Bradenton Beach
Bradenton Beach Fishing Charter
Inshore, snook and nearshore trips around Bradenton Beach, run from the Manatee River dock a short way inland.
From $425 for three hours · priced per boat, not per person · six anglers maximum
What we fish
Inshore, snook and nearshore.
Where we launch
801 Riverside Dr E, Bradenton, FL 34208. Free parking on site.
Also nearby
Anna Maria Island and Cortez.
The southern end of the island
The smallest of Anna Maria Island’s three cities, running along the last couple of miles before Longboat Pass. The Historic Bridge Street Pier reaches out into Sarasota Bay from the old town centre.
Pass, bridge and flats
Longboat Pass separates Anna Maria Island from Longboat Key at the southern tip, and the Cortez Bridge crosses the bay to the mainland just north. Pass structure, bridge pilings and bay flats sit within a short run of one another.
What it holds
Snook and mangrove snapper around the pass and the bridges, redfish and trout over the flats inside.
The south end
Bradenton Beach Fishing Charters and Longboat Pass
Bradenton Beach is the southern end of Anna Maria Island. Longboat Pass is on one side, Sarasota Bay on the other, and the Gulf beaches face west. It’s a small stretch of coast, but the fishing is varied.
A Bradenton Beach fishing charter can work the pass, the bridges, the bay flats or the water offshore. Where you go depends on the tide and on what your group wants.
Longboat Pass
The pass is the centre of it. Each tide pushes water between the bay and the Gulf, and bait goes with it. Fish hold along the edges of the current and around the structure, waiting.
Snook and mangrove snapper are regulars here. The nearby bridges give them shade and somewhere to hide.
The bay behind the island
Sarasota Bay is the quieter option. Grassflats behind the island hold redfish and spotted seatrout, and the water stays fishable when wind makes the pass uncomfortable. Many family trips spend most of their morning here.
The bridges
The bridges near the pass are some of the most reliable structure at this end of the island. Pilings break the current, and fish tuck in behind them to wait for bait. Snook hang on the shadow line early in the day, while sheepshead and mangrove snapper pick at the pilings below.
Fishing a bridge means holding the boat in moving water and dropping a bait right beside the structure. The trolling motor keeps the boat in place while you work each piling in turn.
Snook at the south end
This end of the island is good snook water. In the warmer months they move onto the beaches and into the pass, sitting tight to structure and facing the tide. You need an accurate cast to get a bite and a steady hand once one is on, and Charlie will coach you through both. Our snook fishing charters page explains how those trips run.
Most snook go back after a photo. Whether one can be kept depends on the season and the current rules, which change through the year.
When the Gulf is calm
On settled days, groups can run out to the nearshore ledges and wrecks for snapper, grouper and kingfish. It’s heavier fishing, with bigger fish and a slower rhythm than the flats.
Allow six or eight hours if you want to go offshore. A longer day often leaves time for some inshore fishing too. Nearshore trips are seasonal and weather-dependent, so call to check what’s running.
Getting aboard
Staying on the island? A pickup at the Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach can be arranged in advance. Otherwise the boat leaves from its dock in Bradenton on the Manatee River, with free parking.
Mention the pickup when you book so the time can be confirmed.
Why the tide matters so much here
Around Bradenton Beach the tide decides the fishing more than the clock does. On the flood, water pours in through Longboat Pass and carries bait onto the flats and along the bridges, and the fish move up to feed. On the ebb it drains back out, and the fish wait at the edges of the current for the bait to come to them.
The best spot on an incoming tide can be dead on the way out. So when you call, say which days and times you’re free, and the trip will be timed for the window most likely to produce.
Picking a trip length
Three or four hours inshore suits most visitors, first-timers and families especially. Snook anglers usually want a trip built around a good tide. Groups after a bigger day can book six or eight hours and mix inshore and nearshore fishing when conditions allow.
Family mornings at this end of the island
With children aboard, the bay side behind Bradenton Beach is usually the plan. The water is shallow and calm, there’s plenty to look at, and redfish and trout keep the rods bending. If the kids want to see the pass, a short look on the way back is easy to fit in.
There’s no need to fill every hour. A three hour trip with a few fish and a dolphin or two is a good morning for most families.
Good to know
Is there a minimum age?
No. Children of any age are welcome, and kids’ rods are aboard. Younger children are usually happiest on a shorter trip in sheltered water.
Will I get seasick?
Unlikely behind the island, where the water is sheltered. Nearshore trips cross open water, so if you’re prone to it, take your usual precautions beforehand.
In the price
What is Included on a Bradenton Beach Fishing Charter
Rods, reels and tackle
Bait
Ice
Bottled water
Fish cleaning
Kids’ rods
Your fishing licence
The boat
The Boat - 25ft Parker Centre Console with Twin Yamahas
2021 Parker 25′ centre console
Twin Yamaha outboards
Power Pole Move trolling motor
EPIRB emergency beacon
Deep-V hull
Six anglers maximum
Book a trip
Book a Bradenton Beach Fishing Charter
Check availability
Nautical Native Fishing Adventures
801 Riverside Dr E, Bradenton, FL 34208
Free parking on site
Charters we run here
