Check out this great guide to the island from Marvin the Manatee - don't worry, all will become clear...
Monday, 5 July 2010
Monday, 21 June 2010
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Cold weather, poorly snook
Some record low temperatures in the waters around Anna Maria have hit fishing, but they have also had a really bad affect on the fish themselves.
Some island fishermen have been voicing some concern about snook as water temperatures have dropped to around 50 degrees in the canals and as low as 45 degrees on the flats. Do I really need to tell you how low that is?
Well, I will anyway. The coldest month ever in Florida was in January 1940, with a mean air temperature of 49.7 degrees Fahrenheit. And this month could come pretty close.
The Anna Maria Islander reminds anglers that if they see snook floating on the surface, 'it likely does not mean they’re dead. More likely, they are stunned from cold temperatures, and often snook can revive once warmer temperatures arrive. Even so, anglers cannot keep out-of-season snook.'
Perhaps the best advice is to leave the fish completely alone until the water temperature picks up a bit. The good news is that all the reports we are getting suggest it will soon. Check out this video of some fishermen in Brevard County. It makes for pretty distressing viewing.
Perhaps the best advice is to leave the poor snook alone completely until the temperature picks up. You could always go after the trout, who seem not to mind the cold so much...
If you're thinking of coming to the angling paradise that is Anna Maria Island then don't look any further for your vacation rental needs than Anna Maria Vacations at http://www.annamaria.com/
Some island fishermen have been voicing some concern about snook as water temperatures have dropped to around 50 degrees in the canals and as low as 45 degrees on the flats. Do I really need to tell you how low that is?
Well, I will anyway. The coldest month ever in Florida was in January 1940, with a mean air temperature of 49.7 degrees Fahrenheit. And this month could come pretty close.
The Anna Maria Islander reminds anglers that if they see snook floating on the surface, 'it likely does not mean they’re dead. More likely, they are stunned from cold temperatures, and often snook can revive once warmer temperatures arrive. Even so, anglers cannot keep out-of-season snook.'
Perhaps the best advice is to leave the fish completely alone until the water temperature picks up a bit. The good news is that all the reports we are getting suggest it will soon. Check out this video of some fishermen in Brevard County. It makes for pretty distressing viewing.
Perhaps the best advice is to leave the poor snook alone completely until the temperature picks up. You could always go after the trout, who seem not to mind the cold so much...
If you're thinking of coming to the angling paradise that is Anna Maria Island then don't look any further for your vacation rental needs than Anna Maria Vacations at http://www.annamaria.com/
Friday, 18 December 2009
Baaa! The sheep are coming
They may not be around in great numbers just yet, but it's coming up on sheepshead season for fishermen in and around Anna Maria Island.
Within the next few weeks, look for sheepshead to gather around rocks and bridge and dock pilings, feeding off barnacles and crustaceans. They can be tricky to catch, but here are some tips and advice on how to snag one.
As far as bait goes, bring specialty ones these fish cannot resist, which include crushed mussels and clams, fiddler crabs, pelagic red crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas and shrimp. They are used to eating things with shells on, so soft, pre-cut baits won't be to their liking. Shrimp is perhaps the most effective bait of all, though, if you have a good source.
For rigs, use either a sliding sinker held about 2 ft. up the line from the hook by a small split shot or barrel swivel. This is good in shallow water and off piers and jetties.
In deeper water, reverse dropper-loops are more effective. This is made up by tying the hook to the end of the line and hanging a weight from a dropper-loop a couple of feet up the line. Pin a shrimp, sand flea, crab, piece of mussel or other bait on to the hook and drop it down on to the reef. Sheepshead feed by biting crustaceans off the rocks so it is best to fish right on the bottom or not more than a few feet above it.
There you go. Now get out there and round up some sheepshead.
Within the next few weeks, look for sheepshead to gather around rocks and bridge and dock pilings, feeding off barnacles and crustaceans. They can be tricky to catch, but here are some tips and advice on how to snag one.
As far as bait goes, bring specialty ones these fish cannot resist, which include crushed mussels and clams, fiddler crabs, pelagic red crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas and shrimp. They are used to eating things with shells on, so soft, pre-cut baits won't be to their liking. Shrimp is perhaps the most effective bait of all, though, if you have a good source.
For rigs, use either a sliding sinker held about 2 ft. up the line from the hook by a small split shot or barrel swivel. This is good in shallow water and off piers and jetties.
In deeper water, reverse dropper-loops are more effective. This is made up by tying the hook to the end of the line and hanging a weight from a dropper-loop a couple of feet up the line. Pin a shrimp, sand flea, crab, piece of mussel or other bait on to the hook and drop it down on to the reef. Sheepshead feed by biting crustaceans off the rocks so it is best to fish right on the bottom or not more than a few feet above it.
There you go. Now get out there and round up some sheepshead.
Friday, 27 November 2009
Shark tale, marlin tail
A bit of a change of tack fish fans for this week's instalment. While we're scratching around hauling up grouper and reds from the deep, over in the frankly terrifying waters of Australia, this sort of thing is going on.
The black marlin in the film is huge, HUGE!, so how big must the great white have been to bite it in half? This is why I am never, ever, ever, going swimming in Australia.
Enjoy!
The black marlin in the film is huge, HUGE!, so how big must the great white have been to bite it in half? This is why I am never, ever, ever, going swimming in Australia.
Enjoy!
Friday, 20 November 2009
Windy weather snook seek shelter
Windy weather has affected fishing from the shores and on the water around Anna Maria recently. But the smart fisherman heads to the back waters, finds himself a pier or jetty and goes after snook.
You don't have to venture too far to find them. General advice holds that you can locate snook within the first 100 feet of the canals until the winter weather really kicks in.
As Nick Walter writes in the Anna Maria Islander, 'A typical afternoon water temperature in the bays last weekend was 75-76 degrees — perfect for snook. The days remaining in the open snook season are dwindling, while anglers on the west coast have until Dec. 1 to keep one snook per day, between 28 and 33 inches.'
It's worth bearing that in mind people, don't take more than you are allowed. We want those snook to be here for generations to come...
Tight lines all!
You don't have to venture too far to find them. General advice holds that you can locate snook within the first 100 feet of the canals until the winter weather really kicks in.
As Nick Walter writes in the Anna Maria Islander, 'A typical afternoon water temperature in the bays last weekend was 75-76 degrees — perfect for snook. The days remaining in the open snook season are dwindling, while anglers on the west coast have until Dec. 1 to keep one snook per day, between 28 and 33 inches.'
It's worth bearing that in mind people, don't take more than you are allowed. We want those snook to be here for generations to come...
Tight lines all!
Friday, 9 October 2009
Bait causing a Ballyhoo
The fishing is a little slow at the moment, what with the high pressure front and those big old blue skies, but as a result, the bait fish are showing in numbers.
One of the best bait fish around is the ballyhoo, a killer for snook, kingfish and other hard-fighters, and they are currently to be found all around the island and in the bays.
Use a net or some small feathers to catch yourself enough for a day's session, but don't put too many in your bucket or bait-keeper, as they need a bit of space. A live bait is best!
Take a look at this video from FloridaKeysFishStories.com on how to rig one for best results.
One of the best bait fish around is the ballyhoo, a killer for snook, kingfish and other hard-fighters, and they are currently to be found all around the island and in the bays.
Use a net or some small feathers to catch yourself enough for a day's session, but don't put too many in your bucket or bait-keeper, as they need a bit of space. A live bait is best!
Take a look at this video from FloridaKeysFishStories.com on how to rig one for best results.
Monday, 14 September 2009
Snook season is here!
Hello there again fishing buddies!
Sorry it's been a while since I last cast you a line, but my waters have been real choppy recently. Thankfully all is calm again now.
So, let's start again at a great time of year for Florida fishermen: snook season. It's just got under way here in Anna Maria and already fishermen are reporting good lineside catches.
The snook is a hard-fighting fish, but can be tricky to snag, so here are some very basic tips on methods and times.
Method:
Live shrimp – Once the snook has been located, fish live shrimp using a 10 to 20 pound outfit with 30" of 40lb shock leader tied to a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Weight the line with only enough split shot or sinker to get it to the bottom.
Live bait fish – Mullet, menhaden, pinfish,etc. Again using the same outfit but using a larger hook to match the bait.
Lures – A wide variety of lures and jigs are used to catch snook. Some of the favorites include the Red Tailed Hawk jig and many of the Mirrolures.
Tides:
The best time to fish for Snook is from one hour before high tide through the first three hours of the falling tide.
Paul Roat, writing in the Anna Maria Islander, says, 'linesiders are being hooked off the beaches of Anna Maria Island, but most of the action is coming from the passes and in the bays'.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and cast a line for these powerful pisces, you're in for a good work-out if you snag one.
Tight lines!
Sorry it's been a while since I last cast you a line, but my waters have been real choppy recently. Thankfully all is calm again now.
So, let's start again at a great time of year for Florida fishermen: snook season. It's just got under way here in Anna Maria and already fishermen are reporting good lineside catches.
The snook is a hard-fighting fish, but can be tricky to snag, so here are some very basic tips on methods and times.
Method:
Live shrimp – Once the snook has been located, fish live shrimp using a 10 to 20 pound outfit with 30" of 40lb shock leader tied to a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Weight the line with only enough split shot or sinker to get it to the bottom.
Live bait fish – Mullet, menhaden, pinfish,etc. Again using the same outfit but using a larger hook to match the bait.
Lures – A wide variety of lures and jigs are used to catch snook. Some of the favorites include the Red Tailed Hawk jig and many of the Mirrolures.
Tides:
The best time to fish for Snook is from one hour before high tide through the first three hours of the falling tide.
Paul Roat, writing in the Anna Maria Islander, says, 'linesiders are being hooked off the beaches of Anna Maria Island, but most of the action is coming from the passes and in the bays'.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and cast a line for these powerful pisces, you're in for a good work-out if you snag one.
Tight lines!
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Cortez fishermen pitched beneath cloudy skies
Bad news for commercial fishermen in Cortez this week. New commercial grouper fishing regulations designed to save sea turtles have left some Cortez fishermen out of action.
According to the Anna Maria Sun newspaper, of the dozen grouper boats fishing out of Cortez, five will be able to use longlines under new rules passed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council last week.
The new rules are intended to reduce the number of longline boats, which regulators hope will minimize interactions with sea turtles. Longliners typically drop a line with 750 to 1,200 baited hooks on the sea floor for five to 10 miles, and begin retrieving it within an hour.
For boats to qualify for a longline endorsement, the new rules require minimum average annual catches of 40,000 pounds. They also prohibit using more than 750 hooks at a time, with 1,000 maximum on board, and prohibit shallow water grouper fishing from June to August, when turtles are plentiful in the eastern Gulf.
Several fishermen testified at the hearing that they had never encountered a single dead sea turtle on their longlines. Recreational fishermen and environmental groups, often at odds with the commercial industry, also questioned statistics at the hearing.
It seems the fishermen have no choice to but to keep fighting the ban - and hope that the skies on the horizon are brighter than they appear overhead at the moment.
Read the full story here
There really is only one company to trust with your Anna Maria Island vacation, and only one website you need to visit. Click on www.annamaria.com for the very best in vacation rentals on the island. From two-bed cottages, to huge homes for the whole family, waterside, gulf front, secluded, we have it all.
According to the Anna Maria Sun newspaper, of the dozen grouper boats fishing out of Cortez, five will be able to use longlines under new rules passed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council last week.
The new rules are intended to reduce the number of longline boats, which regulators hope will minimize interactions with sea turtles. Longliners typically drop a line with 750 to 1,200 baited hooks on the sea floor for five to 10 miles, and begin retrieving it within an hour.
For boats to qualify for a longline endorsement, the new rules require minimum average annual catches of 40,000 pounds. They also prohibit using more than 750 hooks at a time, with 1,000 maximum on board, and prohibit shallow water grouper fishing from June to August, when turtles are plentiful in the eastern Gulf.
Several fishermen testified at the hearing that they had never encountered a single dead sea turtle on their longlines. Recreational fishermen and environmental groups, often at odds with the commercial industry, also questioned statistics at the hearing.
It seems the fishermen have no choice to but to keep fighting the ban - and hope that the skies on the horizon are brighter than they appear overhead at the moment.
Read the full story here
There really is only one company to trust with your Anna Maria Island vacation, and only one website you need to visit. Click on www.annamaria.com for the very best in vacation rentals on the island. From two-bed cottages, to huge homes for the whole family, waterside, gulf front, secluded, we have it all.
Friday, 7 August 2009
The secrets of snook
Hi there fishing fans!
The snook are on the move! Various reports have the snook are moving off the beaches and into Longboat Pass and to Bean Point in preparation for the start of the season next month. How do they know?!
Anyway, to make sure you are as prepared as possible to take on these hard-fighting creatures, here's some sage advice from Sun-Sentinel outdoors writer Steve Waters and Tom Greene of Custom Rod & Reel.
Watch and learn people, watch and learn...
The snook are on the move! Various reports have the snook are moving off the beaches and into Longboat Pass and to Bean Point in preparation for the start of the season next month. How do they know?!
Anyway, to make sure you are as prepared as possible to take on these hard-fighting creatures, here's some sage advice from Sun-Sentinel outdoors writer Steve Waters and Tom Greene of Custom Rod & Reel.
Watch and learn people, watch and learn...
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Remember to get a license
It's licence time fellow fishermen. Don’t forget to get a fishing license if you’re going to fish from shore after August 1. You can pick one up from most tackle shops or the tax collector’s office and it will only cost you $9. Is there a better value ticket in the whole state?
Fishing action in and around Anna Maria Island has picked up thanks to some recent hot weather, with most captains and pleasure anglers reporting good catches of trout, redfish and catch-and-release snook around the shores and grouper and snapper going well in the deeper water.
One visitor who can vouch for the quality of grouper fishing off Anna Maria Island is Amy Sharma, who may have set a new world record for black grouper.
Amy was fishing with husband Andy aboard Team Legmakr with Capt. Anthony Manali and his wife Joann when she reeled in a 93.5-pounder in the Gulf of Mexico..
According to the AM Islander, both are frequent visitors to the Island. They certainly will be from now on... Check out the picture on the Islander's website here
Don't just visit Anna Maria Island, stay here. For the very best in vacation rental properties visit www.annamaria.com and spend your vacation in a real home from home.
Fishing action in and around Anna Maria Island has picked up thanks to some recent hot weather, with most captains and pleasure anglers reporting good catches of trout, redfish and catch-and-release snook around the shores and grouper and snapper going well in the deeper water.
One visitor who can vouch for the quality of grouper fishing off Anna Maria Island is Amy Sharma, who may have set a new world record for black grouper.
Amy was fishing with husband Andy aboard Team Legmakr with Capt. Anthony Manali and his wife Joann when she reeled in a 93.5-pounder in the Gulf of Mexico..
According to the AM Islander, both are frequent visitors to the Island. They certainly will be from now on... Check out the picture on the Islander's website here
Don't just visit Anna Maria Island, stay here. For the very best in vacation rental properties visit www.annamaria.com and spend your vacation in a real home from home.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Having a whale of a time...
All fishermen have at one time exaggerated about the one that got away. Hands get steadily further apart as they recount the size and girth of that monster of the deep which lived to fight another day.
But Ted Dorenkamp and Steve Doyle could not stretch their arms wide enough to describe the leviathan that swam past them on a recent trip out of Anna Maria Island.
Anchored 18 miles west of Bean Point, and quietly minding their own business, the pair saw a commotion on the surface before shortly getting a close-up look of what was causing it.
"And all of a sudden it charged the boat. It came right up to us, and we realized it was a whale shark," Dorenkamp told the AM Islander.
"Then it went under the boat and lifted up the bow," Dorenkamp said. “We had to hang on. Then it went to the stern and bumped it a few times. It must have been around us for 30 or 45 minutes. It was very, very, very, very cool.”
Lucky for them the whale shark only eats plankton and other food it filters into its enormous mouth.
Check out the full story at the Islander website here
When you get to Florida, be sure to call in on Anna Maria Island, a little gem of a place off the Gulf Coast. Check out www.annamaria.com for the very best in vacation rentals on this paradise island.
But Ted Dorenkamp and Steve Doyle could not stretch their arms wide enough to describe the leviathan that swam past them on a recent trip out of Anna Maria Island.
Anchored 18 miles west of Bean Point, and quietly minding their own business, the pair saw a commotion on the surface before shortly getting a close-up look of what was causing it.
"And all of a sudden it charged the boat. It came right up to us, and we realized it was a whale shark," Dorenkamp told the AM Islander.
"Then it went under the boat and lifted up the bow," Dorenkamp said. “We had to hang on. Then it went to the stern and bumped it a few times. It must have been around us for 30 or 45 minutes. It was very, very, very, very cool.”
Lucky for them the whale shark only eats plankton and other food it filters into its enormous mouth.
Check out the full story at the Islander website here
When you get to Florida, be sure to call in on Anna Maria Island, a little gem of a place off the Gulf Coast. Check out www.annamaria.com for the very best in vacation rentals on this paradise island.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
This gag is no joke
Hi fishing fans,
There are lots of reports at the moment of grouper being caught in pretty good numbers off shore, so we thought we'd take a look at this funny-looking fish which can give you some excellent arm-aching action.
There is some pretty comprehensive advice at basspro.com which you might want to follow. But for a simple guide to catching a grouper, be it gag, red, black, yellow fin or Warsaw, there are a few basic rules you should follow.
There are basically three approaches used when fishing for grouper – straight bottom fishing, freelining live bait, and slow trolling. Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico often have the most success trolling for grouper.
In the gulf grouper anglers use diving plugs that go as deep as 30ft or more over artificial reefs. Anglers slow troll these large artificials over and around these structures and generally speaking if there is a grouper nearby it will bite - they're good like that.
For more info, check out this video of some lucky guy catching a 400lb goliath grouper - the music is a bit annoying, but look at the size of that thing!
Don't just visit Anna Maria Island, stay here. For the very best in vacation rental properties visit www.amisland.com and spend your vacation in a real home from home.
There are lots of reports at the moment of grouper being caught in pretty good numbers off shore, so we thought we'd take a look at this funny-looking fish which can give you some excellent arm-aching action.
There is some pretty comprehensive advice at basspro.com which you might want to follow. But for a simple guide to catching a grouper, be it gag, red, black, yellow fin or Warsaw, there are a few basic rules you should follow.
There are basically three approaches used when fishing for grouper – straight bottom fishing, freelining live bait, and slow trolling. Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico often have the most success trolling for grouper.
In the gulf grouper anglers use diving plugs that go as deep as 30ft or more over artificial reefs. Anglers slow troll these large artificials over and around these structures and generally speaking if there is a grouper nearby it will bite - they're good like that.
For more info, check out this video of some lucky guy catching a 400lb goliath grouper - the music is a bit annoying, but look at the size of that thing!
Don't just visit Anna Maria Island, stay here. For the very best in vacation rental properties visit www.amisland.com and spend your vacation in a real home from home.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Free for all from the piers
The best things in life are free - and thankfully that includes fishing on Anna Maria Island.
While new fishing license rules will be applied statewide from August 1 they should not impact anglers on the Historic Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach.
Currently non-residents need a license to fish from the shore but the new regulations will require resident saltwater anglers who fish from shore or a structure affixed to shore to buy a $7.50 shoreline license unless they have a regular resident saltwater fishing license.
However, the loophole in this law states that they do not need one if the pier they are fishing on has a license. And an umbrella license at the Historic Bridge Street Pier means fishing will be free for all. Remember, though, you do need a license to fish from a boat, unless the skipper has one.
So complicated! Thankfully the reason we all go fishing is to simplify life and by and large that's what we get.
Unless you hook into one of the giant tarpon currently circling the island - that can be anything but relaxing...
There really is only one company to trust with your Anna Maria Island vacation, and only one website you need to visit. Click on www.annamaria.com for the very best in vacation rentals on the island. From two-bed cottages, to huge homes for the whole family, waterside, gulf front, secluded, we have it all.
While new fishing license rules will be applied statewide from August 1 they should not impact anglers on the Historic Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach.
Currently non-residents need a license to fish from the shore but the new regulations will require resident saltwater anglers who fish from shore or a structure affixed to shore to buy a $7.50 shoreline license unless they have a regular resident saltwater fishing license.
However, the loophole in this law states that they do not need one if the pier they are fishing on has a license. And an umbrella license at the Historic Bridge Street Pier means fishing will be free for all. Remember, though, you do need a license to fish from a boat, unless the skipper has one.
So complicated! Thankfully the reason we all go fishing is to simplify life and by and large that's what we get.
Unless you hook into one of the giant tarpon currently circling the island - that can be anything but relaxing...
There really is only one company to trust with your Anna Maria Island vacation, and only one website you need to visit. Click on www.annamaria.com for the very best in vacation rentals on the island. From two-bed cottages, to huge homes for the whole family, waterside, gulf front, secluded, we have it all.
Monday, 29 June 2009
Be smart to catch a dolphin
The have been plenty of reports locally of fishermen and women reeling in dolphin, also known as Mahi Mahi or Dorado. They are a strange looking fish, so you'll have no trouble knowing if you've caught one.
To stand the best chance of pulling one in, follow these four great tips from the Associated Content website. Read the full version here
Tip one When trolling for dolphin have a mixed spread of lures. Smaller lures, less than five inches close to the boat and one or two lures over ten inches long further back. Be flexible, if you know fish are in the area, but not biting change your trolling speed. Faster is normally better in a slow bite, slower more effective in a good bite. Swap the larger lures close and the smaller lures back. Change things if they aren't working, but don't fix something that is not broke.
Tip two Live bait is often the ticket on a calm day. If you find yourself surrounded by good size school dolphin that just won't eat, welcome to my world. Here is a big tip to get them to bite, live shrimp or small live pilchards. If you are lucky enough to have a bait well full of live pilchards, live chum with them. That is release a few dozen around the boat when you find fish. The pilchards will run right back to the boat if you are in clean deep water and bring the fish to you. Live shrimp work as well, give the fish a few freebies and then put a hook in one of the shrimp. Once you have one hooked, leave that one in the water and try chunk baits. Once you have one on the others will normally start feeding.
Tip three Feed the bait to attract the fish. Take a block or two of chum and a large mesh chum bag or box. If you drift and chum a large weed patch or line you can attract the bait from the line to your boat. Take that opportunity to catch a few of the weed line livies and use them for bait. This trick has saved my butt more than once! It is a last resort technique most of the time, but I am using it more often around huge weed patches on calm days.
Tip four Dolphin love dolphin! Rig one of the school dolphins on a stout outfit and do some big game fishing. Some of the biggest dolphins caught are trade ups from smaller dolphin along with a big blue marlin on occasion wanting to butt in on the fun. That's the reason for the stout rod.
And here's a pic of one.
Good luck and tight lines!
When you get to Florida, be sure to call in on Anna Maria Island, a little gem of a place off the Gulf Coast. Check out www.annamaria.com for the very best in vacation rentals on this paradise island.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Fishing hot, hot, hot
Hi there fish fans,
Not much news to bring you this week, other than that the fishing is still absolutely amazing. As Paul Roat writes in the Anna Maria Islander this week: 'Sounding like a broken CD, this week’s refrain is the same on the fishing front: terrific. Tarpon continue to be everywhere, from the beach to Tampa Bay. Fish up to 120 pounds are being caught.
'Mackerel are starting to hit lures in the passes. Trout and redfish are thick in the bays. Catch-and-release snook are still along the beach.
'Offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, grouper, amberjack and snapper also are easy prey for fishers. And sharks are swarming in backwaters as well as open Gulf waters.'
Well, we get bored of saying this, if you're not on Anna Maria Island fishing, what on Earth are you doing?
Don't just visit Anna Maria Island, stay here. For the very best in vacation rental properties visit www.annamaria.com and spend your vacation in a real home from home.
Not much news to bring you this week, other than that the fishing is still absolutely amazing. As Paul Roat writes in the Anna Maria Islander this week: 'Sounding like a broken CD, this week’s refrain is the same on the fishing front: terrific. Tarpon continue to be everywhere, from the beach to Tampa Bay. Fish up to 120 pounds are being caught.
'Mackerel are starting to hit lures in the passes. Trout and redfish are thick in the bays. Catch-and-release snook are still along the beach.
'Offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, grouper, amberjack and snapper also are easy prey for fishers. And sharks are swarming in backwaters as well as open Gulf waters.'
Well, we get bored of saying this, if you're not on Anna Maria Island fishing, what on Earth are you doing?
Don't just visit Anna Maria Island, stay here. For the very best in vacation rental properties visit www.annamaria.com and spend your vacation in a real home from home.
Monday, 22 June 2009
Stop reading, get fishing
Morning fishing buddies!
Well, this might be a first, but today's advice to you if you happen to be anywhere near Anna Maria Island at the moment is to stop reading this blog! I don't mean forever, of course, just right now.
Stop reading and get out fishing. That's because the news coming in to us from the water is that the fishing at the moment is as red hot as the weather. And then some.
All the captains around Anna Maria are reporting limit catches of just about everything they throw a line out for. Snook, trout, tarpon, mackerel, sharks. You name it, it's being hauled over a gunwale right now.
So, and this is a once-only offer, we don't mind if you stop reading Fishy Tales for just a minute, get yourself some bait and get your hooks out there into the shiny blue waters surrounding our seaside home. Anna Maria Island is often called an angler's paradise.
And right now it's living up to that name.
Tight lines!
Well, this might be a first, but today's advice to you if you happen to be anywhere near Anna Maria Island at the moment is to stop reading this blog! I don't mean forever, of course, just right now.
Stop reading and get out fishing. That's because the news coming in to us from the water is that the fishing at the moment is as red hot as the weather. And then some.
All the captains around Anna Maria are reporting limit catches of just about everything they throw a line out for. Snook, trout, tarpon, mackerel, sharks. You name it, it's being hauled over a gunwale right now.
So, and this is a once-only offer, we don't mind if you stop reading Fishy Tales for just a minute, get yourself some bait and get your hooks out there into the shiny blue waters surrounding our seaside home. Anna Maria Island is often called an angler's paradise.
And right now it's living up to that name.
Tight lines!
Friday, 12 June 2009
Silver kings still rule
It’s still tarpon time off Anna Maria Island - and some of the boat captains are reporting some excellent action.
Tarpon are being spotted and caught off the beaches, in the passes and near Egmont Key, and even on the seagrass beds in the bays.
Paul Roat in the AM Islander says offshore fishing for amberjack, snapper and grouper is great in the Gulf of Mexico. The grouper bite is moving farther from shore as the water warms, but the hits keep on coming. There also are some cobia mixed in around the tarpon pods, and reports of dolphins being caught offshore.
Captain Zach Zacharias, meanwhile, in the AMI Sun has some excellent advice for those heading out on the water right now. Make sure when heading out this time of the year to carry plenty of water, hats, glasses. sunscreen and loose light weight clothing.
A working VHF radio that is turned on is a real plus for you and your passenger’s safety when an unexpected squall blows up and endangers your way back to port. Remember that cell phones generally do not work once you are three to four miles offshore. Graphite is one of the best conductors of electricity, so if there is lightning about, lay your fishing rods down horizontally in the boat and get the heck off the water.
Tarpon are being spotted and caught off the beaches, in the passes and near Egmont Key, and even on the seagrass beds in the bays.
Paul Roat in the AM Islander says offshore fishing for amberjack, snapper and grouper is great in the Gulf of Mexico. The grouper bite is moving farther from shore as the water warms, but the hits keep on coming. There also are some cobia mixed in around the tarpon pods, and reports of dolphins being caught offshore.
Captain Zach Zacharias, meanwhile, in the AMI Sun has some excellent advice for those heading out on the water right now. Make sure when heading out this time of the year to carry plenty of water, hats, glasses. sunscreen and loose light weight clothing.
A working VHF radio that is turned on is a real plus for you and your passenger’s safety when an unexpected squall blows up and endangers your way back to port. Remember that cell phones generally do not work once you are three to four miles offshore. Graphite is one of the best conductors of electricity, so if there is lightning about, lay your fishing rods down horizontally in the boat and get the heck off the water.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Tarpon time!
Okay, so it might be time to head to the gym to work on your guns because it would seem that tarpon time is here!
If you don't know what we're talking about, you have never hooked into one of these hard-fighting monsters of the deep.
According to Anna Maria Islander fishing correspondent, Paul Roat, 'the tarpon are off the beaches, roaming the shallows near Egmont Key and swarming off Whitney Beach on north Longboat Key. Best catch to date is Tommy Price with his 125-pound silver king, but there must be some bigger ones out there.'
There sure are, and you should be out there catching them.
Check out this awesome video of a massive tarpon doing what tarpon do best.
If you don't know what we're talking about, you have never hooked into one of these hard-fighting monsters of the deep.
According to Anna Maria Islander fishing correspondent, Paul Roat, 'the tarpon are off the beaches, roaming the shallows near Egmont Key and swarming off Whitney Beach on north Longboat Key. Best catch to date is Tommy Price with his 125-pound silver king, but there must be some bigger ones out there.'
There sure are, and you should be out there catching them.
Check out this awesome video of a massive tarpon doing what tarpon do best.
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