Most of our pickups happen right here on Anna Maria Island, and for good reason. Summertime mornings on these beaches are hard to beat, speckled trout move out here in numbers, snook cruise up and down the shorelines, and redfish show up to feed in the shallows or on the sandbars. We'll find tarpon here in the summer as well. It's the variety and accessibility that make these beaches so productive.

A historic island, and one of our favorite places to fish during the summertime. Located on the north side of the Passage Key Inlet, Egmont is an easy six to seven-mile run from the dock and loaded with life. Here we will fish the grass flats for speckled trout and redfish, or cruise the beach side for snook. From May through July, the king of inshore fishing, tarpon, are here every day, making Egmont a true fish magnet.

Terra Ceia Bay is a change of pace. Just a 7-10 mile run, the bay is full of natural, unspoiled structures like oyster bars, grass flats, and mangroves. This is one of the most solid speckled trout fisheries in the area, consistently producing fish over 20” +. The combination of pristine habitat and lower fishing pressure makes Terra Ceia a go-to destination when conditions are right.

The Manatee River is the lifeblood of the estuary that Anna Maria Island calls home. Its brackish headwaters feed nutrients into the lower bay, allowing the ecosystem to thrive. When winter temperatures drop, fish push up into the Manatee River system, seeking warmer, more stable conditions, thanks to the root beer-colored water and the muddy bottom.

Structure is the name of the game when we fish the intracoastal from lower Tampa Bay to Sarasota Bay. We’ll target docks, bridges, mangroves, and rocks that offer consistent fishing all year long. This is where snook shine. You'll find them along rocks, docks, and edges waiting to ambush bait. Snook are beautiful and plentiful, and we love giving our clients a chance to experience their heart-stopping eats and acrobatic fights.

Palma Sola Bay is a different animal from Terra Ceia. It doesn't have the oyster bars or current, but what it does have is redfish, and lots of them. This big ol' pocket is exactly what redfish love: mangroves and docks with calmer water where they can cruise and feed. Expect more redfish here, along with quality 20-25" snook tucked into the structure. It is not uncommon to see redfish roaming the flats in this bay.

Sarasota Bay is a solid fishery that we visit when it makes sense strategically. If we're dealing with poor water quality up north, we'll make the run down here. During tarpon season, we might head this way to mix things up: a few hours chasing silver kings, then switching gears to target redfish, trout, and snook. Wintertime brings sheepshead into the area. When conditions call for it, though, Sarasota Bay delivers.

Tampa Bay is home to artificial structures that are fish magnets, providing non-stop action year-round. The fun part about fishing reefs is that you truly never know what you’re going to catch. Our favorite way to fish these reefs is chumming them up with bait, then freelining pilchards to the fish that wander out of the structure including gag grouper, goliath grouper, snook, and more.

In the heat of summer, specifically July and August, the Skyway Bridge becomes a grouper headquarters. We're targeting gag grouper and red grouper around the bridge structure and mangroves. During the summer, we target only grouper on the bridge. The iconic Skyway Bridge is loaded with structure and hiding places that grouper love, making it ideal for delivering non-stop action on quality fish.