Anna Maria & Sarasota Fishing Intelligence

Hold

Longboat Pass Bridge

Bradenton Beach / Longboat Key

Keep it short and fish the tightest window

The feed is not wide open right now. Scout, keep the session compact, and prioritize the highest-scoring spot only.

Best window around high tide Thu 6:58 AMFull read →

Conditions

Water86.9°FNOAA CO-OPS 8726282

Nearshore3.3 ft7s period

WindE 5 mphPartly Cloudy

TideunknownNext high Thu 6:58 AM

Air81°FNWS hourly

Surf—NWS surf

Surf + swell intelligence

Live surf report

Real buoy data, NWS surf product, and a derived fishability call so you do not waste a drive on blown-out water.

Wave height3.3 ftNDBC realtime

Period7sWind swell

Swell directionW264°

WindE 5 mphoffshore

Offshore wind — clean faces, glassy lines.

NWS marine forecast

Tonight

Seas 4 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet

Detail west 3 feet at 7 seconds and south 2 feet at 4 seconds

Southwest winds around 10 knots, becoming southeast after midnight. Seas 4 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Wave detail: west 3 feet at 7 seconds and south 2 feet at 4 seconds. bay and inland waters light chop. Isolated showers and thunderstorms late this evening and overnight.

Thursday

Seas 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet

Detail west 3 feet at 8 seconds and south 1 foot at 4 seconds

Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southwest in the afternoon. Seas 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail: west 3 feet at 8 seconds and south 1 foot at 4 seconds. Bay and inland waters light chop.

Thursday Night

Seas 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet

Detail west 3 feet at 7 seconds and south 1 foot at 4 seconds

Northwest winds around 10 knots, becoming east after midnight. Seas 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail: west 3 feet at 7 seconds and south 1 foot at 4 seconds. Bay and inland waters light chop.

Marine intelligence

Solunar windows, barometric pressure, and red tide status.

7:20 PM–9:20 PMmoon overhead 8:20 PM
Major
1:10 AM–2:10 AMmoonset 1:40 AM
Minor
7:50 AM–9:50 AMmoon underfoot 8:50 AM
Major · in 4h 26m
3:30 PM–4:30 PMmoonrise 4:00 PM
Minor · in 12h 6m

Major windows ~2 hours; minor windows ~1 hour. Best when they overlap sunrise, sunset, or a tide change.

Barometric pressureAwaiting buoy dataPressure trend depends on offshore buoy reports.

Red tide / HABnone

No K. brevis detectedFWC sample as of Jul 23

No bloom impact on the bite right now. Standard tactics apply.

Open FWC dashboard →

Intelligence Map

Markers pulse with the live score. Green means go, amber means window, red means hold.

Spot Board

Live scores for every Anna Maria & Sarasota location. Tap any spot for the full read.

Bradenton Beach / Longboat Key

Longboat Pass Bridge

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Best window around high tide Thu 6:58 AMFull read →

Bradenton Beach / Holmes Beach

Coquina & AMI Beach Troughs

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Best window around high tide Thu 6:58 AMFull read →

Anna Maria North End

Rod & Reel Pier

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Best window around high tide Thu 6:58 AMFull read →

Holmes Beach

Keyes Marina / Bimini Bay

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Low light into Thu 8:26 PM with around high tide Thu 6:58 AMFull read →

Anna Maria North End

Bean Point Current Seams

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Low light into Thu 8:26 PM with around high tide Thu 6:58 AMFull read →

Species Outlook

What is worth targeting in Anna Maria & Sarasota right now, scored against live conditions.

Best: Longboat Pass Bridge

Snook

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Rig: 3/0-4/0 live-bait hook or paddletail on a 1/4-1/2 oz headBait: Live mullet, pilchards, or low-light soft plastics

Harvest closed right now; treat snook as a low-light catch-and-release target until the next east coast opening.

Best: Longboat Pass Bridge

Tarpon

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Rig: Heavy spinning with 60-80 lb fluorocarbon leader, 5/0-7/0 circle hookBait: Live mullet, crabs, or threadfin herring; fly anglers use tarpon toads and black death patterns

Tarpon over 75" require a $50 harvest tag (one per person per year). Most are catch-and-release only.

Best: Longboat Pass Bridge

Mangrove Snapper

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Rig: Light fluorocarbon leader, small circle or live-bait hook, minimal weightBait: Live shrimp, pilchards, or small pieces of cut bait. Chum helps.

FWC: 10" total length minimum, 5 per harvester. Open year-round in state waters.

Best: Longboat Pass Bridge

Spanish Mackerel

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Rig: Long-shank hook or wire leader with a fast-retrieve setupBait: Gotcha plugs, Clark spoons, or live pilchards and greenbacks under a float

FWC: 12" fork minimum, 15 per harvester. Open year-round.

Best: Keyes Marina / Bimini Bay

Redfish

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Rig: 1/8-1/4 oz jighead, weedless paddletail, or a light live-shrimp rigBait: Live shrimp, mullet chunks, or soft plastics in the seam

Indian River Lagoon redfish are catch-and-release only, so this is a confidence signal more than a cooler plan.

Best: Bean Point Current Seams

Jack Crevalle

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Rig: Medium-heavy spinning with topwater plugs or fast-retrieve spoonsBait: Topwater poppers, spoons, or live mullet when jacks are blitzing bait

No minimum size, no bag limit in Florida recreational waters.

Best: Longboat Pass Bridge

Sheepshead

This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. The current tide stage is not ideal for this setup.

Rig: Short dropper or jig fished tight to structureBait: Shrimp, fiddler crabs, or barnacles

FWC rule set: 12" minimum, 8 per person, open year-round; vessel limit 50 during March and April.

Best: No clear lead

Tripletail

Conditions are incomplete right now, so treat this as a scouting species instead of a lock.

Rig: Light spinning with small live shrimp or a DOA shrimp on light leaderBait: Live shrimp free-lined or on light jighead, pitched to structure-holding fish

FWC: 18" total length minimum, 2 per harvester. Open year-round.