Good Night Snook Fly Fishing Action in Venice ICW
Capt. Rick Grassett
December 7, 2014
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, snook and redfish in Gasparilla Sound, snook, blues and redfish in the ICW near Venice, trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and jacks in Sarasota Bay and false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs during the past couple of weeks.
Mike Penny, from Atlanta, GA and his guest, Jim, from TX, and Chip Bates, from CT, fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande on a couple of different trips with me. The best trip was with Mike and Jim on Monday, 11/24 before conditions deteriorated. They caught and released about a dozen trout, a couple of snook and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos to complete their slam.
Patrice Camillieri, from France, fished with me on Monday, 12/1. He caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly in Sarasota Bay and false albacore in the coastal gulf on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We also spent some time sight fishing for tripletail and he hooked a big one. The tripletail went around the crab trap float and line and straightened the hook!
Sarasota winter resident Mike Perez fished the ICW near Venice with me on Tuesday night, 12/2. With a strong tide and water in the mid 60's, snook went on a glass minnow binge. He had fast action catching and releasing snook to 26" and a 5-pound blue on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly, which is a glass minnow imitation.
Bill Rhodes, from Hernando Beach, FL, did the same thing with me on Wednesday night, 12/3 and it was just as good. In addition to fast action with snook to 26", he also caught and released a 5-pound blue and a 24" red on my Grassett Snook Minnow and another glass minnow fly pattern. He fished Sarasota Bay the next day, Thurs 12/4 with me and caught and released trout and Spanish mackerel on a tandem fly rig consisting of a Clouser and a glass minnow fly pattern. Works well!
Randy Powell and Ben Hatcher, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 12/6. With a negative low tide in the morning, we worked edges of sand bars and flats. Later in the day we fished deep grass flats. They caught and released a few trout, jacks and bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs.
Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW is a good option now. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action. Trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, jacks and more should also be good options on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Look for reds and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats. Tripletail and false albacore should be good options in the coastal gulf depending on conditions. Look for albies feeding near the surface and tripletail around crab trap buoys.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for December 2014
This should be a good month for reds. You may find reds along with big trout concentrated in potholes or along the edges of bars in Sarasota Bay or they may tail on shallow grass flats when the tide is low. This is also a good month for catch and release snook action around lighted docks in the ICW. Some lights will also have trout and reds making it possible to get a dock "slam". There may be good action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), Spanish mackerel and tripletail depending on conditions.
Snook season closes on the west coast of Florida this month so all snook must be released. Snook fishing around lighted docks can be good this month unless it gets too cool. I won't target snook following a strong cold front or if the water dips below 60 degrees. However, it can be very good in December under normal conditions. Larger baitfish will thin out and snook will gorge themselves on glass minnows and small shrimp in the ICW at night. I like docks that have a good tidal flow and deep water under them. CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms or DOA shrimp are my favorite lures for snook at night. Fly anglers should do well with sink tip fly lines and small white flies. Fish peak tidal flows for the fastest action. The ICW between Sarasota and Venice is my favorite area for night snook fishing in December.
You might find reds in potholes or along the edges of flats and bars when the tide is low. They may also tail on shallow grass when the tide is low. Weedless rigged CAL shad tails and jerk worms, DOA shrimp and lightly weighted flies with weed guards will work well in that situation. As the tide rises, reds will spread out and feed on shallow flats. You may also find them around docks this month. I usually let the stage of the tide tell me where to look for reds.
You may also find big trout in skinny water this month in many of the same areas where you find reds. The same lures and techniques that I use for reds will also work for trout in the same areas. I release all big trout (over 20") since they are usually females and I feel it is important that they are left in the water as breeders. You should also find trout on deep grass flats this month along with blues, flounder or pompano. Blues may sometimes feed on the surface, so bird activity may give their presence away. Pompano may skip when you drift or run past them and when that happens, circle back upwind and drift through the area casting ahead of your drift. Flounder prefer a mix of sand and grass, particularly in potholes or on the edges of bars. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs and a variety of plastic tails or DOA Deadly Combos. Fly anglers should score with sink tip fly lines and weighted flies, like Clousers or my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny fly, which behaves like a jig with a shad tail. I like the shallow flats of north Sarasota Bay for reds and trout in December and deep grass flats close to passes, on points and along sand bars for trout, blues, flounder and pompano.
There should still be good action in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel, blues, false albacore and tripletail. Rough or cold water later in the month may slow the action and move fish south or offshore. Look for terns either diving or hovering low over the surface of the water to find albies, blues and mackerel feeding on the surface. Once you've found them, cast top water plugs or CAL jigs with shad tails to catch them. Fly anglers should score with glass minnow fly patterns, poppers or Crease flies. Sometimes top water plugs or fly poppers will draw fish to the surface, especially over structure. You'll need to add wire or heavy fluorocarbon to your leader when blues and mackerel are around. Look for tripletail around crab trap floats or channel markers. Once you've located a fish, work back into the wind or current with an electric trolling motor to get into casting range and cast live or DOA shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails or lightly weighted flies to them. Try to make your first shot count since they are much tougher to catch once they know you're there.
There will be lots of options in December, although fishing becomes more affected by weather. When fishing flats, I usually let conditions and the stage of the tide determine when, where and what I will target. I like to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore and tripletail whenever conditions are good. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Target Species:
reds, snook, trout, tripletail, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, flounder
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