Anna Maria Island Fishing Charters — Attraction in Brandenton Beach

I normally do not write a review.However this deserves some attention. This boat was obviously not one that is typically used every day in the fleet for fishing. The captain had been living on ami for about six months from long island new york. He greeted me with fishing this very poor and it was gonna be tough to catch anything. He texted a lot during the trip and attempted to call multiple other captains in this fleet to see where fish were biting and told us that no one was really catching anything because of the full moon last week. He attempted to rig a fishing pole with a larger hook on braided line and had no way to cut the line which left a tag in about six inches long and then never use the rod. He took us out to the first spot for about ten minutes, and then went and sat under the bridge by the piers to catch little fish. And then at the end of the 3hr trip moved and finished about fifteen minutes on a grass flat. Only had minimal shrimp and no shat at all. When we returned to the dock from the 3 hour fishing trip, another guy had a full limit with his crew. I had to go back to get my cooler I left on the boat when he returned on his next trip (which was a sand bar tour). And the same guy had retturned with another group and another limit of fish. Also caught and threw back multiples that were too big to keep. After discussing with his Guy, he stated fishing was good. This week especially for trout. I was impressed because he did not talk badly about any charter, just spoke about his trips for the week. To summarize, I feel like this charter company will book as many people as they possibly can and then just fill the captain seat with anyone who can manage a boat well and knows even the basics about fishing. Not necessarily with experienced local fishermen. Then it is all covered up with the fact that we go fishing and and not catching and sometimes you don't catch anything. Also, it's hot and the fishing is poor. Our Guy/Gyide was a very nice guy. And I have nothing against him, but it's just hard to compare a local fisherman who fishes for a living to a guy from long island who is a boat broker by trade. Very disappointing, when everything points to just get the money while you can and you don't have to catch anything. Because we're just trying to catch fish when another guy catches multiple fish at the same time in the same Bay and it has a completely different report about the fishing. But he is a local every day guide, who only guides his own clients and does not contract out to other guides/boat operators. Our trip was no different. Then you coming to tennessee and me telling you, I am a guide and I take you on a boat ride for a few minutes, take you to a the dock and let you catch bluegill with worms and call it a professional guided trip. My advice is to be sure that you talk to the company and ensure that you are getting the local guide who fishes every day and not pawned off on someone else.

If there was a way to get my money back I would... Oh, and I did tip the guide/boat captain well because it was not his fault. And I only include that so no one would think I am a person who goes on a trip and complains in hope of getting a free trip. He told me he had three sand bar tours that day and our fishing trip. Which would fit my experience. I'm sure this company has great guides/professional fishermen. But it's just hard to ensure you get the right one and not my expensive boat ride and essentially fishing that you can do on your own for free.

2 stars because the guy was nice, tried, on time and we returned to the...

The captain was super knowledgeable regarding all things fishing & boating. The first mate knew lots about AMI, being a resident here for 40 years. The boat we took was not what we expected. It was small, but long with only a center bench for seating. It was a very bumpy ride trekking from Bridge St. to Longboat Key where we spent most of our time. We thought we were going nearshore fishing, but we went into the bay & basically fished in calm water, hardly catching anything. We also didn’t know it was a catch & release fishing trip, as other fishing trips we’ve taken in the past we were able to keep what we caught & the crew filleted the fish for us to prepare for dinner. We understand some fish were too small, some out of season & some not good to eat. We also understand that no one can control the fish or when they bite. We just expected a little more than basic poles & being escorted around flat water, in the blazing sun, with very little shade. The email we received in advance said they provided ice, water, poles & bait & we could bring our own drinks. We brought a few drinks, but no ice was available to chill them & we were never offered the water. The trip was cheaper than other excursions we considered. We should’ve done more research or asked for a pic of the boat before booking. We enjoyed talking with the captain & first mate. They were great. Out of our group of 7, only 3 people caught anything & only one of the fish was legal to keep. None of us had the tools needed to clean & fillet it, though, so we gave it to...

We had a good time inshore fishing (4 hour) with Captain Jamie during our family trip to Florida. He kept our kids entertained and even gave them an AMI fishing shirt. We had a lot of fun catching a variety of smaller fish, bonnethead sharks and even a sting ray! We got to see a lot of dolphins and a manatee as well! I was really hoping we could go out to catch some bigger fish but the waves were a little too high in the more open water. The only minor complaint I have, which is the reason for the 4 stars instead of 5, is that I wish Jamie would have let our son help reel in the sting ray that he caught instead of having him hand over the fishing pole. I also felt like there was an excessive amount of hinting towards tips, making us feel like it was mandatory instead of something for us to determine at our discretion. However, it was easy to book with AMI online and they had a lot of availability to allow us to work around our schedule. They were easy to get ahold of via phone and email and were less expensive than other charters in the area. All in all we enjoyed a beautiful day in Florida catching some unique species that we wouldn't have had a chance to...