Good Sarasota Bay Flats & Coastal Gulf Action
Capt. Rick Grassett
November 3, 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, had good action catching and releasing false albacore (little tunny), Spanish mackerel, tripletail, flounder, snook, reds and trout on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos in Sarasota Bay, Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor and the coastal gulf waters during the past couple of weeks.
Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers members Mike Kwasny and Ken Babineau fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me on Monday, 10/20. With stone crab season now open, there is plenty of structure to hold tripletail. We found several tripletail and caught and released 2. This is a great sight fishing opportunity! Later in the morning, we found some false albacore feeding on the surface and they each caught and released their first one on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.
Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL and Dale Vollrath, from Sarasota, FL, fished the Terra Ceia area with me on Wednesday, 10/22. They caught and released 7 or 8 snook to 27", 4 reds to 26", numerous trout and a big flounder on top water plugs and CAL jigs with shad tails. A good day!
Frank Zaffino, from Rochester, NY, fished the coastal gulf near Boca Grande with me on Thursday, 10/23. Our plan was to fish the backcountry for reds and snook, but I checked the coastal gulf before heading in that direction and found the action with Spanish mackerel and false albacore too hot to leave. Frank caught and released 4 or 5 albies to 10-pounds and numerous Spanish mackerel to 3-pounds on Clouser and Grassett Snook Minnow flies. The fall bite in the coastal Gulf of Mexico is on!
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 10/24. We waded several bars and caught and released trout and jacks on Grassett Flats Minnow and Gurgler flies. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL and I fished the 10th annual CCA Florida-Sarasota Chapter and Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers "Fall Fly Fishing Challenge" on Saturday, 10/25. Anglers fished for a variety of species in the catch, photo and release, fly fishing only tournament. Capt. Chris Hargiss, from Sarasota, FL was the winner of the Open division and Justin Hamblet, from Sarasota, FL was the winner of the Fly Angler division. Thanks to Orvis, CB's Saltwater Outfitters, Economy Tackle, Andy Thornal Company, Simm's, Craig Smothers (saltflys.com) and Capt. Jeff Olsen for donating awards or raffle prizes. In addition to good people, good food and good fishing, the event also raises money for CCA's and MCFF's conservation efforts.
Frank Zaffino, from Rochester, NY, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me on Monday, 10/27. Our goal was false albacore (little tunny), Spanish mackerel and tripletail on fly. Albies were elusive that day only showing themselves briefly a few times so we caught and released a few mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and moved on to tripletail. Conditions were good and tripletail were plentiful that day. He had numerous shots and caught and released 2 on my Grassett Flats Minnow and EP Shrimp flies. Fish were being picky but we showed them different flies and presentations and he did a great job finessing them into eating!
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished the coastal gulf with me on Tuesday, 10/28. Despite an east wind, there was a big chop coming straight up the beach out of the southeast making conditions tough. We had shots at a couple of tripletail and decided to fish the bay starting at the bottom of the tide. We waded a shallow flat, hooked 3 reds and caught and released 2 on my Grassett Flats Minnow and Flats Bunny flies. A great afternoon!
Mike Clancy and Mik Mikitik, both from Olympia, WA, were the successful bidders on a trip that I donated to the International Federation of Fly Fishers (IFFF) for their 2014 International Fly Fishing Fair in Livingston, MT. They fished the coastal gulf with me on Thursday, 10/30 and had good action with tripletail, getting numerous shots at them and catching releasing 2. Although tripletail haven't been big lately, it's great way for fly anglers to hone their sight casting skills!
Outdoor writer, Jan Maizler and photographer, Allen Williams, both from the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, fished with me on Friday and Saturday, 10/31 and 11/1. A front passed through early Friday, so fishing the coastal gulf was not an option. I poled a shallow flat in Sarasota Bay on Friday and they caught and released several snook on CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs. We also drifted a deep grass flat and caught and released trout, flounder and bluefish on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. With 25 to 30-mph winds and cool air rushing in on Saturday morning, conditions were extremely tough. We fished oyster bars, mangrove shorelines and docks in Little Sarasota Bay and caught and released several jacks, a couple of snook and a nice flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Tripletail, Spanish mackerel and false albacore in the coastal gulf should be one of the best options now depending on conditions. Look for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find albies and mackerel. Trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, flounder and more should be good options on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Snook fishing should be good around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW at night or on shallow flats of Sarasota Bay. You might find reds and trout along with snook on lighted docks this time of year. Also, look for reds on shallow flats mixed with mullet schools.
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 November 2014
As the water cools this month there will be many changes. You may find blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano mixed with trout on deep grass flats. You'll also find larger trout in skinny water along with reds. Snook will stage around bars and on shallow flats as they make their move towards winter areas. Action in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel, blues, false albacore, tripletail and more will explode!
You'll find snook staging around docks and bridges in the ICW and along sand bars and in potholes on shallow flats. They may be along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. I like CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms, surface walking top water plugs and DOA Baitbusters in shallow water for snook. CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms, DOA TerrorEyz, DOA shrimp and small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, will work well around dock and bridge fender lights. Fish the strongest tides for the best action. I like the flats of north Sarasota Bay and the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for snook in November. Although snook season is open this month on the west coast of Florida, I have been asking my clients to continue to release snook to insure a full recovery from the freeze of 2010.
Reds will spread out on shallow grass flats in November. You'll find them along bars, in potholes or around docks. Look for them along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high, but they are just as likely to be roaming with mullet schools in shallow water. CAL jigs with shad tails, grubs or jerk worms and gold spoons should work well for reds in shallow water. Fly anglers may score with lightly weighted flies, such as Clousers, spoon flies or my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. I catch a lot more reds wading than from the deck of my boat, so keep a low profile.
You may also find big trout along with reds in shallow water this month. Although anglers may keep one trout over 20", I release all trout over 20" since they are usually females that may be full of roe. The same lures and flies that you use for snook and reds in shallow water will also work for trout. You'll also find trout on deep grass flats in water from 3' to 7' deep. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos or weighted flies on sink tip fly lines to locate trout. In addition to making a series of drifts to find fish, look for baitfish on the surface or birds to find them.
You may also find blues, Spanish mackerel, flounder or pompano on deep grass flats this month. The techniques to find them is the same as for trout, although blues and Spanish mackerel may feed on the surface making them easier to find. Likewise with pompano, that may skip on the surface when you run or drift past them. When that happens, circle back upwind and drift back through the area, casting ahead of your drift. I like a 1/16-ounce chartreuse CAL jig head with a gold grub for pompano. You'll need to add wire or heavy fluorocarbon when toothy fish are around to keep them from biting you off. You may find flounder on a mixture of grass and sand, particularly on the edges of bars or in potholes.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), Spanish and king mackerel, blues, tripletail or cobia. Look for Spanish mackerel, blues or false albacore feeding on the surface to find them. Diving terns or terns hovering just above the surface of the water and moving fast will give their presence away if they aren't on top. CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms and top water plugs will work well. Fly anglers should score with small white flies, Ultra Hair Clousers, poppers or Crease flies. Look for tripletail around crab trap floats and cast DOA shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails or DOA TerrorEyz to them. Cobia may also be found around crab trap floats, swimming on the surface or over structure. They will require medium-heavy spinning tackle or at least a 9-weight fly rod. Larger baits like DOA Baitbusters or CAL jigs with 5½" jerk worms should work well for cobia on spinning tackle. Fly anglers should score with wide profile baitfish patterns.
This a great month for fishing the flats or the coastal gulf. Since the action in the coastal gulf is seasonal and will end when it gets cooler, I like to fish there when conditions allow it. However, if that's not for you or if conditions won't allow it, there will be plenty of action for a variety of fish on shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. 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
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fly Fishing Forecast for November 2014
As the water cools this month there will be many changes. You may find blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano mixed with trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. You'll also find larger trout in skinny water along with reds. Snook will stage around bars and on shallow flats as they make their move towards winter areas. Action in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel, blues, false albacore, tripletail and more will explode!
You'll find snook staging around docks and bridges in the ICW, along sand bars and in potholes on shallow flats. They may be along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, should work well around dock and bridge fender lights. Wider profile flies like Lefty's Deceiver or EP flies should be good choices for snook in shallow water. Fish the strongest tides for the best action. I like the flats of north Sarasota Bay and the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for snook in November. Although snook season is open this month on the west coast of Florida, I have been asking my clients to continue to release snook to insure a full recovery from the freeze of 2010.
Reds will spread out on shallow grass flats in November. You'll find them along bars, in potholes or around docks. Look for them along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high, but they are just as likely to be roaming with mullet schools in shallow water. Fly anglers may score with lightly weighted flies, such as a Clouser or my Grassett Flats Minnow fly, fished on a 12' leader with a floating fly line. I catch a lot more reds wading than I do from my boat, so keep a low profile.
You may also find big trout along with reds in shallow water this month. The same flies that you use for snook and reds in shallow water will also work for trout in shallow water. You'll also find trout on deep grass flats in water from 3' to 7' deep. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with weighted flies, like Clousers or my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny, on sink tip fly lines to locate trout. In addition to making a series of drifts to find fish, look for baitfish on the surface or birds to find them.
You may also find blues, Spanish mackerel, flounder or pompano on deep grass flats this month. Ultra Hair Clouser flies are a good choice for any of these species. The techniques to find them is the same as for trout, although blues and Spanish mackerel may feed on the surface making them easier to find. Likewise with pompano, that may skip on the surface when you run or drift past them. When that happens, circle back upwind and drift back through the area, casting ahead of your drift. You'll need to add wire or heavy fluorocarbon when toothy fish are around to keep them from biting you off. You may find flounder on a mixture of grass and sand, particularly on the edges of bars or in potholes.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), Spanish and king mackerel, blues, tripletail or cobia. Look for Spanish mackerel, blues or false albacore feeding on the surface to find them. Diving terns or terns hovering just above the surface of the water and moving fast will give their presence away if they aren't on top. Fly anglers should score with small white flies, Ultra Hair Clousers, poppers or Crease flies. Look for tripletail around crab trap floats. I've done well on tripletail with my Grassett Flats Minnow fly, which is lightly weighted. A weed guard is important to help prevent snagging the crab trap line. Cobia may also be found around crab trap floats, swimming on the surface or over structure. They will require 9 or 10--weight fly tackle. Fly anglers should score on cobia with wide profile baitfish patterns such as Deceivers or Tarpon Bunnies.
This a great month for fishing the flats or the coastal gulf. Since the action in the coastal gulf is seasonal and will slow when it gets cold, I like to fish there when conditions are good. However, if conditions aren't good, there will be plenty of action with a variety of fish on shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. 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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