Bean Point Fishing

Bean Point is the wild northern tip of Anna Maria Island, looking out over Passage Key Inlet where Tampa Bay drains into the Gulf.

• Tide pouring out of the bay creates rips, bars and troughs that hold bait and predators.
• Snook, mackerel, pompano, reds and passing tarpon from the sand.
• A residential beach: the homeowners own the dry sand, so anglers stay on the wet sand below the high-tide line.
• No lifeguards, and signs at the beach accesses warn of dangerous currents.

Bean Point is at the north end of the City of Anna Maria, beside North Shore Drive.

• Getting there: cross to Anna Maria Island on Manatee Avenue (SR 64), then head north on Gulf Drive and North Shore Drive.
• Access: walk in by the public beach accesses along North Shore Drive.
• Parking: very limited and strictly enforced; park only where signs allow, with all tires off the pavement and facing the flow of traffic. Parking between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. is a violation, and the city is reworking its parking plan in 2026.
• The beach: soft sand; stay on the wet sand below the high-tide line.
• No facilities at the point.

A pass-mouth beach with strong seasonal runs.

• Spring (Mar–May): Spanish mackerel and pompano, the first snook on the beach, cobia passing occasionally.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook in the troughs early in the day, tarpon passing, ladyfish, jacks and sharks.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): mackerel and bluefish on the outgoing tide, pompano, redfish on the bars.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): quieter; whiting in the troughs and the odd pompano between cold fronts.

Medium spinning gear, 15–20 lb braid and a 30 lb leader.

• Snook: live whitebait on a 1/0 circle hook or a 1/2 oz white bucktail cast parallel to the beach, not out to sea.
• Mackerel and blues: spoons or Gotcha plugs with a short wire or heavy leader.
• Pompano and whiting: a two-hook bottom rig with 2–3 oz of pyramid lead to hold in the current, baited with sand fleas or shrimp.
• Reds: cut bait on a fish-finder rig on the edge of the bars.
• Travel light; you will walk and move with the fish.

The north end of the island has two uneven highs and lows on most days and only one on some; the nearest NOAA station shows a daily range of about 2 feet, but Passage Key Inlet runs very hard as Tampa Bay drains.

• Best: the outgoing tide in the morning, once the overnight parking ban ends at 6 a.m.
• The incoming brings clean Gulf water for pompano and snook on the Gulf side.
• Low tide exposes long sandbars; do not walk out on them as the tide turns.
• Wind: light east winds flatten the surf; strong west winds make it rough and weedy.
• City code wants personal property off the beach by dusk, so plan to finish then.

Beautiful but genuinely hazardous water.

• Currents: swimmers drowned here in August 2025 and September 2026; the city's signs warn of dangerous currents, no lifeguards and swimming at your own risk. Never wade deep or out onto the bars.
• Rip currents: strongest on the falling tide.
• Stingrays: shuffle your feet at the water's edge.
• Lightning and heat: summer storms and no shade.
• Access: a walk on soft sand, not suitable for wheelchairs; city code allows small hand-pulled wagons on the beach.

None at the point; plan ahead.

• No restrooms, lifeguards, shade or lights.
• Food, drink and restrooms are in town, away from the point.
• Bait: buy live shrimp or bait before you arrive.
• Carry out everything you bring, including old line and bait packaging.
• A small hand-pulled cart and a shade umbrella make a long session more comfortable.

• Time your trip for the first half of the outgoing tide in the morning.
• Watch for birds working over Passage Key Inlet; mackerel and jacks will be under them.
• Rake sand fleas in the wash for pompano bait, and fill in any holes you dig.
• Keep casts along the beach for snook; the fish are often within a rod length of the sand.
• Leave the dog at home: pets are banned on Anna Maria's beaches.
• Stay below the high-tide line; the dry sand is private.

The beach is in the City of Anna Maria, which sets the beach and parking rules; the dry sand at Bean Point is private.

• City beach rules ban alcohol, glass, pets, fires, bicycles and motor vehicles, and personal property must be off the beach by dusk.
• Parking between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. is a violation; park only where signs allow.
• Swimming is at your own risk, with no lifeguards; follow the posted warnings.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt; shore-based shark fishing needs a free FWC permit, and snook and tarpon have specific FWC rules.
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.