Good Action in Sarasota Bay & Tarpon Turning On
Capt. Rick Grassett
May 3, 2013
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, redfish, flounder, bluefish and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay and snook and bluefish in the ICW at night near Venice on lures and flies during the past couple of weeks. We also jumped a tarpon and landed another tarpon in the coastal gulf on a fly for the first 2 tarpon of the season!
Terry Mitchell, from OR, and Michael Ruegg from Switzerland, fished the coastal gulf and Sarasota Bay with me on Monday., 4/22 With good sunlight and calm sea conditions we decided to take a look in the coastal gulf for tarpon. We were pleasantly surprised to find 6 or 7 schools of tarpon and get some shots at them with flies, DOA shrimp and Baitbusters. We fished Sarasota Bay in the afternoon where they caught numerous trout to 18", Spanish mackerel, flounder and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails at Stephens Point and near Long Bar.
Don and Linda Tase, from NH, and their grandson Ryan, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 4/23. They caught and released trout to 18" on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at the Marina Jack Flat.
Ron Race, from MI, fished Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf with me on Wednesday, 4/24. He had some action catching and releasing trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at the Marina Jack flat in the morning before we headed into the coastal gulf. Conditions were great, so we spent some time looking for tarpon, tripletail and false albacore (little tunny) but didn't find anything. However we found a big cobia and he got a shot at it with a fly.
Ron also fished the ICW near Venice with me on Thursday evening, 4/25. He had great action catching and releasing 15 snook to 25" and a bluefish on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. The best action was at the bottom of the tide when snook went on a binge!
On Friday 4/26's tarpon trip in the coastal gulf, we saw 3 schools of tarpon and had 5 or 6 shots at them with a fly. We jumped one on a Lefty's Deceiver fly that gave us a smoking run and several jumps before the fish chafed the leader on something and broke off. What a thrill!
Capt. Ed Hurst and I taught the Orvis Fly Fishing 101 introductory fly fishing class at CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Saturday morning, 4/27. The 2-hour free class, designed to expose new anglers to fly fishing, covered fly casting basics and included casting with premium Orvis fly tackle. If you want to learn to fly fish, contact CB's at (941) 349-4400 to sign up for the next Orvis Fly Fishing 101 class, which will be Sun, May 5th.
Mark Bowler, editor of the Scottish magazine Fly Fishing & Fly Tying, and his guests Ron and Rick, all from Scotland, fly fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sunday, 4/28. The best action was fishing deep grass at Stephens Point where they caught and released trout (both spotted and silver trout), blues, jacks and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate sink tip lines. Ron also connected with a good snook while we were wading shallow water and they had some shots at reds on top of a bar when the tide was high.
Ross Shedden, from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay on an instructional fly fishing trip with me on Monday, 4/29. He was casting 40-feet or more in short order and was able to catch and release several trout and bluefish fishing deep grass flats on the west side of the bay with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line. Very good!
Patrice Camillieri, from France, fly fished for tarpon in the coastal gulf with me on Tuesday, 4/30. We saw singles, doubles and several small schools of fish throughout the day. Despite some slow periods, we had spurts of good activity and fish were happy. Patrice caught and released his first tarpon, a young male of about 50-pounds, on a fly. The fish was so aggressive that it slammed its brakes on and went vertical to eat the fly and then jumped numerous times around the boat before being landed in about 15 to 20-minutes. A great first tarpon!
Conditions were poor for tarpon fishing on Wednesday morning, 5/1. With heavy cloud cover and rain looming just offshore, we decided to wait for better tarpon fishing conditions. Thursday, 5/2 was similar, poor visibility and a big swell in the gulf. Seth Koch, from PA, and Bill Miller from MS, fly fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. We fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay where they caught and released a few trout to 20" on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on a sink tip fly line.
Tarpon are becoming more plentiful in the coastal gulf and should be a good option next week. Look for reds, snook and big trout in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or on shallow flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice should also be good.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for May 2013
Tarpon fishing will take off during May as migratory fish arrive along our beaches. Also look for Spanish mackerel, tripletail, cobia and false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf. Snook will move into passes and the surf and reds and trout should feed heavily on shallow flats as baitfish become more plentiful. Blues, Spanish mackerel and more mixed with trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should also be good options.
Resident tarpon are usually the first to show up as they make their way out of rivers and creeks. As migratory tarpon start to arrive this month, we should have schools of tarpon moving both north and south along our beaches. Early arriving tarpon may be more aggressive due to less fishing pressure early in the season. Set up in their line of travel and wait for tarpon schools to move past and cast a DOA Airhead, Baitbuster, a live crab or pinfish to them. Once you've seen the first school of fish, you can concentrate your efforts in that "lane" since other schools should be following the same route. When they aren't showing well on the surface, a live bait under a float in their travel lane may score. I've also done well blind casting a DOA Baitbuster or Swimming Mullet when there wasn't much showing on the surface. Be quiet, using your electric trolling motor sparingly, especially in shallow water. Even though your 4-stroke outboard sounds quiet, it is no substitute for an electric trolling motor.
Fly anglers should do well with a variety of baitfish or crab fly patterns fished on floating or intermediate sink tip fly lines. Staking out or anchoring in shallow water on their travel route should result in some shots at fish. The best angle is a "head on" shot, followed by a quartering shot. A perpendicular shot may work if it's timed perfectly, although casting too far beyond their line of travel will usually spook them. I use a push pole with an occasional assist from a trolling motor if I need to adjust my position to make a cast.
Snook season remains closed this month, so any snook fishing is catch and release only. You'll find them in passes and in the surf. They will also stage around docks and bridges close to passes. Since the season is closed, I recommend using tackle heavy enough to land them quickly. Once landed, they should be handled gently and released quickly. Casting CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms or DOA shrimp around docks and bridges close to passes should be effective. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, work well at night. One of the most fun ways to target snook is to walk the beach and cast CAL jigs, DOA shrimp or flies to them in the surf.
Higher tides this month will mean that reds will spend more time feeding on shallow flats. Look for them along mangrove shorelines and around oyster bars when the tide is high and in potholes or along sandbars when the tide is low. When fishing shallow water for reds, be as quiet as possible. I prefer to use a push pole or wade. Reds are one of the most challenging species to catch on a fly. Since they can be very spooky, I often wade for them when fly fishing to keep a lower profile. You'll also find big trout in many of the same shallow areas that you find reds. The Terra Ceia Bay area, north Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound are all good areas for reds this month.
Trout will be plentiful on deep grass flats. I prefer to cast CAL jigs and flies on sink tip fly lines for trout. A DOA Deadly Combo also works very well. Drifting and casting ahead of the drift is usually the most productive method. Look for flats that have a good mix of grass and sand and good tidal flow. The Middleground and Radio Tower flats, Stephens Point, Bishops Point and near Buttonwood Harbor are all great trout areas in Sarasota Bay.
You may also find pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on the same deep grass flats where trout are plentiful. They can be targeted in the same way as trout, but you may need to use wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader when toothy fish are around. You may also find Spanish and king mackerel, little tunny, cobia and tripletail in the coastal gulf. Keep your eyes open for surface activity such as diving birds, breaking fish or baitfish being forced out of the water which could indicate the presence of mackerel, blues or little tunny. Medium spinning tackle and 8 or 9-weight fly tackle should be heavy enough, although your tarpon spinning and fly tackle is not too heavy for cobia. Look for cobia either swimming on the surface or around navigational markers or buoys. I have also found cobia swimming with schools of tarpon before. Tripletail may be found around crab trap floats or buoys, where they can be targeted with a DOA shrimp or CAL jig on spinning tackle. When fly fishing for tripletail, a floating line on an 8 or 9-weight fly rod with a shrimp or baitfish fly pattern, like my Grassett Flats Minnow, should get the job done.
This is one of my favorite months of the year. If battling a big tarpon isn't for you, you should have plenty to do on both shallow and deep grass flats or in the coastal gulf. I'll be spending my time targeting tarpon in the coastal gulf unless conditions won't allow it. There is something about casting a fly to a giant fish in shallow water! Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Target Species:
tarpon, reds, trout, snook, cobia, tripletail, false albacore
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