Neal Preserve Fishing

Neal Preserve is a peaceful place to throw a lure at mangrove shoreline without a crowd, a short drive from Anna Maria Island. The fishing is light-tackle inshore work, and the walk in takes you past an observation tower and reconstructed Native American burial mounds.

• A county preserve where fishing access is listed
• Mangrove shoreline and grass flats on the bay, with the Anna Maria Island Bridge in view
• Redfish, snook and spotted seatrout, with sheepshead in the cooler months
• Boardwalks, a shell trail and a 20-foot observation tower

The preserve is at 12301 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton, on the south side of Manatee Avenue as it crosses Perico Island, just before the Anna Maria Island Bridge.

• Getting there: follow Manatee Avenue (State Road 64) west from Bradenton toward Holmes Beach; the entrance is on the left before the bridge
• Parking: a lot at the preserve, with overflow parking on the north side of the Anna Maria Island Bridge
• Hours: open daily from sunrise to sunset
• The walk: about half a mile of shell trail and boardwalk; bicycles must be left at the racks and pets are not allowed
• Carry in everything you need; tackle and bait are best bought on the way

The mangrove shoreline and the grass flats of the bay hold typical Sarasota Bay inshore fish.

• Spring (Mar-May): spotted seatrout on the grass, redfish along the mangroves, snook moving onto the flats, ladyfish arriving
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook and mangrove snapper around the mangrove roots, jacks and ladyfish chasing bait, trout early and late
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best redfish months, with trout and snook feeding before winter
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum along the shoreline, trout on warmer afternoons

Light spinning gear, 10-15 lb braid and a 20-25 lb fluorocarbon leader suit this shallow water.

• Spotted seatrout and ladyfish: a live or artificial shrimp under a popping cork over the grass
• Redfish: a gold spoon, a weedless soft plastic or cut bait along the mangrove edge
• Snook: live shrimp or a paddle-tail soft plastic worked past the roots at dawn and dusk; step up to a 30 lb leader
• Sheepshead and black drum: shrimp or fiddler crabs on a small hook near shell and structure
• Keep casts clear of the boardwalks and anyone walking them

The bay here has mixed tides, usually two highs and two lows a day of unequal size, with a small range. At low tide the shoreline drains to mud and shallow flats.

• Fish the higher half of the tide, when water pushes into the mangroves and over the grass
• A falling tide pulls bait off the flats and draws redfish and trout to the edges
• Calm, clear mornings are the best for spotting tailing redfish
• Winter cold fronts clear the water and bring sheepshead in; the day after a front is slow

It is a quiet spot, but it is a wild shoreline, not a pier.

• The shore is soft mud and shell in places; wear shoes and watch your footing at low tide
• If you step into the water, shuffle your feet for stingrays
• Summer thunderstorms bring lightning; leave when they build
• Mosquitoes and biting midges can be fierce at dawn and dusk; bring repellent
• Access is by shell trail and boardwalk; some of it will be hard going with a wheelchair or a heavy cart

Facilities are simple, as befits a nature preserve.

• A parking lot, with a single portable restroom
• A covered pavilion with two picnic benches near the parking lot
• A 20-foot observation tower and an observation deck
• Boardwalks, interpretive signs and bike racks
• No water, food, bait or tackle on site; bring your own
• The nearest shops and places to eat are across the bridge in Holmes Beach or back toward Bradenton

• Walk the whole loop first to see where the water is deepest along the mangroves before you start casting
• Aim for a rising tide in the early morning, before the heat and the midges
• Tread lightly: the reconstructed burial mounds are protected, and collecting is not allowed
• Use the overflow parking on the north side of the bridge when the main lot is full
• If the preserve is quiet, the Palma Sola Causeway is a few minutes east along Manatee Avenue

Manatee County manages the preserve.

• Open daily from sunrise to sunset
• No pets, and bicycles stay at the racks, off the trails
• Collecting artifacts or anything else from the site is not allowed
• County code allows fishing in county park waters only where the county designates it; the preserve lists fishing access, so fish where signs allow
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Snook has its own rules; check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything