Albie Action Hot in Sarasota
Capt. Rick Grassett
November 28, 2010
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay with catch and release trout and blues on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos and little tunny in the coastal gulf on flies during the past couple of weeks. In addition, we also caught scattered Spanish mackerel and pompano in Sarasota Bay.
A former high school classmate of mine, Tom Clark from VA, and a couple of guests fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 11/15. They caught and released numerous trout and blues on CAL jigs with shad tails on deep grass flats at Stephens and Bishop Point. Bill Moore, from Libertyville, IL, fished with me on Tuesday, 11/16 and Sarasota winter resident, Tom Lamb, and John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, FL fished with me on Wednesday, 11/17 and had similar action in the same areas with the same lures.
The action picked up a little on Thursday, 11/18 when Sarasota winter residents, Dennis Kolarik and Tom Mulder, fished Sarasota Bay with me. In addition to numerous trout, they caught and released blues, Spanish mackerel and connected with a nice pompano along the east side of Sarasota Bay on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and flies.
One of the best trips of the week was on Friday, 11/19 with Stephanie Kieselewski, from Sarasota, FL, who collected her trip, which I donated to Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers. We had tried to take the trip a couple of other times and had to cancel due to poor conditions, but the third time was a charm. We fly fished the coastal gulf off Siesta and Casey Keys where Stephanie caught and released 5 little tunny on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.
Don and Linda Tase, from NH, fished the coastal gulf off Siesta and Casey Keys on Monday, 11/22. They caught and released 7 or 8 little tunny on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly and a CAL jig with a shad tail. Pete Walocko, from MI, got in on the action on Tuesday, 11/23 as he landed several on flies. Everette Howell, Jr. from Nashville, TN also had a great day on Wednesday, 11/24, landing 7 or 8 little tunny on my snook fly. Most fish averaged about 7-pounds but several were more than 10-pounds. The action was awesome as schools of little tunny turned the surface into white water as they fed on glass minnows!
A front pushed through on Friday afternoon slowing action in Sarasota Bay and making it too rough to fish the coastal gulf. Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, and his friend Mark, from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 11/26. A strong south breeze made fishing tough but they caught and released trout to 18" and bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Norm Worthington and his son, Addison, from Siesta Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 11/27. The action was slow as another round of rain pushed through that morning. They caught a few trout, a blue and some large ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
If you are interested in learning to fly fish or if you already have some experience but want to improve your skills or correct problems, Capt. Ed Hurst or I will be the instructors for a CB's Saltwater Outfitter's Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010. The school will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. I will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Cost for the school, which will run from 9 AM to 4 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book and lunch. Contact me or CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or [email protected] to make reservations.
Next week's tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a new moon on Dec. 5th. Negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds, snook and trout in potholes in skinny water. Action in the coastal gulf should also continue until water temperature drops significantly.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Forecast for December 2010
This can be a great month for fishing skinny water. With negative low tides on either side of the new and full moons, reds, snook and trout should be concentrated in potholes and easier to find. With cooler weather coming, many species will fatten up in preparation for tougher times ahead. Look for blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano on deep grass flats. In the coastal gulf, king and Spanish mackerel, blues, little tunny and tripletail may all be options.
Snook season remains closed until Sept. 2011 as a result of special action taken by our FWC. Catch and release them as quickly as possible and handle them gently. Pinched down barbs on lures and flies and circle hooks for live bait anglers will help them survive. You should find snook staging on shallow flats this month as they prepare to move into rivers, creeks and canals. I like to fish CAL jigs or weedless-rigged CAL shad tails in skinny water for snook. Surface walking top water plugs or fly poppers may draw exciting strikes early or late in the day.
There is also a good population of snook around docks and bridges in the ICW this time of year. What makes the ICW so good is a strong tidal flow, deep water and plentiful bait. Snook will feed on glass minnows and small shrimp around lighted docks and bridge fenders, so small white flies and 1/16 oz CAL jigs will work well. When snook are "popping" shrimp in lights, a Gurgler fly will provide exciting strikes!
Trout season also remains closed this month in the south region, which is approximately south of the Pinellas/Pasco county line (see www.myfwc.com for details), although it's inevitable that you'll catch trout in the pursuit of other species. They will be plentiful on both deep and shallow grass flats. Handle them gently and release them quickly, since they are fragile. Pinch barbs down on lures and flies and consider using circle hooks if using live bait. I like to cast CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails or weighted flies ahead of my drift to locate them on deep grass flats. The DOA Deadly Combo is a great trout lure for fishing deep grass flats. Also, look for trout in potholes and along sand and oyster bars in skinny water where they may be sight-fished.
Reds will be found on shallow grass flats in the same places where big trout may be. The negative low tides from Dec. 2-10 and 18-26 should concentrate reds in potholes or along drop offs. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats of lower Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor setting up exciting sight-fishing opportunities. I like to cast 1/16 oz CAL jigs with plastic tails or weedless-rigged CAL shad tails for reds in skinny water. A DOA shrimp rigged weedless and fished backwards is a great lure for fishing potholes and shallow grass. Lightly weighted flies or weedless flies that suspend will work best for reds in potholes or tailing on shallow grass. I have been successful recently while blind casting my Grassett Flats Minnow fly to reds scattered in skinny water. North Sarasota Bay to lower Tampa Bay is an excellent area to fish for reds, snook and trout on shallow flats in December.
You may find blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano or flounder on deep grass flats this month. In addition to looking for "fishy" signs, such as birds, bait or breaking fish, drift across seams where grass and sand meet while casting CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos or weighted flies, such as Clousers or my Grassett Flats Bunny fly, ahead of your drift. Blues may be enticed to strike a top water plug or a fly popper and pompano may "skip" as you drift or run past them telling you where to fish for them. Flounder may also be found on edges of sandbars in shallow water. You might find any of these species in passes, where the best technique will be drifting and vertical jigging or casting perpendicular to your drift, to get your fly down in the water column, with a fast sinking fly line and a weighted fly.
In the coastal gulf, king and Spanish mackerel, blues and little tunny should all be options depending on conditions. With water temperatures from the high 60's to low 70's, most of these species should still be around. Look for breaking fish and cast small Clousers, my Grassett Snook Minnow or Crease flies to them. If you can't find them on the surface, try drifting over one of the many artificial reefs with a fast sinking fly line. Spin anglers may score with top water plugs, CAL jigs or Diamond jigs. You'll need to use wire when targeting mackerel and blues.
Tripletail might be found on any of the plentiful stone crab trap buoys in the coastal gulf. Just pick a line, stay about 50 feet away and run along the trap line with the sun at your back for the best visibility. Once you've located one, approach from downwind with a trolling motor and try to swing a fly or DOA shrimp in front of their nose. Flies and lures that sink too fast may not stay in the strike zone long enough. This is an exciting sight-fishing opportunity!
Weather will be more of an issue this month as fronts become more frequent, although fishing is usually good most of the month. It's always worth a look in the coastal gulf if conditions are good and it hasn't been too cold. Take advantage of the negative low tides this month to help you find reds, snook and trout in potholes. The fastest action may be with blues, pompano or more on deep grass flats. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Target Species:
reds, trout, snook, bluefish, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and pompano
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