Anna Maria Island //

Tarpon
Fishing

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Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters
Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing Charters

Trip Overview

Whether it's on the beaches, in the passes, or on the bridges, Anna Maria Island Tarpon Fishing should be on every angler's bucket list.

Arguably the most iconic inshore species and one that has made Florida famous, tarpon fishing is an experience like no other. This isn’t a numbers game; migrating tarpon are the toughest and biggest inshore to get to bite. The name of the game is covering ground, dissecting the patterns, and maximizing our opportunities to get bit. Trophy fishing at its finest, the tarpon we target on these trips average 100-200 pounds.

Book Your Trip

Have more than five people? Contact us to coordinate trips for larger groups and multiple boats.

3/4 Day

6 Hours

1-5 Anglers

May - June

$900

Full Day

8 Hours

1-5 Anglers

May - June

$1,050

What's included

This is your experience, your time, and we ensure that we provide everything needed to make your trip memorable and as convenient as possible. Fishing licenses are included, and each boat is outfitted with top-of-the-line gear designed for ease of use and to battle the fish we target. Before we pick you up, our captains stock the livewells before sunrise, guaranteeing fresh bait for each trip. Water and ice are also provided on each boat.

  • Fishing Licenses
  • Rods, Reels, & Bait
  • Gas
  • Experienced Captain
  • Safety Equipment
  • Cooler With Ice & Waters

Target Species

Our main targets on these trips are of course, Tarpon, but we'll have the occasional bycatch of large Jack Crevalle and sometimes sharks. While we're predominately rigged up for tarpon on these trips, we may still be able to fish for other species in some of the areas.

Tarpon
Jack Crevalle
Shark

Florida Tarpon Season

You only get 60 days of true tarpon season, and timing is everything. The best fishing happens around moon phases, new moons and full moons bring bigger tides, and when that happens, tarpon get into a distinctive pattern. They come into the passes and work up the beaches as the tides roll in.

The four days before a full moon in May and June are prime time. We're going to hook a lot of tarpon. These fish are in a pattern, feeding heavily as they prepare to spawn. They travel in pods of 10-30 fish, and all of them have to be ready to spawn before they make their 95-mile run out to the continental shelf.

Between the moons, the tides are problematic, four tides a day, half a foot of movement, and the fish are less predictable. When this happens, we're working the passes and beaches, locating fish wherever we can find them.

Where We Fish For Tarpon

Our tarpon fishing grounds stretch from Fort DeSoto to Longboat Key, covering the prime migration corridor along Florida's Gulf Coast. Fort DeSoto Park is a seasonal hotspot that we only fish during tarpon season when these massive fish are moving through. Where we fish each day depends entirely on the tides. If it's flat, we're working the passes. If it's rolling, we're on the beaches. We're constantly switching between Bean Point, Egmont, and Longboat Pass, reading the water and the tides to stay on the fish.

Gear We Use

For tarpon fishing, we use Shimano's top-tier reels, the Stella and Twin Power models, that can handle the abuse these fish dish out.

In the passes, we run lightweight fiberglass rods that let us put maximum heat on the fish without worrying about breaking the rod. These are paired with 8000 series reels spooled with 50lb braid, the backbone you need when tarpon are running toward structure.

On the beaches, we switch to 8' medium-to-medium-heavy rods with 40lb braid on 6000-series reels. The fiberglass rods can't cast the distances needed on the beach, so these longer, more flexible rods give you the casting range while still providing plenty of stopping power

We also keep lighter 7'6" casting rods on hand for different scenarios. The right rod for the right situation, that's how we maximize your chances at landing one of these silver kings.

We typically freeline 4-5" threadfin for tarpon; they're not a hardy bait, so we want them fresh and shiny. Sometimes we'll throw chum and cut bait to draw fish in. We keep blue crabs on hand just in case conditions call for them.

We're playing all the angles, covering our bases, and looking for that one major bite. This is sportfishing at its finest. One bite can make your day.

What To Bring

From the time you contact us until the time we drop you off, everything is taken care of. Come dressed for the weather. Your guide will be in touch leading up to your trip to go over the weather forecast and make sure you're properly prepared. If you're bringing your kids, we recommend life jackets for them, as the sizing can be very specific.

  • Lunch, Snacks, & Beverages
  • Polarized Sunglasses
  • UV Resistant Clothing
  • Rain Jacket (If Forecasted)
  • Hat
  • Sunscreen
  • Drugs or Firearms
  • Big Coolers
  • Dogs

Tarpon FAQs

Ensuring our guests have an unforgettable time on the water with us is our top priority. See our frequently asked questions below for more information on our Anna Maria Island Fishing Charters. If you've got a question, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Great For Families &
Experienced Anglers Alike

anna maria offshore gameplan

Trip Gameplan

Our approach to every trip is methodical and deliberate. Every trip is planned to maximize time with lines in the water. That being said, we may pick up and burn some gas to get you where the fish are. Our expertise in the area means that sometimes it takes plan D to make it happen.

anna maria offshore gameplan
trip gameplan

Making A Loop

Everything we do has a purpose and is designed to maximize your time with us. We don’t want to be taking time away from you fishing by ending the day with a long run back to the dock, so we plan our trips in big loops that cover a lot of ground and species, with our last spot of the day just minutes from the dock.

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Anna Maria Beaches
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.
Egmont Key
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
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.
Manatee River
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.
Intracoastal Waterway
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
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
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
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.
Skyway Bridge
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.
Shells
Where We Fish

Incredible
Locations

We have access to an incredible diversity of structure within 10-15 miles and 20-30 minutes from your dock, everything from bridges to docks, oyster bars, grass flats, beaches, mangroves, and everything in between. This variety means we can adapt to conditions and put you on fish consistently, no matter what Mother Nature throws at us.

Book Your Trip

Other Trips

anna maria island inshore fishing charters

Inshore Fishing

4-8 Hours

1-5 Anglers

$650 - $1,050

Whether you're a veteran angler or a family looking to make some memories, the waters around Anna Maria Island are home to some of the best fishing on Florida's West Coast.

Fish Inshore
anna maria island offshore fishing charters

Offshore Fishing

4-8 Hours

1-5 Anglers

$550 - $950

Our offshore fishing trips are all about constant action without venturing too far offshore, making these trips perfect for families and anglers of all experience levels.

Head Offshore
anna maria island boat tours

Boat Tours

4 Hours

1-6 Guests

$450 - $600

Explore the beautiful, clear, turquoise waters around Anna Maria Island by boat, where we'll head to the sandbar for a swim, view wildlife, and enjoy the best the island has to offer.

Boat Tours
Capt. Randall Shaw

Over A Decade Of Experience

Captain Shaw has a passion for fishing and making lifelong memories for each of his clients and their families. Captain Randall has been guiding for over 10 years and still fishes with some of his original clients. Captain Randall has built a great team of guides who share the same passion for fishing.

About Us
Our Boats

Comfort & Fishability

The quality of experience we offer extends to the equipment we use. Our guide team only trusts the best equipment when hosting our guests on the water. Our gear is meticulously maintained to ensure you have a great time on the water and can focus on the fishing.

Our Boats
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