Sarasota Fishing Report Capt Jim klopfer 8/23/2014
Capt. Jim Klopfer
August 23, 2014
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
The only thing hotter than the weather in Sarasota this week was the fishing! The pattern has been to get out there at first light, load up on bait, and chum the deep grass flats near the passes where the water is cleaner and a bit cooler. The Radio Tower, Middlegrounds, and Marina Jack flats continue to be the best spots. Also, that is where the bait is congregating. Bait is also thick just off the beaches near the passes. This resulted in schools of breaking fish, which are easy targets, mostly ladyfish with mackerel and jacks mixed in. Clients experienced fast action using the 4" Bass Assassin Sea Shad (any light color with a little flash will work fine) and #8 Rapala X-Raps. Highlight of the week was a 50 lb tarpon that hit a large threadfin in 5' of water near Bird Key on a light spinning outfit. Cobia, Spanish mackerel, redfish, speckled trout, mangrove snapper (the snapper bite continues to be VERY strong), jack crevelle, gag grouper, black sea bass, ladyfish, and more were hooked this week on charters.
Mike and Amee Luttrell from Texas took out their teenage sons Jake and Lance on Sunday morning. Action was very good the first couple of hours as they landed Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, gag grouper, and a cobia fishing the deep flats near Big Pass. We headed in for a break, it was VERY hot, even for this family from the Dallas area, and the last hour or so was a bit slow. We went in a little early, they had caught a lot of fish and it was just too hot to sit out there.
On Monday Bill Wells and his son-in-law Steve Jackson has similar results. Plenty of action from grouper, snapper, trout, and ladyfish for the first two hours. We decided to try a spot in Robert's Bay, where Steve had a nice redfish on which pulled the hook at the boat. We finished up at the Radio Tower with good action once again until it was time to head in. Tuesday was a boat and truck maintenance day.
Action was virtually non-stop all morning on Wednesday for Sarasota residents Doc Dojutrek and John Englander, both Chicago transplants. We started off drifting near Marker # 5 when I spotted some fish working near Bird Key. For 2 hours we caught fish on almost every cast using Bass Assassin Sea Shad jigs and Rapala X-Raps between Bird Key and the mouth of Big Pass. The boys finally had enough, so I caught some bait and hit a couple of spots. The tide had turned to go out and I had the fish chummed into a frenzy at the Radio Tower, just about every bait that hit the water got violently attacked! Spanish mackerel to 2 1/2 pounds, mangrove snapper to 13", speckled trout to 18", jacks, sea bass, and more ladyfish kept the rods bent until it was time to go home. We did not keep count, but I am sure the pair caught well over 100 fish! Great morning!
John Rellah from Morristown, NJ had an interesting charter with me at the end of the week. I started off by catching bait, which was easy with the incoming tide. A run to a flat near Bird Key produced a few fish before John hooked a fish that just slowly swam, away. Clearly, it was large, so I pulled the anchor and ran it down. I thought it was a shark, but it turned out to be a 50 lb tarpon; hooked on 10 lb spinning gear! We fought it for a while, then increased the pressure to try and land it and broke it off. We caught some ladyfish in Big Pass and finished up with Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, sea bass, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, and more near Marina Jack and the Radio Tower.
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