Good Sarasota Bay Flats Action
Capt. Rick Grassett
March 30, 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, Spanish mackerel and pompano in Sarasota Bay and trout, redfish and snook in Gasparilla Sound on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails during the past couple of weeks.
A front came through on Monday and Tuesday, 3/17 and 18, with strong winds and rain so we didn't fish those days. Jeff Hardin, from Lancaster, PA and Mark and Sue Arrant, from the Seattle, WA area, fished the back country of Gasparillla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Wednesday, 3/19. They caught and released a few trout, redfish and a snook to complete their boat slam on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Shane Nicholls, from MA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 3/20. We worked on fly casting and fishing techniques and fished several deep grass flats and edges of bars where he caught and released trout on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, and his grandson, Andrew Breckenridge from CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 3/21. I did some fly casting instruction with Andrew in the morning and then Nick and I waded a shallow flat in the afternoon. Visibility was poor but we managed to catch and release a couple of over slot reds on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly!
Action was steady on Saturday, 3/22 when Keith Johnson and his dad, Fred Johnson, both from Raleigh, NC, fished Sarasota Bay with me in the morning and with Dean Fields, from Indianapolis, IN, in the afternoon. They caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel and a pompano on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
A front passed through on Monday, 3/24 with a soaking, all day long rain, so we chose to not snook fish on Monday evening. It was good choice because it rained all night. Venice and Lakewood Ranch, FL winter residents Chub Bortz and Jeff Wagner fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 3/25. The rain stopped by late morning and the wind blew 25-mph before the end of the trip, however they persisted and caught trout to 20", including a couple of slot size fish, and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Weather was a problem again on Wednesday, 3/26 as cold air settled in and strong winds continued to blow, so we didn't fish. Bill Fox, from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday and Friday, 3/27 and 28. Bill prefers the action and variety found on deep grass flats, so we focused on those areas to keep his fly rod bent. He had good action both days catching and releasing numerous trout and a few Spanish mackerel. There were also ladyfish and jacks in the mix to keep thing interesting.
I was the instructor for a CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday, 3/29. In addition to fly casting, students were also schooled on leader construction and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The next class will be on April 12th. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Fishing deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel, pompano and more should continue to be a good option Also, look for reds, snook and big trout on shallow flats or edges of bars in Sarasota Bay. When conditions improve in the coastal gulf, action with Spanish and king mackerel, false albacore (little tunny) and tripletail should also heat up.
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 April 2014
This is a great month for snook on shallow flats or around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW at night. Reds and trout will also be more active as the water warms and baitfish become more plentiful. You might find Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano in passes or on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Look for Spanish mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), cobia and tripletail, in the coastal gulf this month. Tarpon should also make an appearance in back country areas and in the coastal gulf later in the month.
Tarpon will become more plentiful this month as resident fish make their way out of rivers and creeks and early arriving migratory fish begin to show along beaches, particularly by the end of the month. Water temperature in the gulf is a key factor with 80 degrees being an optimum temperature. As the water warms towards that, fish will become more plentiful. Resident fish may be rolling on deep grass flats in some of the same places that you find trout, laid up on edges of shallow grass flats or along sand bars. Spin anglers might score with a DOA shrimp, Baitbuster or Airhead while fly anglers might connect with a black Deceiver or Tarpon bunny fly. Keep your tarpon tackle, rigged and ready, this time of year so you're able to take advantage of any opportunity that arises.
Snook season remains open this month, but will close on April 30th (full regulations can be found at www.myfwc.com). Personally I've been asking my clients to release them while the population is still rebounding from the freeze of 2010. They should be staging on flats, around sand and oyster bars, on points of islands and around docks and bridges close to passes in the ICW. Spin anglers should score with CAL jigs and a variety of plastic tails, DOA Baitbusters, the new Airhead plastic bait or surface walking top water plugs. Fish the edges of bars and potholes when the tide is low and mangrove shorelines or points of islands when the tide is high. You'll also find snook around docks and bridges in the ICW. Night snook fishing should be productive with small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow fly, CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms, DOA Shrimp and Tiny TerrorEyz. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action. Docks and bridges in the ICW from Sarasota to the Venice Inlet are usually productive for snook in the spring
Reds will spend more time feeding on shallow flats due to more plentiful bait. Look for them in potholes, the edges of bars and around docks when the tide is low. You'll find them higher on flats over shallow grass or around mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. I like CAL jigs with shad tails for reds in shallow water. They are easy to fish in shallow water and are a good way to find reds. My Grassett Flats Minnow is my "go to" fly for reds. It fishes well in shallow water and its bend back design makes it very weedless. You may also find big trout in skinny water in many of the same places that you find reds. The same lures, flies and techniques used to find and catch reds will also work for big trout. I like the flats of north Sarasota Bay for reds and big trout in April.
Trout should be plentiful on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. 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 weighted flies on sink tip fly lines. I tie Clousers with Ultra Hair on long shank hooks so that they are durable and will hold up to toothy and rough mouth fish. Deep grass flats with a good tidal flow like the Middleground, Radio Tower and Marina Jack flats are usually good due to their close proximity to passes and good tidal flow.
You might also find blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano or flounder mixed with trout on deep grass flats. The same lures, flies and techniques that you use to find trout on deep grass will work for these species, too. You'll need to tip your leader with wire or heavy fluorocarbon when blues and mackerel are around. I prefer heavy fluorocarbon and long shank hooks whenever possible, since that usually won't affect the trout bite. Blues and mackerel usually don't feed on the surface in the bay like they do in the open gulf, but you may see bait showering or boils indicating fast moving fish, feeding just below the surface. Pompano may "skip" when you run or drift past them giving their location away. When that happens, circle back upwind and drift the area. Flounder are often found in potholes, on the edges of bars or on mud bottom.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf this month with Spanish and king mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), cobia and tripletail. Look for Spanish mackerel or albies feeding on the surface. You might find tripletail or cobia around crab trap floats. Your tarpon spin or fly tackle can do double duty for cobia and medium spinning tackle or an 8 or 9-weight fly rod will cover everything else. Artificial reefs or natural areas of hard bottom may hold any of these species. When fishing these areas you will need to get your lure, fly or bait down in the water column to the level where fish are located.
April is one of my favorite months. There should be good action in Sarasota Bay on both shallow and deep grass flats, in the coastal gulf for mackerel, albies, cobia and tripletail and with tarpon by the end of the month. I like early season tarpon, since they are usually aggressive, but there should be lots of other options, too. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fly Fishing Forecast for April 2014
This is a great month for snook on shallow flats or around lighted docks and bridges at night. Reds and trout will also be more active as the water warms and baitfish become more plentiful. You might find Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano in passes or on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. You should also find Spanish mackerel along with false albacore (little tunny), cobia and tripletail, in the coastal gulf this month. Tarpon should also make an appearance in bay or back country areas or along beaches by later in the month.
Tarpon will become more plentiful as resident fish make their way out of rivers and creeks and early arriving migratory fish begin to show along beaches, particularly by the end of the month. Water temperature in the gulf is a key factor with 80 degrees being an optimum temperature. As the water warms towards that, fish will become more plentiful. Resident fish may be rolling on deep grass flats in some of the same places that you find trout, laid up on edges of shallow grass flats or along sand bars. Fly anglers might connect with a clear sink tip fly line on a 12-weight fly rod with a black Deceiver or Tarpon bunny fly. I always have tarpon tackle, rigged and ready, with me this time of year.
Snook season remains open this month, but will close on April 30th (full regulations can be found at www.myfwc.com). Personally I've been asking my clients to release them while the population is still rebounding from the freeze of 2010. They should be staging on flats, around sand and oyster bars, on points of islands and around docks and bridges close to passes in the ICW. Fish the edges of bars and potholes when the tide is low and mangrove shorelines or points of islands when the tide is high. I like wide profile flies, such as Lefty's Deceiver, my Grassett Shallow Flats Bunny or EP flies, for snook on the flats
You'll also find snook around docks and bridges in the ICW. Night snook fishing should be productive with small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow fly, shrimp patterns or Shrimp Gurglers. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action. Docks and bridges in the ICW from Sarasota to the Venice Inlet are usually productive for snook in the spring
Reds will spend more time feeding on shallow flats due to more plentiful bait. Look for them in potholes, the edges of bars and around docks when the tide is low. You'll find them higher on flats over shallow grass or around mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. My Grassett Flats Minnow is my "go to" fly for reds. It fishes well in shallow water and its bend back design makes it very weedless. You may also find big trout in skinny water in many of the same places that you find reds. The same flies and techniques used to find and catch reds will also work for big trout. I like the flats of north Sarasota Bay for reds and big trout in April.
Trout should be plentiful on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift. Look for trout on deep grass flats with a good tidal flow and a mixture of grass and sand. Fly anglers should score with weighted flies on sink tip fly lines. I tie Clousers with Ultra Hair on long shank hooks so that they are durable and will hold up to toothy and rough mouth fish.
You might also find blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano or flounder mixed with trout on deep grass flats. The same flies and techniques that you use to find trout on deep grass will work for these species, too. You'll need to tip your leader with wire or heavy fluorocarbon when blues and mackerel are around. I prefer heavy fluorocarbon and flies tied on long shank hooks, since that usually won't affect the trout bite. Blues and mackerel usually don't feed on the surface in the bay like they do in the open gulf, but you may see bait showering or boils indicating fast moving fish, feeding just below the surface. Pompano may "skip" when you run or drift past them giving their location away. When that happens, circle back upwind and drift the area. Flounder are often found in potholes, on the edges of bars or on mud bottom.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf this month with Spanish and king mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), cobia and tripletail. Look for Spanish mackerel or albies feeding on the surface. You might find tripletail or cobia around crab trap floats. Your tarpon fly tackle can do double duty for cobia and an 8 or 9-weight fly rod will cover everything else. Artificial reefs or natural areas of hard bottom may hold any of these species. When fishing bottom structure you will need to get your fly down in the water column to the level where fish are located, so you may need several fly lines from intermediate clear sink tip to Orvis Depth Charge to cover the whole water column.
April is one of my favorite months. There should be good action in the bay on both shallow and deep grass flats, in the coastal gulf for mackerel, albies, cobia and tripletail and with tarpon by the end of the month. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Target Species:
trout, reds, snook, tarpon, Spanish mackerel, pompano, false albacore, cobia, tripletail
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