Why May is the Best Time for Anna Maria Island Fishing Charters!
May is one of my favorite months to fish down here on Anna Maria Island for many reasons. The water is crystal clear, the tarpon show up in good numbers, big snook start getting to their summer breeding spots, and there’s plenty of trout and snapper around for table fare.
Tarpon Fishing:
The king of all sportfishing is the tarpon. In my opinion, it’s the baddest fish that swims, and if you get a chance to be on the rod when one is ripping line out of the reel, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. These fish are absolutely incredible, from the way they can breathe air like we can, to the way they viciously fly out of the water when you hook up to one, to the way they instinctively travel to the passes as a certain tide brings a certain kind of bait.
They have been around for millions of years, and sometimes their deep intelligence can give us fishermen a tough time trying to catch them, but it’s all worth it once you do get that bite. It was a hot start early in May, fishing around the local bridges and grass flats where most of the residential fish start. But now a big push of fish has entered the bay, and it’s game on.
I am booked up most of this tarpon season due to amazing clients and friends who are patient enough to get these fish to bite with me, but if you’re looking to get out and try to catch these beautiful fish, please give me a call, and I will give you a great recommendation or maybe even fit you into my schedule. Today was the first day when the fish didn’t make me work too hard, and they seemed very happy, calm, and unbothered, so I am super excited for the next few weeks, as I think it will be some very good fishing.
Big Snook Fishing:
There is some awesome big snook fishing going on right now, and we have caught several fish in the past few weeks that have hit the 40-inch mark. I have a feeling we are going to see many more to come.
These big breeder snook have been stacking up in the same spots every year in May, long before my time, and they sure are stacked up now. In these areas, there are a ton of male snook and a nice group of female snook mixed in.
Male snook are smaller fish, and they outnumber the big breeder female snook, so you have to use a couple of tricks to get these big breeder snook to feed before the male snook get to the bait. These big snook are such an adrenaline rush when we get a bite.
It can require some patience to wait these fish out and for them to turn on and bite, and it’s not for everyone, but anyone who can stay patient and wait them out has a good shot at getting a trophy-sized snook.
Trout and Mangrove Snapper Fishing:
If your goal on your Anna Maria Island Fishing Charter is to get some nice table fare to cook up that night or to do the “cook your catch” deal at the amazing Waterfront restaurant, then sea trout and mangrove snapper are what we like to target in May!
We fish deep grass flats for sea trout in clean water with strong water movement, and there have been plenty of nice trout around. For mangrove snapper, we fish bridges, structure, ledges, and deep channels with rocky bottoms as they start to move into the bay for their summer pattern.
We have also been catching redfish, flounder, some Spanish mackerel, and other species for the dinner table, but sea trout and mangrove snapper have been the best bet.
Excellent tarpon fishing ahead: book your private charter with AMI Excursions Today!
May has been off to a very strong start, with only a couple of weeks to go. I expect the tarpon fishing to get really good in the next few weeks. If you’re looking to target tarpon or to load a cooler for the dinner table, I would love to help you do so! AMI Excursions is a private owner-operator charter service fully dedicated to ensuring people like you have the best fishing experience possible on our beautiful home waters.
