Cortez
Cortez Fishing Charter
Inshore, nearshore and snook trips around the Cortez waterfront and the passes either side of it.
From $425 for three hours · priced per boat, not per person · six anglers maximum
What we fish
Inshore, nearshore and snook.
Where we launch
801 Riverside Dr E, Bradenton, FL 34208. Free parking on site.
Also nearby
Anna Maria Island and Bradenton Beach.
A working fishing village
Cortez has been a commercial fishing community since the 1880s, settled by families who came down from North Carolina following the mullet. It is one of the last working waterfronts of its kind left in Florida — fish houses still operate along the shore, and the Florida Maritime Museum sits a few streets back from the water.
The water either side
The village faces Sarasota Bay behind Anna Maria Island, with the Cortez Bridge crossing to Bradenton Beach. Longboat Pass lies south, the bay’s grassflats spread north, and the Gulf is a short run out through the pass.
What it holds
Snook and snapper around the bridge and pass structure, redfish and trout over the flats behind the island.
The fishing village
Fishing Charters Around Cortez
Cortez has made its living from the water for well over a century, and the fish that built the village are still around it. Bay flats spread out to the north. Longboat Pass lies to the south, and past the island the Gulf opens up.
A Cortez fishing charter with Nautical Native covers all of it, with a captain who grew up on this part of the coast.
A working waterfront
Cortez is still a working fishing village, and the waterfront shows it. The village sits on the bay with Anna Maria Island across the water, and a charter here fishes the same water that has supported Cortez families for generations.
Seeing the village from the water is part of the trip.
On the bay flats
The Sarasota Bay flats near Cortez are classic inshore water. Shallow grass, sand holes, oyster bars, mangrove edges. Redfish and spotted seatrout feed here for much of the year, and snook work the edges and the structure.
It’s light-tackle fishing in calm water. That makes it a sensible choice with children aboard, or for anyone holding a rod for the first time.
Reading the flats with the tide
The bay flats near Cortez are shallow, and the tide decides where the fish can feed. On a high tide, redfish and snook push into the mangroves and onto the higher grass. As the water drops, they fall back to the edges of the flats, the potholes and the channels.
A captain who knows these flats can follow the fish as the water moves. That might mean starting on a mangrove shoreline, moving to a bar edge as the tide falls, then finishing on deeper structure near the bridges.
Bridges and channels
The bridges and channels around the village add a second kind of fishing. Pilings and deeper edges hold sheepshead and mangrove snapper. When the flats go quiet, the moving water around this structure is often where the fish have gone.
In winter, when the flats slow down, sheepshead crowd onto the pilings here and make a good target on light tackle.
Through the pass and offshore
Longboat Pass connects the bay to the Gulf. Beyond it are nearshore ledges and wrecks holding snapper, grouper and kingfish, the same water Cortez boats have fished for generations. Our nearshore fishing charters page explains how those trips work.
Going offshore depends on the season and the sea. Charlie only makes the run when it’s safe and comfortable, and if the Gulf isn’t right, the bay and the pass usually still fish.
Choosing your trip
For a first trip, or a family one, three or four hours on the bay is hard to beat. Six or eight hours leaves time to run through the pass and fish both inshore and nearshore when conditions allow.
Tarpon move through the area in summer as well. If one is on your list, book a dedicated tarpon trip early.
Say what you’re hoping for when you book. Plenty of bites for the kids, a shot at a big snook, snapper for dinner. The plan follows from that.
If the forecast is windy, the bay behind the island is the place to be.
Meeting the boat
The boat leaves from 801 Riverside Dr E in Bradenton, on the Manatee River, where parking is free. Get there a few minutes early so bags are stowed and everyone is settled before you leave the dock.
Bring polarised sunglasses and a hat. The bay throws a lot of glare on a sunny morning.
Fish for the table
A lot of what’s caught around Cortez eats well. Snapper, grouper, redfish and trout can go home when they’re in season and within the current rules. Cleaning is included, so the fillets are ready for the kitchen.
Many anglers release most of their catch and keep a few. It’s a good habit in a village that has always depended on the fish coming back.
Why local knowledge counts here
Captain Charlie Tita is a Tampa Bay native with more than 35 years on these waters. He’s a US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner, licensed through Sea School in 2000, and fully insured.
Around Cortez the best spot moves with the tide, the wind and the time of year. Knowing which flat holds fish on a falling tide, which structure is worth a look in cold water and when the Gulf is calm enough to bother with is what a private trip with a local captain gets you.
Bring the whole family: children of any age are welcome, and there are kids’ rods on the boat.
In the price
What is Included on a Cortez 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 Cortez Fishing Charter
Check availability
Nautical Native Fishing Adventures
801 Riverside Dr E, Bradenton, FL 34208
Free parking on site
Charters we run here
