Cortez Fishing Charter
Cortez is the rarest thing in modern Florida: a real working commercial fishing village, founded in the 1880s by North Carolina settlers and still inhabited by descendants of those original families. It's on the National Register of Historic Places. The Florida Maritime Museum (4415 119th St W) sits in a 1912 schoolhouse. Star Fish Company (12306 46th Ave W) is a fourth-generation seafood market and dockside restaurant that was named a USA TODAY Restaurant of the Year in 2024. A.P. Bell Fish Co. has been there since 1923.
It's also some of the best inshore fishing on Florida's Gulf coast.
Captain Charlie Tita has fished the water around Cortez for over 35 years. He's not from Cortez (the original Cortez families are tightly connected), but he's been fishing alongside Cortez watermen, working the same channels and mangrove lines, and learning from the same conditions for as long as anyone running charters in the area today. Trips depart from 801 Riverside Dr E in Bradenton, about 12 minutes by car from Cortez Village.
Why Cortez waters are so productive
This isn't accidental. Cortez sits where it does for a reason:
It's the gateway between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf. The Cortez Bridge spans the channel that connects them. Bait, current, and fish all funnel through here.
The FISH Preserve sits south of the village. 100+ acres of mangrove and wetland habitat that the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage purchased in the early 2000s to keep it from being developed. Locally called "The Kitchen" because Cortez residents historically went there to catch dinner. The mangrove edge is loaded with snook and redfish.
Working commercial fishing means real water knowledge. The Cortez fleet has been catching mullet, grouper, stone crabs, and shrimp from this area for over 140 years. The fish are still here because this water genuinely produces.
Multiple distinct fisheries within minutes. Cortez Channel, Sarasota Bay flats, the FISH Preserve mangroves, the AMI Gulf side, and Longboat Pass are all within a 15 minute boat ride.
Local landmarks our trips work near
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Cortez Bridge (SR 684) — the bridge connecting Cortez to Bradenton Beach, with productive structure on the pilings.
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Star Fish Company (12306 46th Ave W) — iconic seafood market and dockside restaurant. Visible from the water as the colorful fish shack on stilts that appears in every Cortez marketing photo.
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A.P. Bell Fish Co. — historic working fish house dating to 1923.
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Florida Maritime Museum (4415 119th St W) — 1912 schoolhouse converted to maritime heritage museum. Free to visit, well worth an hour.
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Cortez Cultural Center (11655 Cortez Rd W) — community heritage center with live music and educational programs.
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The FISH Preserve — south of the village, mangrove-lined waterway locally called "The Kitchen." We fish the perimeter regularly.
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Cortez Kitchen, Tide Tables, Swordfish Grill — local seafood spots, all walking distance from the docks.
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Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival — annual event in February, the village's biggest celebration of its heritage.
What we target around Cortez
Spot Species
Cortez Channel Snook, jacks, sheepshead, snapper
Cortez Bridge pilings Sheepshead, snapper, snook
The FISH Preserve/ "The Kitchen" mangroves Snook, redfish, snapper
Sarasota Bay grass flats Trout, redfish, snapper
Longboat Pass (south end of AMI from Cortez) Snook, redfish, tarpon (summer), mackerel
Jewfish Key area Big redfish, big trout, snook
Nearshore Gulf via Longboat Pass Mackerel, kingfish, mangrove snapper
A typical Cortez-focused trip might start at first light fishing the FISH Preserve mangroves on a high tide, move into Sarasota Bay flats as the tide drops, and finish at Longboat Pass on the change. Or, if conditions favor, work the channel structure and bridge pilings for a focused snapper/sheepshead trip.
Seasonal pattern in Cortez waters
Spring (March-May): Big trout in Sarasota Bay, redfish on the mangrove edges, pompano running the AMI Gulf side, mackerel arriving.
Summer (June-August): Snook on the mangroves and along the AMI beach, tarpon at Longboat Pass and offshore at Egmont, mangrove snapper steady.
Fall (September-November): Bull redfish in Sarasota Bay, snook feeding hard, kingfish nearshore, mackerel migrations.
Winter (December-February): Sheepshead around the Cortez Bridge pilings and dock structure, trout deeper in the flats, redfish in Terra Ceia and protected coves, snook tucked into warmer water.
After your trip in Cortez
If you wrap up the day and want to extend the Cortez experience:
Star Fish Company is the iconic dockside restaurant. Order at the counter, sit at picnic tables overlooking the water. Lines can run 30-60 minutes in peak season, but it's part of the experience and the seafood is the freshest you'll find anywhere. Cash and card both accepted.
Tide Tables Restaurant for a more relaxed sit-down meal, also waterfront.
Cortez Kitchen for casual seafood with live music.
Florida Maritime Museum if you want to understand what you just experienced. Free entry, exhibits on commercial fishing, boat-building, and Cortez family history.
Walk the village. A 2-mile loop through original 1890s-1920s houses, working docks, and historic structures. National Register of Historic Places.
Practical Cortez trip info
Distance from our dock: About 12 minutes by car from Cortez Village to 801 Riverside Dr E in Bradenton.
Cortez parking: Limited, especially on weekends and during the Commercial Fishing Festival in February. If you're planning to stay for dinner after a trip, expect to walk a couple of blocks from your parking spot.
The Cortez Bridge: A drawbridge. It opens for tall boats. If you're driving onto AMI through Cortez and the bridge is up, you wait. Plan for it on busy days.
Tackle and bait: Annie's Bait & Tackle in Cortez is a long-running local shop if you want to fish on your own time during the rest of your trip.
Cortez fishing FAQs
What makes Cortez different from other AMI charter departure points? Cortez is a working fishing village on the National Register of Historic Places, founded in the 1880s. The water around it has been fished commercially for over 140 years. The fishing is excellent, the geography is unique (channel, bridge, mangroves, bay all within minutes), and the village experience itself is genuinely Old Florida.
Can I be picked up in Cortez? With advance notice we can sometimes arrange Cortez-side pickup. Default is meeting at 801 Riverside Dr E in Bradenton, 12 minutes away.
What's the FISH Preserve? A 100+ acre mangrove and wetland preserve south of Cortez Village, owned by the non-profit Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage. It protects critical fisheries habitat. Locals call the area "The Kitchen" because it's where Cortez families historically caught food. We fish the perimeter from the boat.
Is the fishing different in Cortez than Bradenton Beach? Same general fishery (Sarasota Bay system, Longboat Pass, AMI Gulf), but Cortez gives us closer access to the channel, the bridge pilings, and the FISH Preserve mangroves than Bradenton Beach does.
Can we eat at Star Fish Company after the trip? Yes, and it's strongly recommended. Open Tuesday-Sunday typically (check current hours), located at 12306 46th Ave W. Order at the counter, sit dockside.
Is the Florida Maritime Museum worth visiting? If you have an hour and any interest in the heritage of the water you just fished, absolutely yes. Free entry, exhibits in the original 1912 schoolhouse.
What's the Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival? An annual February festival celebrating the village's commercial fishing heritage. Runs the third weekend of February. The biggest tourism event of the year for the village. Worth planning a trip around if you have flexibility.
Are there working commercial boats in Cortez Village? Yes. A.P. Bell Fish Co. and other local houses still run working operations. You'll see them dockside.
Is fishing better in Cortez than in Tampa Bay? Different, not better or worse. Tampa Bay has the bigger tarpon migration and more nearshore reefs. Cortez/Sarasota Bay has clearer mangrove edges, easier sight fishing for redfish, and a more intimate fishery.
Can we eat at Star Fish Company after the trip? Yes, and it's strongly recommended. Open Tuesday–Sunday typically (check current hours), located at 12306 46th Ave W. Order at the counter, sit dockside.
Is the Florida Maritime Museum worth visiting? If you have an hour and any interest in the heritage of the water you just fished, absolutely yes. Free entry, exhibits in the original 1912 schoolhouse.
What's the Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival? An annual February festival celebrating the village's commercial fishing heritage. Runs the third weekend of February. The biggest tourism event of the year for the village. Worth planning a trip around if you have flexibility.
Are there working commercial boats in Cortez Village? Yes. A.P. Bell Fish Co. and other local houses still run working operations. You’ll see them dockside.
Is fishing better in Cortez than in Tampa Bay? Different, not better or worse. Tampa Bay has the bigger tarpon migration and more nearshore reefs. Cortez/Sarasota Bay has cleaner mangrove edges, easier sight fishing for redfish, and a more intimate fishery.
Can families do a Cortez trip? Absolutely. Protected water, steady bite, and the village itself is a great post-trip experience for kids interested in fishing history.
Book your Cortez fishing charter
Fish the water that has fed Florida for 140 years, with a captain who has been on it for 35+. Call (727) 331-1532 or book online.
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