All,

Heading to FL in April for my parents 60th anniversary. We've rented a house for the family on the bay side of Anne Maria Island (Bradenton area) on the extensive canal area and the place comes with a couple of kayaks. Thinking the canal species will be Snook, reds, trout, mangrove snappers and maybe some ladyfish or small tarpon or perhaps a jack that time of year.

I'll take a spinning rod with 10 lb test and I have a few lures left from my time living in Pensacola 40 years ago like Mirrorlures and some Stingray grubs and some spoons but figure that there are some new "must haves"

Any suggestions for the top 3 lures for this fishing?

I know a Carolina Rig with live minnows works.

Jigs, or jigs with a shrimp.

Mirrodine BG and XL series do very well in the Crystal River/Homosassa area.

Hula Popper!
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just kidding, good fishing wishes Pugs

Find a good local fishing tackle store and ask when you get there. Also, there are probably weekly fishing updates published online for the area you are going to that will give you a good place to start.

Thanks folks - got some time to figure it out. Certainly a live scrim p or minnow is always a good answer.

I'll hit up a store down there and try to do some research to see if there's a local bay/gulf report too.

Live shrimp under a float set according to the water depth. Most of the bayside is 3-7 feet. As you get out towards the intercoastal (channel) it will be 8-12 feet but they'll swamp you. 1/2 ounce jigs tipped with shrimp cast and retrieved over weeds work well. I'm cheap and use 1/2 a shrimp to fight off the ever present pinfish. Annie's across the Cortez bridge has the meanest shrimp. For one stop shopping go to Keyes Marina on the island. You can get shrimp and any tackle you need there. Owner John is extremely nice and helpful. Spro jigs or similar work well. Gotcha plug or a small mirro lure for Spanish mackerel will work. The whole live shrimp under a float should keep you laughing with ladyfish and the occasional spotted sea trout. Good luck and have fun.

A jig/swimbait is a must. The plastic body with a "boot" tail, like THESE

Thanks rbreyley and Rocky.

I've done a lot of bay fishing down there with guides, and 45 years ago with ny Grandfather and Dad, but it's always been natural bait. My research also says by April a lot of the gamefish may have moved out of the canals but we're sure to have fun regardless.

A few popping corks, leader material and circle hook with a live or plastic shrimp. Cajun rattler rig works good too. If your wading or stationary you will want to draw them in with the popping cork or rattler float. Rig heads with plastic bodies work great on those flats.

May get a little wading on on the bay-side if the grass flat are decent so that would work - Did a lot of that in Pensacola 30+ years ago.

Yozuri Minnow

Red head, silver body. Reds and trout will commit suicide for a taste. Medium slow retrieve, they float when static.

Hard to beat live bait but try a Rattletrap if nothing else is working. No idea if they'll work where you'll be fishing but they don't cost much. I've caught puppy drum (smaller redfish) stripers bluefish and sea trout on them fishing inshore around Oregon Inlet at the Outer Banks in NC on two different trips. I was surprised at this as I've always used them for freshwater bass but they worked pretty good on saltwater fish the days we tried them.

[quote=Pugs]All,

Heading to FL in April for my parents 60th anniversary. We've rented a house for the family on the bay side of Anne Maria Island (Bradenton area) on the extensive canal area and the place comes with a couple of kayaks. Thinking the canal species will be Snook, reds, trout, mangrove snappers and maybe some ladyfish or small tarpon or perhaps a jack that time of year.

I'll take a spinning rod with 10 lb test and I have a few lures left from my time living in Pensacola 40 years ago like Mirrorlures and some Stingray grubs and some spoons but figure that there are some new "must haves"

Any suggestions for the top 3 lures for this fishing?

[/Not an expert but owned a condo nearby for 15+ years. Top three rigs: live shrimp under a popping cork, MirroDine lures in green , and a local hidden secret- Loves or similar brand twin trout lures in pink ( these are pre-rigged and fished as a tandem , one leader about 12 inches long and a second leader about 2 ft long. check Cannons Marina on LBK .I have caught two trout at a time on these lures, two black sea bass at once and a small black grouper.).
Go to Saltwater Tides and select Cortez as your location, fish moving water, last two hours of a strong incoming tide work best for me. Don't waste your time on slack tides .

From your kayak try to fish the east shore of Manatee Ave. Bridge, both north and south, some good potholes there. Fish the grass flats- bare bottom means no bait fish near.

Good luck and be safe .

If Manatee Ave is too far north from your house, try the Cortez Bridge. west side - good grass flats on western shore line.

NW Florida here, if fishing inshore, it's the Choctawhatchee Bay and all the bayous on its edge,shallow water, grass flats, trout and red fish. I always prefer live bait, pinfish,shrimp etc, but day in day out my son out fishes me every time using nothing but a white bass assassin.

Thanks for the tip !
What Jighead is he using ?

We're going to be way north on the island - off one of those canals in Bimini Bay just south of the fishing pier. Some great suggestions here folks - thanks

Does anyone use a Johnson Silver Minnow ?


https://www.purefishing.com/products/silver-minnow-1422975?variant=34575376318597

I still have a couple - They were my go to mackerel lure

Pugs, good idea on the stealthy wading. My absolute favorite way to fish around the mangroves or near the passes.

Second Dan on the YoZuri minnow. They just flat catch fish. You can use the mirrored sided one, also. I've used them at night with good success, also.

Obviously shrimp on popping cork is going to work well. If you want to set a line out while you're working another rod, you could do so with a small to medium-sized pinfish or grunt. That will give you a shot at a bigger fish. If you do that, use a circle hook. The deal you make with the fish is to let them eat it. Don't try to yank the hook out of their mouth.

Capt Hank Brown jigs tipped with shrimp or scented with crab, shrimp or mullet juice, X-Raps, Gulp soft plastics or D.OA. shrimp also work.

Good luck and have fun.


PS- forgot the Mirrordines, but that's been mentioned.

While you can’t beat live shrimp, greenies, or pin fish here are some artificial baits that I would have. Zara Spook for top water and D.O.A. Shad Tail rubber baits with lead jig head of a size to match your water depth. I have my best luck with the gold color . One tip I would suggest is to replace the treble hooks on the Zara Spook with single hooks designed for plugs. Last tip, visit a local tackle shop and ask them. Good luck.

Been wade fishing all my life. My experience is in the Texas coast line. Primarily Galveston bay. The lures that always caught fish still work. For the most part new lures are designed to catch fishermen. Paul Browm made a lure called the Corky. Mirro lure bought him out. That along with the Gulp seems to be the favorites right now. Hasbeen

Appreciate all the advice folks - Great trip but nothing as far as fishing. Most game fish had moved out to the flats and it was blowing 15+ knots most of the week so the flats were not real wadeable either. Did see something I'd not seen before though. A school of 100+ identically sized manta rays swimming in a formation around the fishing pier near the house. This is one part of it - pretty cool.