Pompano on Anna Maria Island: Coquina Beach, Bean Point, and the Spring Run

Anna Maria Island catches both ends of the Gulf pompano calendar, with the spring run of March through May the local headline — especially along the Coquina Beach shoreline at the island's south end — and a second push in October through December.

The surf pattern is the same disciplined game that works everywhere pompano swim: find the trough, the lane of darker water between the sand and the outer bar, and put a bait on its edge. Rake sand fleas from the swash zone, rig them on a two-hook pompano rig with number 1 circle hooks, small orange or yellow floats, and enough pyramid lead, 2–4 oz, to hold bottom, then keep the line tight and wait for the thump. Fresh shrimp pieces and Fishbites EZ Flea back up the fleas.

The island's two pass mouths add a jigging fishery the straight beaches lack: the bars at Longboat Pass, and the swash channel wrapping Bean Point at the mouth of Tampa Bay, both hold pompano on moving tides.

A 3/8–1/2 oz Doc's Goofy Jig bounced along the bottom, teaser fly 18 inches up, is the tool — the jigging guide has the retrieve. Boat anglers drift the pass edges near Longboat Key; surf casters reach working water from the Coquina jetty area. A mildly stirred surf a couple of days after a front, with green water and light chop, is the day to call in your excuses.

Free parking at the big Coquina Beach lots is the easiest surf access here. For 2026 the rules are an 11-inch fork-length minimum and six fish per person, open year-round; verify at MyFWC, and if a big golden fish looks too deep-bodied to be true, check it against a permit before keeping it.