I was down on Anna Maria Island a couple weeks ago and I did a charter, and fished from the beach and piers.
First off, because I flew southwest, it was free for my fishing stuff. two of us brought two rod tubes, with about 6 rods, and full tackle bags.
I would not do this again…
I am going again next year, and this is what I will bring for fishing.
– 8’6″ MH spinning rod (salmon rod), with a 35 series reel, and 30 lb suffix 832 on it. (redfish, snook, misc rod)
– 7’6″ MH spinning rod, fiberglass cat rod. with a 50 series reel, and 80 lb power pro. (use for sharks from the pier or anything else big you’re targeting)
– 50 lb mono for leaders, and 15 lb flourocarbon for leaders.
– plenty of 3/4, 1, 2, and 3 oz sinkers.
– Swivels
– Sinker Slides
– Hooks – 2/0, 6/0, 10/0 circle hooks. 5/0 & 10/0 J hooks.
– One additional plastic box, with a misc selection of some jigs, couple bobbers, few crankbaits, topwater plugs, etc.
– backpack to carry all of this, for mobility reasons if walking, riding the trolley/bus, etc.
– small softsided cooler to keep bait in (frozen shiners, shrimp, etc)
and then whatever else i need for tools – pliers, jaw spreader, scale, tape measure, fish grip, etc.
I brought way, way too much stuff with, and did nothing but fish with live bait. But, I really didn’t know what to bring, even after reading plenty online, and like i mentioned it did not cost me extra to bring the kitchen sink and find out for myself.
as far as finding a decent guide, I signed up on Floridasportsman.com, posted up and talked to guys in the area to narrow down to a couple different guides, and then basically drew straws. We caught tons of big snook, sea trout, and flounder.
I will say this, those saltwater fish fight harder than anything else i’ve ever caught. a 30″ snook will school you on a 8 foot MH rod. 40+ yard drag screaming runs, plus going airborne!
As far as tarpon – that is what i really wanted to fish for, but we were just a few weeks too early, plus i had my 8 year old nephew with. You will be down there at a better time for it.
And like others mentioned, make sure to wash your gear off with freshwater.
Licenses – a saltwater license covers you fishing any estuaries off of the ocean. so you’ll be fine fishing any canals, bays, river mouths, etc.
Download the “Fish Rules” App. it is for the gulf coast states, just put your location in, and it will tell you the regulations, slot limits, species available, and even table fare for what you can catch in the area. It’s a great app! Wish it had data for the midwest.
If you go to the docks in the morning when people are catching bait, you might be able to get a bag full of shiners or something from them if they are catching a bunch. much better than the frozen shrimp you’ll get at the bait store.
If you plan on shore/surf fishing, bring with a rod holder for the beach. take a 2-3 foot piece of PCV, cut one enc at an angle, so it will easily stick in the beach. and then run a bolt through the pipe to use as a “stopper” for your rod handle, place the bolt at a depth that will work for any rod you might use.
they do sell those holders for like $10-$20 at most of the local bait shops, but you could probably make one for less than 5 bucks.
There are no hook number, line number, or rod number restrictions. I searched up and down for that in the rules. Asked someone on a pier once how many rods I could use at once and he looked at me like i was an idiot….
when fishing the piers, fish under the piers.
you can buy a pier license on most of the piers, for like 2 bucks, and that will cover you for the day. but a non-res 7 day was only $30, so I just bought the 7 day, so i wouldn’t have to worry about buying a license each day i fished.
almost everything you can catch down there is delicious! drum, snook, trout, flounder, etc. make sure to clean some fish and get some batter mix. we gorged on fried fish for a few meals.
If i think of anything else, i’ll post back up.
good luck and have fun!!! It was my first trip to the gulf, and I’m now convinced I would like to spend every winter down there! The fishing, beaches, people, seafood, everything is fantastic!
