Know exactly when the bite turns on around Bean Point, the bay-side piers and Longboat Pass. Turnwater scores every 30 minutes of the next 7 days from live NOAA tides, moon feeding times, weather and water temperature — then tells you the best time to go and what to throw.
See today's Anna Maria Island forecast ›| Best remaining windows today | Top species | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 6 PM–8 PM | Redfish | 59 |
| 2 PM–4 PM | Pompano | 51 |
| 4 PM–6 PM | Spanish mackerel | 50 |
| Best windows tomorrow | Top species | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 4 PM–6 PM | Pompano | 55 |
| 6 AM–8 AM | Spanish mackerel | 53 |
| 2 PM–4 PM | Pompano | 53 |
Tides from NOAA station Anna Maria Key, city pier. Always check the official NWS marine forecast before heading out.
Anna Maria's bay-side piers look out at the mouth of Tampa Bay and the Skyway, and have long been go-to spots for sheepshead and mackerel. The 2024 hurricanes damaged piers on the island, so check which ones are open before you go.
The very northern tip of the island where Tampa Bay meets the Gulf. Strong current sweeps past on both tides, and it's a known spot for snook and passing schools.
The pass and bridge between Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, at the south end. Moving water through the pass makes it a dependable tide-change spot.
Spring is the island's big season, when Spanish mackerel, kingfish and pompano run along the beaches and around the bay mouth, and snook move onto the Gulf beaches. Summer is snook in the surf at first light. Fall brings the mullet run, with redfish and snook feeding hard behind it. Winter is sheepshead around the piers and the pass bridge.
The north end sits right at the mouth of Tampa Bay, so the current there is much stronger than on the open Gulf beaches a mile south. Fish the piers and Bean Point around the strongest part of the tide, and the beaches when the water is calm and clear.
Seasons, size limits and bag limits change. Check the current FWC saltwater fishing rules before you keep a fish.
Scores update with the season, the tide and the light — the forecast shows which of these is strongest right now and when it peaks this week.
Open the Anna Maria Island forecast ›