Good Action on Sarasota Bay & Charlotte Harbor Flats
Capt. Rick Grassett
November 4, 2016
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay, the ICW near Venice and Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me during the past couple of weeks, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released reds, snook, trout, blues and pompano on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Shallow water fishing for snook, trout and reds and trout and blues on deep grass flats is improving as the water cools down.
John and Deb Lamanna, from Bradenton, FL, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a night snook trip in the ICW near Venice on Tuesday evening, 10/25 with me. They had good action catching and releasing a few snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Congratulations!
Lynn Skipper, from Apollo Beach, FL, fished the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/CCA "Fall Fly Fishing Challenge", a catch, photo and release fly fishing only tournament for snook, reds, trout and more, with me on Saturday, 10/29. We had decent action catching and releasing snook on flies before daylight in Sarasota Bay. We waded a shallow flat after dawn where Lynn caught and released a couple of over slot trout, including a 3 and a 4-pound fish, on an EP style fly. Conditions were tough, with wind gusting above 20-mph by early afternoon. We hit a trout spot on the way in and caught and released a few more trout and Lynn narrowly missed winning the Trout category of the Open division. A good day!
Congratulations to MCFF members Mick Coulas, from Venice, who won the Fly Angler division with 281.25 points, Capt. Chris Hargiss, from Sarasota, was the Open division winner with a 64.5"slam (snook, red and trout) and Brian Boehn, from Sarasota, won 2nd place with a 49.75" slam. A huge thank you to donors Orvis, CB's Saltwater Outfitters, Economy Tackle, Andy Thornal Company, Chouinard Outdoors/Simms & Umpqua, Fishing Bandit, The Compound, West Wall, New Pass Grill and Bait, Doug Forde, Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) and all the tournament anglers. Full results and info on next year's tournament are at www.fallflyfishingchallenge.com .
Greg Rogers, from Tampa, FL, fished deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 10/31. Action wasn't fast, but he had steady action with trout, ladyfish and a bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL and Pat Redmond, from Sarasota, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Tuesday, 11/1. They caught and released numerous snook, trout and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails. Action was good with snook in shallow water.
Joe Koss, from NY, fished deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday, 11/2. He had a great day catching and releasing numerous trout, a bluefish and a pompano on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. We spent some time in skinny water where he caught and released snook and a nice red on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly to complete his slam. Great job!
Anna Maria Island and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple had good action with trout and blues on Ultra Hair Clouser flies while fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. 11/3. With a good tide and an approaching front, fish turned on.
Snook, reds and trout in skinny water and trout, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats should be good options. Night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW with flies and DOA Lures should also be a good option. I look for action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny) and Spanish mackerel to take off as the water cools down and baitfish school up along the beaches. Tripletail should also show up since stone crab traps are now in the coastal gulf, increasing the amount of available structure for them.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for November 2016
As the water cools this month there will be many changes. You may find blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano mixed with trout on deep grass flats. You'll also find larger trout in skinny water along with reds. Snook will stage around bars and on shallow flats as they make their move towards winter areas. Action in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel, blues, false albacore, tripletail and more should explode!
You'll find snook staging around docks and bridges in the ICW and along sand bars and in potholes on shallow flats. They may be along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. I like CAL jigs with 3" and 4" shad tails, surface walking top water lures like the new DOA "PT" and DOA Baitbusters in shallow water for snook. CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms, DOA TerrorEyz, DOA shrimp and small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, will work well around dock and bridge fender lights. Fish the strongest tides for the best action. I like the flats of north Sarasota Bay and the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for snook in November.
Reds will spread out on shallow grass flats in November. You'll find them along bars, in potholes or around docks. Look for them along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high, but they are just as likely to be roaming with mullet schools in shallow water. CAL jigs with shad tails, grubs or jerk worms and gold spoons should work well for reds in shallow water. Fly anglers may score with lightly weighted flies, such as Clousers, spoon flies or my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. I catch a lot more reds wading than from the deck of my boat, so keep a low profile.
You may also find big trout along with reds in shallow water this month. Although anglers may keep one trout over 20", I release all trout over 20" since they are usually females that may be full of roe. The same lures and flies that you use for snook and reds in shallow water will also work for trout. You'll also find trout on deep grass flats in water from 3' to 7' deep. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos or weighted flies on sink tip fly lines to locate trout. In addition to making a series of drifts to find fish, look for baitfish on the surface or birds to find them.
You may also find blues, Spanish mackerel, flounder or pompano on deep grass flats this month. The techniques to find them is the same as for trout, although blues and Spanish mackerel may feed on the surface making them easier to find. Likewise with pompano, that may skip on the surface when you run or drift past them. When that happens, circle back upwind and drift back through the area, casting ahead of your drift. I like a 1/16-ounce chartreuse CAL jig head with a gold grub for pompano. You'll need to add wire or heavy fluorocarbon when toothy fish are around to keep them from biting you off. You may find flounder on a mixture of grass and sand, particularly on the edges of bars or in potholes.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), Spanish and king mackerel, blues, tripletail or cobia. Look for Spanish mackerel, blues or false albacore feeding on the surface to find them. Diving terns or terns hovering just above the surface of the water and moving fast will give their presence away if they aren't on top. CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms and top water plugs will work well. Fly anglers should score with small white flies, Ultra Hair Clousers, poppers or Crease flies. Look for tripletail around crab trap floats and cast DOA Shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails or DOA TerrorEyz to them. Cobia may also be found around crab trap floats, swimming on the surface or over structure. They will require medium-heavy spinning tackle or at least a 9-weight fly rod. Larger baits like DOA Baitbusters or CAL jigs with 5½" jerk worms should work well for cobia on spinning tackle. Fly anglers should score with wide profile baitfish patterns.
This a great month for fishing the flats or the coastal gulf. Since the action in the coastal gulf is seasonal and will end when it gets cooler, I like to fish there when conditions allow it. However, if that's not for you or if conditions won't allow it, there will be plenty of action for a variety of fish on shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Target Species:
snook, reds, trout, bluefish, false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel
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