- Depth
- 0.3-17 ft
- Access
- By boat
- Best months
- March to May, September to November
- Species
- Redfish (red drum), Spotted seatrout, Snook, Flounder, Sheepshead
Mangrove keys and grass flats along the bay side of north Longboat Key, from Jewfish Key just inside Longboat Pass, past the Sister Keys, to Buttonwood Harbor and Cranes Bayou. It's skiff and kayak water beside the big seagrass meadows north of Longboat Pass.
How to fish it
Pole or paddle the mangrove edges on the higher half of the tide for redfish and snook, and fish the grass and sand potholes for trout. Kayakers can launch at Linley Street or Longboat Key Bayfront Park.
Watch out for: Shallow grass and oysters. Manatee County's manatee rule sets slow speed within 300 feet of Longboat Key's bay shore and around the Sister Keys, including the water between them and Longboat Key (the marked Intracoastal channel there is 25 mph), and between Jewfish Key and the western edge of the channel. Buttonwood Harbor and Cranes Bayou are a Sarasota County slow-speed zone. Respect private docks.
Rules here: FWC's Sarasota Bay region. Follow the posted manatee zones. The rules to check in Sarasota inshore waters