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Florida
Fishing Reports for Bradenton
Florida
fishing reports for Bradenton, Anna Maria
Island, Palmetto, Sarasota, and Longboat Key - submitted March 3, 2008
Is great fishing just
around the corner?
No, it's already here!
Is great Florida
inshore fishing just around the corner? No,
I believe it's already here. The
past two weeks of fishing with clients have been very exciting despite
the on and off cold fronts and mild winds. Many
of my customers are catching a mixed bag of fish to keep the action
consistent.
 Snook
are now starting
to show up just about everywhere, we are catching snook around
structure such as docks, bridges, seawalls and canals.
I've been searching for them on the flats, but
they just aren't quite there yet. We
have been spotting bigger snook at night around dock lights, along with
nice-sized trout, which is a very good sign if anyone is interested in
a night charter. Redfish can be steady, but they seem to be on the move
and not holding any particular area for too long.
Redfish,
when I find them, have been eating heavily. I catch reds when I spot
big schools of mullet. Look for
those big jumper mullets and you will find redfish mixed in.
 To my surprise the
Sheepshead fishing is
completely off the charts. I've had
clients in these last few weeks catch monster sheepshead.
I know they all had a delicious dinner.
Strangely, this last
month has brought an absolute truckload of small to mid-sized mangrove
snappers into Tampa Bay waters and they are feasting at all
times,
regardless of what the tides may be doing.
I
can't seem to recall a season when so many mangrove snappers have shown
up. But who really cares they're fun to catch, great eating and the
best bait thieves on the planet, which keep things interesting.
The other strange catch
of last week was a hogfish snapper.
I
took a couple guys from Moscow,
Russia
on a fishing charter and their first catch of the day was a hogfish
snapper caught near one of Sarasota's many
intercoastal bridges.
What
a
surprise, I haven't seen a hogfish snapper in quite sometime.
Our
good fortune is due in part to the
reliable supply of lively shrimp and the warming of our local waters.
We have been catching small greenback shiners
for bait, but the fish don't seem hungry for them yet.
Small pinfish and small hand-select shrimp are
getting the job done right now.
If
you're interested in some good fishing on Florida's
beautiful Gulf
Coast
give me a call and let's go get 'em. Remember,
always keep your rod tip up and I'll see you out on the water.
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