Good Sarasota Bay Flats & Coastal Gulf Action
Capt. Rick Grassett
December 21, 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 Spanish mackerel, pompano and trout in Sarasota Bay, snook, redfish and blues in the ICW at night and tripletail in the coastal gulf on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Shrimp during the past week.
Anna Maria Island and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning, 12/9. A front passed through on Monday and it was cool and windy. We fished deep grass flats on the east side of the bay and despite tough conditions they managed to catch and release a few trout to 17", Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on a sink tip fly line.
Walt Poxon, from MN, and Bill and Sue Poxon, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday, 12/10. We fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay where they caught and released trout and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails. I gave a presentation at the Charlotte Harbor Fly Fishers (www.chff.us) in Punta Gorda that evening on fly fishing the coastal gulf for tripletail and false albacore and night snook fishing. If you are in that area, you should check them out. Their members fish some of the most fertile waters in the state.
My friend Capt. Rick DePaiva, from Ft. Myers, FL, invited me to fish Pine Island Sound with him on Thursday, 12/11. Conditions were right for reds to tail and they didn't disappoint. We had numerous shots at tailing reds with a fly, hooked a couple and Rick landed a beautiful over slot fish on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. A great fishery!
Chuck and Chase Banta, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 12/12. It was overcast and cool, but the action was good. We fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay where they caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, pompano and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. It was Chase's first time fly fishing in saltwater and he did well, catching and releasing nice pompano and mackerel!
Emerick Corsi and Julia Westermann, from Chicago, IL, fly fished in Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning, 12/15. The best action was at the Middleground flat and near Stephens Point where they caught and released several Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Parke Cooper, from Stuart, FL and Steve Strobl, from Tampa, FL, fished with me on Tuesday, 12/16. Our plan was to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore and tripletail and conditions were perfect. We found some bait in a couple of places with birds resting nearby but no albies, so we hunted tripletail. They had good action catching tripletail to more than 10-pounds, including a couple of 8-pounders on bloodworm DOA Shrimp. They had numerous shots at tripletail and hooked another big tripletail that gave us a couple of beautiful jumps!
Anna Maria Island and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple, snook fished with me on Wednesday evening, 12/17. We fished lighted docks in the ICW where they caught and released several blues, snook and a red on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Bill had 2/3 of a slam with snook and redfish when he caught and released a trout on one of our last spots to complete his slam!
Steve Traves, owner of Anna Maria Island Outfitters and I got in on the tripletail action in the coastal gulf when we fished with Rusty Chinnis on Thursday,12/18 hooking up several times on Lefty's Deceiver and my Grassett Flats Minnow flies. It was slow to start, however after the sun warmed the water some and visibility improved, we started to find them. A great sight fishing opportunity!
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. 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. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW is also a good option now. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
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