratory fish should be here any day now as we are on the backside of a full moon coming in to the month of May. There are fish in Tampa Bay that have been cooperative for some anglers but the last week or so with gin clear water and being around a full moon made for some very tough fishing. Once the migratory fish are here in full force is when fishing along the beaches will become effective and one of the coolest ways to fish for them.

The snook fishing is getting better by the day as the fish make their way to their summertime haunts out at the beaches and major passes adjacent to the beaches. Snook spawn mainly during the summertime so the season is closed May, June, July, and August. We practice catch and release when targeting these fish in the summertime, they put up a great fight and there is a great chance for a trophy sized snook that can reach upwards of 40” long and 15-20+ lbs. mangrove snapper will start to be a good target in the next few weeks and through the entire summer with warmer water temperatures for some good table fare for a meal or two.

If you are looking for a family friendly fun for any age fishing charter give me a call or text 813-220-8725. This is a great activity for summer vacation with the family to make some great memories. I am based in Bradenton/Anna Maria Island area, just a short drive from Siesta Key and St Pete Beach.