Sportfish Anglers' Reef

Reef (artificial) in Sarasota inshore waters

Draft - not published. This page is only shown while developing. It stays off the live site until its status is changed to published.

InshoreUpdated October 11, 2026

Depth
11-13 ft
Access
By boat
Best months
January to March, June to September
Species
Sheepshead, Mangrove (gray) snapper, Black drum, Spotted seatrout

A small bay reef in 11 to 13 feet about 1.4 nautical miles south of Walker Reef. FWC lists material from 1998, modules from 2013 and four new modules from the April 2024 Sarasota Bay Estuary Program project. In its 2017-2018 monitoring the program mapped about 161 modules over roughly 0.3 acres here and recorded gray snapper and sheepshead. State waters.

How to fish it

Same routine as the other bay reefs: find the modules on the sounder, anchor on bare sand up-current, and fish small baits on the structure. Sheepshead in the cooler months, snapper in summer.

Watch out for: A very small footprint, so it's easy to miss. Don't anchor in the grass. FWC says reef material can move or get buried.
Rules here: Gulf reef fish gear rules apply when you target snapper or grouper. The rules to check in Sarasota inshore waters

Wind and waves

Now and the next 48 hours at Sportfish Anglers' Reef

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On the map

Sportfish Anglers' Reef and the places around it

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Position

  • N27° 21.032' W082° 35.910'27.350533, -82.598500

Not for navigation: check it against a current chart before you rely on it.

Places nearby

The closest named places, as the crow flies

Check the rules before you keep a fish. Size limits, bag limits and seasons change, sometimes at short notice. Our "Can you keep it today?" lists give them as of the day we last checked; these are the official pages.