subject: Fishing On Your Anna Maria Vacation: Where To Go And What To Catch [print this page] Anna Maria Island is located off the west coast of Florida just forty miles south of Tampa. An Anna Maria vacation provides visitors with a variety of activities available including going to the beach, golfing, hot air balloon rides, boating and of course fishing.
Fishing Off The Piers On An Anna Maria Vacation
Fishing is one of the popular Anna Maria Island events, as enthusiasts can fish on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. The ocean offers fisherman highly productive fishing waters throughout most of the year. Often overlooked, the back bays and canals are low key fishing spots but almost always offer quality fishing.
Fishing can be performed from the piers or bridges or from a charter boat. The island has three fishing piers, which are the Historical City Pier, The Rod & Reel Pier, as well as the Bradenton Street Historical Pier. These piers offer vacationers such activities as fishing, cast netting, strolling, taking pictures, buying bait as well as eating at the restaurants.
The Historical City Pier stretches out into Tampa Bay and is one of the best spots to catch a wide variety of salt water fish. At any given time, there are fishermen lining the pier, no doubt having great luck with the fish they are catching. The Rod and Reel Pier stretches out into Tampa Bay as well and is a fantastic spot to fish for a multitude of different fish. Bradenton Street Historical Pier is located on the bay side and is at the end of historic Bridge Street.
Charter Boats
Visitors have the option of taking chartered boats out on the ocean for panoramic views of the Island, water sports and of course fishing. The chartered boats allow people to fish in the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay as well as the Intracoastal Waterway, with canal systems networking throughout the island.
The charter boats allow visitors to choose from full or partial day charters and have captains that will take them to the well-known water spots. After the charter, the fish will be cleaned at the dock for the visitors to take home and eat.
Anna Maria rentals allow vacationers to rent fishing boats, power boats and sailboats with the option to rent fishing gear for more experienced fisherman who desire a private fishing experience. A Florida fishing license is required, unless the person is fishing from land or a structure fixed to the land such as a pier or bridge.
What Fish You'll Catch On An Anna Maria Vacation
Anyone fishing off the island's piers can catch a number of different fish, including tarpon, snook, red fish, trout and flounder as well as a variety of jacks, mackerel, snappers, drums, cobia, barracuda, king fish, ladyfish, sand perch, sheepshead, grouper as well as a variety of sharks.
The charter boats specialize in bottom fishing for grouper, snapper and amberjack as well as some migratory fish including kingfish, cobia, mahi-mahi as well as black fin tuna.
Whether you're an avid or novice fisherman, fishing on an Anna Maria vacation can prove to be an experience you can remember for a long time.
