PIERS & BEACHES
Surrounding Bateman’s are lots of opportunities to fish from beaches and piers. Load up the fishing wagon and off you go!
The Rod & Reel and the Anna Maria City Piers are both a short walk from Bateman’s. The Rod & Reel is $2 per day, and you can buy bait there. The Anna Maria City Pier is free, and the new bait shop is now open following construction. In addition, the Pine Ave bait shop is only a short stroll. Piers are open 7am to 10pm, every day.
The species to be caught depends on the the time of year - but the beaches and piers enjoy successful fishing using a range of baits : live shrimp, any of the frozen bait in the tackle shop freezers and even artificial baits such as silver spoons. If you are skilled with a cast net then that’s a great way to catch bait - we provide them for your use. Staff on the piers and in the bait shops are a good local source of the current best tactics and bait.
Slightly further afield, Bradenton Beach Pier is excellent, particularly for young kids and novices. They rent rods and sell live bait. All the piers have excellent choices for food and drink in their immediate vicinities.
One of our favorite things to do though is to walk down to Bean Point a couple of hours before sunset. The fishing off the beach is excellent as the sun sets, and the view is unbeatable.
A BRAND NEW PIER....
The new Anna Maria City Pier is a triumph, after being rebuilt following the destruction of the old pier by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Fully opened to anglers for the first time in June 2020, it is now open 7 days a week, 7am-10pm - with a bait and tackle shop, plus a fast food restaurant (that also sells beer). Fishing with a cold beer in hand - what could be better?!