Honestly, the excitement never stops on an Anna Maria Island Fishing Charter: With our fabulous weather and rich variety of fish environments, we’re blessed with a parade of one incredible species after another all year round.
And late summer/early fall is the time in the parade when redfish come along.
Think of reds (redfish, or red drum) like the Santa Claus of our autumn AMI fishing parade: They’re big, they’re red(-ish), and they’re bringing lots of treats for all the boys and girls and anglers of all ages casting lines right now.
Of course, the parade also still has plenty of snook, grouper, and even the occasional flounder (until Oct. 15). But when it comes to parades this time of year, a lot of folks are looking forward to Santa Claus.
About Redfish in Sarasota Bay
Redfish are also known as “red drum” because they drum up quite a racket when spawning, but we usually just call them “reds.”
We started seeing schools of reds this year off AMI in August, which makes sense, because that’s the start of their spawning season—which goes on until December. So we’re currently seeing them gather in our area’s many inlets and lagoons, as well as in the passes.
And even after hatching, juvenile reds typically spend the first four years of their lives in our inshore estuaries. In that amount of time, they can easily surpass 24” and 10 lbs. Of course, the we see a big range in sizes, especially when you factor in the younger redfish in the area. But you should know that the Florida state record redfish was 52 lbs, 5 oz.
The Fun of AMI Redfish Fishing
Many folks consider reds the most popular and widely fished sportfish in Florida. Yes, they’re big. And on top of that, they’ve got stamina to keep the fight up for days.
Because the inshore waters bordering Anna Maria Island—Sarasota Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway—are basically giant estuaries in and of themselves, redfish could be pretty much anywhere around here in the fall. But the trick is still find them while they’re out and about. So you want an AMI fishing guide who can take you to the prime spots for the big boys, and I’ve got you covered there.
Mangroves and docks are great places to start. Fortunately reds are hungry and active this time of year, so once we find them, we’ve got quite a few bait options to get them biting.
The bag limit for redfish is two per boat, which is actually pretty generous when you consider what the population looked like back in the 90s. Yes, reds are so much fun that they got terribly overfished a few decades ago. But wildlife management did its job managing the fisheries, and now we’ve got a real bounty again.
The Ultimate Redfish Reward
As with so many of our awesome fish species around AMI, redfish are absolutely delicious. And their size makes them a real substantial prize to filet and cook however you like: grill, sauté, smoke, bake, or even stir up into ceviche.
Trust me when I tell you that you will have an absolute blast booking an Anna Maria fishing charter during this expansive redfish fall season. Make it an autumn to remember with AMI Excursions Fishing Charters, Anna Maria Island, FL.
