Sarasota Fishing Report Capt Jim klopfer 8/9/2014
Capt. Jim Klopfer
August 9, 2014
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing varied between steady and very good this week, despite the heat. The best bet is to get out there early (or late) and make the best of the morning bite. Fortunately, bait has been thick just off the beach and in the passes, and that has been the key to success for clients on charters this week. Mangrove snapper and speckled trout fishing was VERY good, with mangs to 17" and several speckled trout between 24" and 27" being caught and released. I can not stress enough the importance of releasing those big trout unharmed, they are crucial to the continued great action that we have been experiencing. Handle them carefully, take a quick picture, and revive them for a few moments.
Eric Naumburg, Chris Conery, and John Parry finished the last of four charters with me on Monday. They had already caught a bunch of nice speckled trout and other species, so we decided to try Big Pass for snook. Unfortunately, it was quite breezy and I just could not get them going. We finished up with trout, bluefish, snapper, and ladyfish at the Middlegrounds.
On Tuesday morning, Tim Bowman and his 10 year old daughter Riley experienced steady action on the flats near Bird Key. Free lining live bait resulted in speckled trout, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, jack crevelle, and for whatever reason, a bunch of catfish. Riley had the best fish, landing a gorgeous 24" speckled trout! Wednesday was a "rain out", with thunderstorms all around the passes.
I had a terrific charter on Thursday with Tom Marquardt and his daughter Haley (15) from Milwaukee, WI. after catching bait, I hit several deep grass flats near Bird Key. Tom caught (and released, gotta let those big girls go) a 25" and 27" speckled trout. Both Tom and Haley caught slot trout, ladyfish, mangrove snapper, sea bass, and catfish. Haley finished up the trip with a VERY nice 17" mangrove snapper, great fish for the bay!
Keith Williams from the UK sent his boys Thomas and Joe out fishing, along with his father-in-law. Fishing was very good, with non-stop action being found at the Marina Jack flat using pilchards. Speckled trout, including a 27" beauty, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, sea bass, and grouper kept the boys busy. We tried for a shark for a bit near the end, no luck and it was brutally hot, so we called it a morning.
Fishing was not quite as good on Saturday for
Kyle Drake and his teenage sons Conor and Eric, though it was still fairly steady. The problem was the cormorants; they kept eating the chum and the baits! Still, they probably caught 50 fish, including some nice mangrove snapper, speckled trout, ladyfish, sea bass, grouper, and bluefish. Marker # 5 was the best spot.
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