The fishing and the weather around Anna Maria Island and Bradenton FL have been great lately as we end our spring break season and get into summer. Guests on our fishing charters have been enjoying successful fishing along with the best weather this area has to offer. The water in Tampa Bay and surrounding Anna Maria Island and the Gulf of America has been teaming with life. The last few weeks we have been seeing an abundance of bait fish schools, threadfin herring and pilchards. There has been no shortage or dolphins around and we have been seeing quite a few slow-moving manatees as well. Plenty of bird life lately including pelicans, seagulls, terns, cormorants, ospreys, a variety of herons, egrets, and spoonbills have been common sightings while fishing and traveling spot to spot. Some of the most prevalent species of fish being landed on our fishing charters include snook, spotted seatrout, redfish, Spanish mackerel, grouper, ladyfish, and jack crevalle.

May and June are a great time of year for inshore fishing. Tarpon are showing up more and more by the day, the snook are making their way to their spawning areas out on the beaches and passes for the summer, big schools of bait are all over the place with Spanish Mackerel, ladyfish, spotted seatrout, blacktip and lemon sharks, jacks, and other hungry fish gorging themselves. The deep grass flats are great areas to fish when the water warms and provide a variety of fish to anglers. The tarpon have shown up in good numbers in Tampa Bay around the Skyway bridge and some of the major passes. As we get more into May the migratory fish along the beaches of Anna Maria Island will show up and become a target on our fishing charters. Gag groupers seem to be everywhere we go. They are catch and release but are a blast to catch and really test your skills as an angler. The mangrove snapper are getting more active with the warm clean water we have been seeing throughout Tampa Bay. They are around structures like the major bridges and artificial reefs. As we get more towards the middle of the summer, we will see more snapper being caught on our fishing charters.

The bait fish are back on the grass flats. My favorite time to catch the bait on the grass flats is early in the morning as the sun is peaking over the horizon. Anchor the boat and chum using dry tropical fish food to create a slick and wait for the bait to congregate in the slick. I like to use a ten-foot cast net with quarter inch mesh to capture the bait fish once they are chummed up.

If you are looking for a fishing charter in the Anna Maria Island or Bradenton/Palmetto area, give me a call or text 813-220-8725. You can also visit my website onamissionfishing.com and book through there. I offer family friendly fishing charters. I also cater to the seasoned anglers. We fish with fresh caught live bait I catch in the morning before clients arrive.