Anna Maria Island Fishing

Anna Maria Island sits at the mouth of Tampa Bay, 18 miles by water from our Sarasota home dock, with three historic fishing piers, snook on the rocks at Bean Point, and a beach tarpon run that peaks May through July. You can fish it from a boat, a kayak, a pier, or bare feet in the surf — and every one of those options produces.

Where can you fish from shore on Anna Maria Island?

The island’s three piers cover both ends and the middle, and all three fish differently.

Pier	Location	Details
Anna Maria City Pier	S Bay Blvd, Anna Maria (northeast tip)	700+ ft into southern Tampa Bay. Over 100 years old, rebuilt after Hurricane Irma. Free to fish; bait shop on the pier.
Rod & Reel Pier	875 N Shore Dr, Anna Maria (north end)	350 ft, privately owned. $2 per person to fish, rod rentals $2/hr, frozen shrimp sold on site. Restaurant since 1947.
Bridge Street Pier	Bridge St, Bradenton Beach (bay side)	A 1920s-era former bridge span. Free. Sheepshead, mangrove snapper, and jacks around the pilings.

The City Pier reaches genuine Tampa Bay water — Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, and big spring sheepshead all come over its rails. The Rod & Reel is the classic: small, old, and sitting on a hard-bottom stretch where snook and reds cruise the north-end trough. Bridge Street Pier is the pick for kids — constant action from small snapper and sheepshead around old pilings. For a full rundown of all three, the local Anna Maria Island pier guide is worth a read.

Beach anglers should walk Bean Point at first light: the sand drops into a swash channel where snook stage all summer, and the current rips around the tip into Passage Key Inlet. Note that Passage Key itself is a National Wildlife Refuge bird sanctuary — no landing.

Bait From Above

Whitebait schools like this draw snook into the beach trough at first light.

Where are the boat ramps on Anna Maria Island?

Ramp	Address	Lanes	Notes
Kingfish Boat Ramp	752 Manatee Ave (SR 64), Holmes Beach	2	~50 trailer spots, courtesy docks, dedicated kayak launch, cleaning tables
Coquina Bayside North — Capt. Scott Moore Ramp	2000 block Gulf Dr S, Bradenton Beach	2	25–30 trailer spots, courtesy docks, cleaning station
Coquina Bayside South	2000 block Gulf Dr S, Bradenton Beach	1 wide	Courtesy docks, restrooms, picnic and playground

All three are Manatee County facilities. Kingfish took hurricane damage in 2024 and its reopening ran into 2025 — it is back in full service now, and the rebuilt layout is the best on the island. Details and current status are on the Manatee County Kingfish Boat Ramp page, and the county boat ramp finder covers the rest. The Islander covered the post-hurricane ramp reopenings in January 2025. County pages list no launch fee — verify before you go.

Kingfish puts you on Anna Maria Sound with a short run north to the Tampa Bay grass flats or west to Passage Key Inlet. The Coquina ramps launch into the ICW at the island’s south end, closest to Longboat Pass.

What fish can you catch on Anna Maria Island?

Species	Season	Where
Snook	Year-round, peak May–Sept	Bean Point rocks, beach trough, pier lights
Tarpon	May–July	Beach trough, Passage Key Inlet, Bean Point staging
Spanish mackerel	Apr–May, Oct–Nov	City Pier, beach, Passage Key Inlet
Sheepshead	Dec–Mar	Cortez Bridge, Bridge Street Pier pilings
Redfish	Year-round, best fall	Anna Maria Sound flats, Palma Sola Bay
Mangrove snapper	Summer	All three piers, rock piles, bridge pilings

Spanish mackerel show in April on the first big glass-minnow schools and again in October. Winter belongs to sheepshead — the Cortez Bridge pilings are a January standby. Redfish work the sound’s grass edges year-round, and summer nights fill every pier light with mangrove snapper. Check current size and bag limits at FWC before you keep anything — snook rules in particular change by zone and year.

Hard Bottom

Snook and mangrove snapper hold tight to the hard bottom and rock piles.

When do tarpon run the Anna Maria beach?

May through July, with the fattest window mid-May to late June. Anna Maria is the southern gatepost of the Tampa Bay tarpon migration: strings of fish ride the beach trough between Bean Point and Bradenton Beach, usually 100–300 yards off the sand in 6–12 ft of water. Calm mornings with an incoming tide are the play — set up ahead of a moving string with a live crab or threadfin and let them come to you. The same fish stack in Passage Key Inlet on strong outgoing tides. It is a boat game on this end of the island, and the presentation is straight live-bait fishing — 60-lb leader, 5/0–7/0 circle hook, and patience.

Is Anna Maria Island good for family fishing?

One of the best spots on the coast for it. The piers are free or two bucks, no boat required, and a Florida saltwater license is not needed on a licensed pier. Bridge Street Pier has the steadiest kid action; the City Pier adds the boat-watching and a bait shop 700 feet from shore. On the water, the protected sound behind the island stays calm when the Gulf is blown out, and tripletail show up around crab-trap floats within sight of the beach in the cooler months — a short, visual hunt kids love.

Where should kayakers launch on Anna Maria Island?

Kingfish Boat Ramp has a dedicated canoe/kayak launch separate from the trailer lanes — the easiest put-in for the sound and the Tampa Bay flats. The Coquina Bayside ramps drop paddlers into the ICW near Longboat Pass; time that one around slack tide, because the pass current is honest. Grass flats north of the Manatee Ave bridge hold spotted seatrout and reds within a half-mile paddle.

Clean Water

Clear water lets you sight-cast reds and trout on the shallow grass flats.

Where do you tie up to eat and refuel on Anna Maria Island?

Anna Maria Oyster Bar on the Pier and The Waterfront Restaurant both take boaters — tie up at the Anna Maria City Pier day dock (or call ahead at Galati Marine) and walk up. Rod & Reel Pier at the island’s north tip is a classic. Fuel, slips, and boatyard service: Galati Yacht Basin on the island and Bradenton Beach Marina on the ICW.

FAQ

Do I need a fishing license on the Anna Maria piers? No — licensed piers cover their anglers, and that includes the City Pier and Rod & Reel. Fishing from the beach or a kayak requires a Florida saltwater license (free for residents shore-fishing, but you still must register). Confirm at myfwc.com.

Is the Anna Maria City Pier open? Yes. It was rebuilt after Hurricane Irma and the bait shop on the pier is operating. It is free to fish.

Where can I buy bait on the island? On the City Pier, at the Rod & Reel Pier (frozen shrimp), or across the bridge in Cortez, the working fishing village that has supplied this island for a century.

What is the best month to fish Anna Maria Island? June, if you want tarpon. April and October for mackerel and all-around variety. January for sheepshead. There is no bad month — the species mix just rotates.

Related

Anna Maria pairs naturally with the water around it: Bradenton covers the Manatee River and Palma Sola Bay behind the island, and Longboat Key picks up at Longboat Pass and runs twelve miles south toward Sarasota. Species-wise, start with snook and Spanish mackerel — the two fish this island does best.