Grouper season for all species except Gag and Goliath opened 1 April and all
reports were incredible! Capt. Billy took a crew out to 45’ of water and
limited out due west of Anna Maria Island. They caught Red Grouper up
to 22 pounds and Scamp to almost 9 pounds. The reports from guys who
went deeper were just as good or better. Frozen Sardines and Squid
worked well together as did live Pinfish. The Kingfish bite remained hot
as well. I took Bill Giesking from Pepin Distributing out with a few of
his clients and we caught 20 or so from 8 to 25 pounds slow trolling
live pilchards and cigar minnows in 40 to 50 feet of water. Almost every
bait we put out got struck within a minute or two of starting our
troll.
I recommend trolling versus anchoring up if looking for the
bigger fish. Inshore the Redfish, Snook and Trout bites all remain good
while big schools of Spanish Mackerel are invading the bay from almost
every angle. These guys are great targets for the kids as the action is
almost non stop. Look for the birds working the surface and you’ll find
the Macs. Load your livewells with fresh white baits from the Sunshine
Skyway bridge or one of the bay area markers and just go fishing. It’s
almost hard to not catch fish right now.
Catch Capt. Michael Anderson and Capt. Billy Nobles every Saturday morning on
News CH8 at 6:30am and Sundays at 11:00am for the Reel Animals Fishing
Show and Saturdays for Reel Animals Saturday on 970WFLA from 6:00am to
9:00am and Sunday mornings on AM620 for the TA Mahoney Co. Reel Animals
Radio Show from 7am to 9am or to book a trip call 1-866-Gamefish.
