Outdoors Column | Catching the big one off Anna Maria Island doesn’t always mean leaving shore
If you think you need a boat to catch big redfish and snook consistently, think again. Since the beginning of October land-based anglers have been catching both with regularity in popular areas around Anna Maria Island.
Angler Cole Lamphron, who builds railings and spiral stair cases in his business Fine Fabrications in Bradenton, utilizes his time to target big snook around local bridges when he’s not working. This past week he found himself tangled up with a big linesider while fishing at night in Longboat Pass.
“The best time to be out there is when the tide is moving,” Lamphron explained. “Both live and artificial baits work great. That big snook ate a Flare Hawk jig on heavy tackle. The fight lasted about five minutes and it kept trying to swim into the bridge.”
The snook measured just shy of 40-inches.
Lamphron, who lives in Bradenton, says that right now is a great time for other fish, as well. Grouper, snapper, flounder and big redfish also make an appearance when he is snook fishing.
Meanwhile, across the island, angler Jake Milton has focused his nearshore efforts on big redfish. Milton, who also lives in Bradenton, works on Anna Maria Island and spends his free time fishing nearly five days a week.
“I mostly fish from shore, looking for moving water that transitions from shallow to deep,” he explained. “Those are staging areas for big numbers of big fish.”
These areas around the passes and beaches have been holding big redfish over the past month and will continue to do so for the next few weeks. When the weather isn’t good, that’s when Milton says is the optimal time to go.
“Windier days have been best. The way to catch fish has been patience and keeping confidence where your bait is. I focus on the switches of the tide. The average redfish has been in the upper slot (27 inches) all the way up into the high 30s,” Milton said.
“Snook have been thickening up and eating well after spawning and have been in all size ranges.”
The weeks ahead should continue to keep the bite good from land for both anglers. As long as water temperatures remain above 80 degrees, snook and redfish will be active near the beaches and passes. When it drops into the 70’s most snook will transition away from these areas and breeder redfish tend to start schooling in deeper waters.
There are plenty of bait options available, but when fishing from land the best live bait is usually pinfish and grunts. Dead bait like cut ladyfish or mullet also work well for both redfish and snook, and expect to use heavy tackle if fishing around structures.