Through the year
Winter (December to February)
Cold fronts set the schedule. The Coast Pilot says fronts bring strong, gusty winds and rough seas from fall through spring, and a shallow ground fog on some winter mornings, so most winter trips happen in the calm days between fronts. Spanish mackerel go back south when the water drops below about 70°F and kingfish winter in South Florida, so mackerel fishing is thin in the coldest weeks.
Sheepshead are the main event. FWC says they move nearshore in late winter and early spring to spawn, gathering over rocks, artificial reefs and channel markers, so the near reefs, the Venice jetties, Point of Rocks and the Regina all fish well. FWC research in Charlotte Harbor found young gag leaving the bays mostly from October to December, and FWC says red grouper from 1 to 6 years old live on the nearshore reefs, so the 25- to 60-foot reefs and the mapped hard bottom are cool-season grouper water. Gag have a short season set each year, so check FWC before you keep one.
Spring (March to May)
Spanish mackerel move north in spring and kingfish move up out of South Florida, so the beaches, the bait schools and the 25- to 45-foot reefs get their first mackerel of the year. Louisiana Sea Grant's summary of tagging work says most Gulf cobia leave South Florida in spring and move north along Florida's Gulf coast, and FWC says cobia spawn in spring and early summer and hang around buoys, pilings and wrecks. Sheepshead finish spawning, typically in March and April.
Scaled sardines and threadfin herring show up in spring, often hugging the beaches (Florida Sportsman), and Manatee County notes that bait schools gather over its reefs. Pompano follow the water temperature and feed hard on sand fleas along the beaches. Snook leave their winter water for the spawning grounds around the passes, and tarpon start to show along the coast.
Summer (June to September)
Tarpon season. FWC says tarpon spread along Florida's coast in summer and spawn offshore from May to September. Snook spawn from about April or May into September or October, releasing their eggs in the late afternoon and early evening, and FWC suggests the beaches near inlets in the peak months. Mangrove snapper spawn from June through August, and the adults live on the nearshore and offshore reefs. Permit spawn mostly in early summer and live offshore near structure. Blacktip sharks often come inshore in big schools with the Spanish mackerel.
The Coast Pilot says thunderstorms are most likely from June through September, in the late afternoon and evening near shore and often at night at sea, and they can bring gale-force gusts and near-zero visibility. Hurricane season runs June through November. Check FWC's red tide status before you go.
Fall (September to November)
Bull redfish season. FWC's aerial surveys and tagging from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor found big adult redfish gathering to spawn in the nearshore Gulf from August through mid-November. FWC describes a school as a golden swirl at the surface that's obvious from the air but can be hard to spot from a boat. Spanish mackerel head back south as the water cools below about 70°F, and the cobia probably head back south in fall too (Louisiana Sea Grant), so October and November bring a second round of mackerel and cobia on the near reefs. Permit spawn again in fall.
Young gag leave the bays mostly from October to December, and snook move back up the estuary in late summer or early fall, so the beaches go quiet for snook while the reefs pick up for grouper. October is still hurricane season (the Coast Pilot says the Fort Myers area just to the south is especially exposed to October hurricanes), and the fall fronts start bringing windy days.
How to fish it
Catch your bait first
Scaled sardines (whitebait) hug the bottom and stay put, barely dimpling the surface; threadfin herring run toward the surface and "rain" when they're chased. Over the beaches, where bait often follows the shoreline, idle until you see a dark patch and throw a cast net. Sabiki or gold-hook rigs work when wind or tide makes netting hard. A chum of moistened fish meal or mashed canned jack mackerel pulls whitebait into net range, but threadfins won't come to chum (Florida Sportsman). Manatee County notes that bait schools gather over its reefs, and FWC lists pogies, herring, Spanish sardines, ballyhoo and mullet as live baits for kingfish.
Kingfish on the near reefs
During the spring and fall runs, drift or slow-troll live herring or sardines around the 25- to 45-foot reefs (Silvertooth, Manatee's 3 and 7 Mile reefs, M-1 to M-5, M-15) and along the bait schools. FWC suggests 20-pound tackle, or heavier for big kings, with a wire or mono leader, and says flashy lures fished under the surface or big fish-shaped plugs work too.
Spanish mackerel under the birds
Many anglers find Spanish mackerel by trolling or by watching for birds diving on bait the mackerel have pushed up (FWC). Troll or cast small shiny spoons, dusters or jigs on light spinning or baitcasting tackle with 10- to 15-pound line and a 30- to 60-pound mono leader, because of their teeth. Look along the beaches, the tide lines off the passes and over the near reefs.
Bottom fishing the reefs and hard bottom
Idle over the reef until it shows on the sounder, then anchor up-current a safe distance from the structure. Manatee County asks anglers to anchor away from the reef material so anchors and tackle don't tangle in it, and not to drift-fish through a reef where boats are already anchored. FWC describes grouper fishing as live or cut bait fished near the bottom on heavy tackle. On scattered pavement, drifting covers more ground until you find fish; then mark it and anchor. FWC says barotrauma affects fish pulled up from deeper than about 50 feet, so carry a descending device and use it.
Beach tarpon from a boat
In late spring and summer, work the beaches outside the bars and watch for rolling fish. FWC says tarpon take flies, streamers, floating and diving plugs, jigs and live or dead bait. Its best practices call for tackle heavy enough to finish the fight quickly (for example 50- to 60-pound braid and at least a 60- to 80-pound leader for big fish), non-stainless, non-offset, barbless circle hooks with bait, single hooks, and a long-handled dehooker. Bow the rod when the fish jumps. If a shark shows up, bring the fish in fast, cut the line close to the hook and move. Give the beach a wide berth: FWC's 2004 boating guide for Sarasota quotes county rules of idle speed within 300 feet of Gulf-front land and no boats in buoyed swim areas or within 500 feet of guarded beaches; check the county's current rule.
Cobia around markers and wrecks
In spring, check buoys, channel markers, pilings, wrecks and the near reefs. FWC suggests live crabs or small fish kept near the surface, with just enough weight to reach deeper fish while keeping the bait moving, on medium to heavy tackle.
From the beach, the pier and the jetties
Pompano feed heavily on sand fleas along sandy beaches, often in murky water (FWC), so fish sand fleas in the troughs near the passes. For snook in the peak spawning months, FWC suggests walking the beach near an inlet in the late afternoon on a calm day with the sun in front of you, watching for shadows in the surf, and casting flies that look like shrimp or anchovies near, not over, the fish. Snook bite best on moving water, preferably the outgoing tide. For sheepshead, fish live shrimp, sand fleas or fiddler crabs on a small hook on the bottom along the Venice jetties and Point of Rocks in late winter and spring.
Bull redfish schools
From August into mid-November, look for spawning schools of big redfish off the beaches and passes on calm days. They're easier to see from the air than from a boat, so go slowly and watch for color at the surface. These fish have generally grown past the slot, so expect to release them quickly. FWC's redfish rules also limit the gear you can use, including a ban on snatch hooking, so read them before you go.
Sharks from shore: rules first
FWC says blacktips are sometimes caught off the beach and often jump when hooked. If you target sharks from shore, including jetties, bridges and piers, read FWC's shark rules first. They call for a free online course and a no-cost shore-based shark fishing permit, renewed every year, non-offset, non-stainless circle hooks with natural bait, and something that can cut the leader or hook quickly. Chumming from the beach is prohibited, and prohibited shark species must stay in the water and be released right away. Local news reported in 2019 that the City of Venice banned shark fishing from the Venice pier, so check the city's pier rules too.