Saltwater Fishing Report for Sarasota, Florida.
Capt. Bob Smith
November 16, 2001
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Snapper, Grouper and Cobia
I have not been able to get out since last Monday and this was partially due to the weather. The Weatherman is calling for NE winds, 10-15 mph this weekend. If this comes to be, we will have flat water along the beaches and on the east side of the bay. Offshore won't be too bad, if the wind stays under 15 mph.
I would expect fishing to pickup where I left off. Monday I found plenty of gray snapper up to three pounds, gag grouper to thirteen pounds and a few fish we could not stop. This was all at M-5 using large live shrimp for bait. We saw plenty of baitfish around M-5 all day long but we did not need it. I am sure that some fresh caught pinfish on stout rods would have produced some big fish. At that time, we still had some Red Tide offshore and I was not sure they would live in the baitwell. We also caught some spadefish, grunts, sheepshead and triggerfish but the bait stealers were at a minimum. I understand that the spadefish have become very active since Monday. You should find action on any of the "M" reefs and on good bottom in 40 to 50 feet of water.
Cobia have been running along the beach and hanging around any structures, the "I" reefs for a start. You can expect some down time between hookups as the pods of cobia come and go. Be ready to cast to the follow ups and make the most of the time you have them around the boat. Cobia will eat everything, but I like to use large live shrimp. Cobia will take a free line or bottom rig and sometimes they have a preference. So, I keep both going until I see what works. Fishing the bottom will work well and fills in the time between cobia pods if the bait stealers are not too bad. On the bottom, you have the possibility of catching snapper, grouper, flounder, sheepshead and many other species. The larger snapper and gag grouper should move in to shallower water soon.
I don't have much to offer on the bay fishing, but if the wind is up and out of the NE I would suggest fishing the east side of the bay. Steven's Point grass flats would be a good place to start if you are looking for trout. The passes on the change of tide would also be a good place to try for pompano, bluefish or mackerel.
Enjoy and Protect
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