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Good Sarasota Bay Flats & Coastal Gulf Action

Capt. Rick Grassett
January 2, 2016
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report

Action exploded in the coastal gulf early in the week of 12/20 as a variety of species gorged themselves in bait balls. 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 snook, redfish, trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and jacks in Sarasota Bay and tripletail, cobia, Spanish mackerel and false albacore in the coastal gulf on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Shrimp and top water plugs during the past couple of weeks. Sea conditions in the coastal gulf were tough with wind and rough water some days, but when we've been able to get out there we had good action with false albacore and tripletail.

Dylan Lewis, from CO and his dad, Gary Lewis, fished the coastal gulf with me on Sunday, 12/20. This trip was rescheduled from the previous Friday due to rain, wind and rough water but it was worth it. They had good action catching and releasing numerous Spanish mackerel, several tripletail, a couple of cobia and false albacore on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Shrimp and top water plugs.

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My personal best day ever guiding for false albacore, and also my clients personal best, was in the coastal gulf on Tuesday. 12/22 with John Collins, from CA, Greg Weatherby from RI and Peter Weatherby, from Jupiter, FL. They had fantastic action catching and releasing false albacore on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, my Grassett Snook Minnow and epoxy glass minnow fly patterns. The action, which included several doubles, got better and better as the day went on and we left them biting. A great day!

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We were met with winds blowing more than 20-mph on Wednesday, 12/23, so that trip was rescheduled. I fished Sarasota Bay with Jerry Roth, from Orlando, FL, on Christmas Eve day, 12/24. Jerry loves to fish with top water plugs and with overcast conditions and a flood tide when we started, conditions were good for that. He fished a surface walking plug, had numerous "blow ups", hooked 3 snook and landed 2 to 30". Great action!

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Tom Neal and his dad, Jim, from Ontario, Canada fished Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf with me on Monday, 12/28. With a big swell conditions weren't great in the coastal gulf, but we found a few tripletail and Tom caught and released his first on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. We moved to Sarasota Bay, where they had some action catching and releasing trout and ladyfish at the Middleground flat on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.

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I was the speaker at the newly formed Pine Island Fly Fishing Club at the Matlacha Community Center on Monday evening. It was refreshing to speak to a group of about 60 enthusiastic fly anglers that also included a couple of clients. Bill Anderson and his son Sam, from OH, had good action catching and releasing nice jacks on flies, fly poppers and top water plugs while fishing a deep grass flat just inside Big Pass with me on Tuesday.

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Keith McClintock and his grandson Garrett Anderson, both from IL, had good action in Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday, 12/30. Garrett started the day with his first snook, caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while we worked some docks along the east side of the bay. We moved to a deep grass flat where they had some action catching and releasing trout and bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Garrett finished the day by catching and releasing his first red, also on a CAL jig with a shad tail, while we worked the edge of a bar at the bottom of the tide. Great job! Bob Feldman, from Las Vegas, NV, joined Keith for the afternoon and they had some action catching and releasing trout on CAL jigs with shad tails fishing deep grass flats on the west side of the bay with me.

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Dylan and Lindsey Lewis, from CO, fished the coastal gulf and Sarasota Bay with me on the last trip of the year on Thursday, New Year's Eve day. 12/31. After a couple of rough water days in the coastal gulf we were pleasantly surprised to find good conditions, so we took advantage of it. We hunted tripletail, cast to 5 or 6 fish and caught and released 1 on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. We moved to the bay where, after fishing a few spots, they had good action catching and releasing numerous blues, Spanish mackerel and trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. A great way to finish the year!

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With water temperatures in the mid 70's, false albacore, tripletail, cobia, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should still be a good option in the coastal gulf when sea conditions are good. Catch and release snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges with flies and DOA Lures should also be a good option. Look for reds, snook and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats and edges of bars in Sarasota Bay and backcountry areas of Charlotte Harbor and lower Tampa Bay.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011

Sarasota Fishing Forecast:

Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for January 2016

You may find reds and big trout concentrated in potholes of Sarasota Bay in January. Action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and more on deep grass flats can be good depending on conditions. There should also be good catch and release snook action in rivers, creeks and canals this month, although fishing docks for snook and other species is also a good option. It may be worth checking the coastal gulf for tripletail, cobia, false albacore (little tunny) and more when it's warm.

Snook season remains closed this month. Since they are very temperature sensitive, I won't target them if the water temperature dips below 60 degrees. However, fishing lighted docks in the ICW at night with lures and flies can be very good in January. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, Gurglers and shrimp fly patterns will work well for fly anglers. Spin anglers should score with CAL jigs with shad tails or 4" jerk worms, DOA Tiny TerrorEyz and DOA shrimp. I like the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for night snook fishing in the winter. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.

You should also find snook in rivers, creeks and canals this month. Fish deeper water in outside bends to locate snook where you may catch them with CAL jigs and shad tails or jerk worms, DOA Baitbusters or diving/suspending plugs. You may also find reds, juvenile tarpon and even largemouth bass in the same areas depending on salinity.

Reds should be a good option this month. You'll find them concentrated in potholes of north Sarasota Bay when the tide is low. Fly anglers should score with lightly weighted flies fished on a 10'-12' leader with a floating fly line. Reds feed on crustaceans this time of the year, so crab and shrimp fly patterns should work well. They may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound and lower Tampa Bay when the tide is low. You'll need weedless rigged plastic baits or flies with weed guards to target tailing reds. A CAL shad tail on a weedless hook or a DOA shrimp rigged weedless and fished backwards are a couple of my favorite lures for tailing reds. The DOA Crab also fishes very well in shallow water and can be deadly on reds in potholes or tailing in shallow grass.

You may also find reds around docks, along with snook, sheepshead, flounder and more. Little Sarasota Bay has numerous oyster bars and docks that often hold reds in January. Work CAL jigs slowly along the bottom for the best action. Sheepshead feed more with their nose, so if you can't get them to eat your jig, try tipping it with a small piece of fresh shrimp. Too large of a shrimp tip on your jig will ruin the action. You're likely to find big trout in many of the same areas that you find reds. The same lures, flies and techniques that are used for reds will also work for big trout.

You'll also find trout on deep grass flats in January along with blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano, flounder and more. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs and a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Since trout can sometimes hold very tight to a particular spot or area, try to cover as much water as possible to find them. Once you've located fish you can shorten your drift or anchor on them. A GPS can be useful for this type of fishing since the breadcrumb trail will allow you to duplicate your drift. A drift anchor will slow your drift so you can fish it more thoroughly or make it easier for fly anglers to move their fly. Some of my favorite deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay; Middleground flat, Stephens Point, Bishop Point and near Buttonwood Harbor, have a good mix of grass and sand with a good tidal flow.

Even though there may not be much happening in the coastal gulf this month in the way of sight fishing it may be worth a look when it is warm. Migratory species such as king and Spanish mackerel, cobia and tripletail probably have moved further south, however they could reappear during warm ups. Also look for false albacore (little tunny) when it's warm since they may move from offshore to inshore depending on where baitfish are located.

January can be one of the toughest months of the year to fish. However if you are able to choose when to fish based on tides and weather, it can be good. Action is usually good as weather fronts approach. Following fronts, fishing may be tough for a couple of days so afternoons may fish better at that time. I'll let the stage of the tide determine where to look for fish. When the tide is low, look for reds tailing on shallow grass or reds, trout and more in potholes or around docks. Look for reds or big trout cruising on shallow grass flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011

Target Species:

reds, snook, trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano, tripletail, false albacore

More Fishing Reports:

 

Capt. Rick Grassett, owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc., is a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He has been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis Endorsed Outfitter fly fishing guide at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota. Specializing in fishing with flies and lures on light spinning tackle, Capt. Rick fishes the bays, back country and coastal gulf waters from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor in his 18’ Action Craft flats boat.

Contact Info:

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
2447 Waneta Drive
Sarasota, FL 34231
Phone: 941-923-7799
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