Tarpon Still a Good Option in Sarasota
Capt. Rick Grassett
July 4, 2010
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Tarpon continue to be plentiful along Sarasota beaches. Despite tough conditions, anglers fishing with me on my flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped and landed several tarpon during the past couple of weeks. Fly anglers also scored on tarpon, snook, trout, blues and jacks.
Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL and his mom, Andrea Lutz from Atlanta, GA, tarpon fished a couple of days with me on 6/23 and 24. Andrea jumped a pair of tarpon on live crabs off Lido and fought one of about 75-pounds to the boat. Hal fly fished and had a bite on a black Deceiver.
Dave Macomber and Ted Kottom, both from MN, tarpon fished several days with me from 6/25-6/27. We fished lighted docks on Siesta Key a couple of mornings before dawn where they caught and released several snook to 24" and numerous trout to 18" on Grassett Snook Minnow flies. Dave jumped his first tarpon on a fly, a 75-pound fish, on a black Deceiver off Lido on Saturday. Despite having a knot come up in his fly line, he successfully cleared the line, got the knot back onto the reel and fought the fish to the boat in about 20-minutes. Ted landed a pair of tarpon, a 70-pounder on Saturday and a huge, 140-pound fish on Sunday on live crabs off Lido and Longboat Keys.
Conditions were not good during the week of 6/28. Fish weren't showing on the surface due to a big swell and overcast conditions made it tough to see them below the surface. Terry Notari, from Longboat Key, his son Craig Notari, from the Chicago area, and grandsons, Josh and James, fished a couple of days with me on 6/30 and 7/1. We had a small window of improved conditions each day at about noon when we had some visibility and swells laid down a little. They had a great day on Thurs, 7/1, landing 2 out of 4 fish including one on a fly. Both fish, about 75-pounds, were caught on Longboat Key-James got one to the boat on a crab and his dad, Craig, landed the other fish on a fly. His fish ate a black Deceiver only about 15 feet from the boat in one of the coolest bites of the season! Accuracy is often more important than distance when fly fishing. Craig's fish was caught with only about a 20' cast.
Fly angler Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Friday, 7/2. Our plan was to tarpon fish and we were surprised that conditions had deteriorated even further due to swells from Hurricane Alex finally reaching us. After spending a couple of hours in the gulf hunting tarpon, we headed into Sarasota Bay where we caught and released trout to 18", blues to 2-pounds and jacks on Grassett Flats Bunny and Clouser flies. We fished the west side of Sarasota Bay near Bishop Point where we encountered several feeding frenzies of breaking blues and jacks. Jon caught a pair of 2-pound blues at the same time out of one of the frenzies on a popper/dropper combo!
Tarpon should feed more aggressively as we head into July, which is my favorite month to fly fish for tarpon in shallow water. DOA baits on spinning tackle also work well this time of the year. Since many fish have already spawned, tarpon schools will be smaller and more willing to eat.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Forecast for July 2010
Tarpon fishing along the beaches will still be a good option this month. Although tarpon schools will be smaller, they should be more aggressive. Catch and release fishing for snook in the surf or around lighted docks at night should also be good. Look for reds around oyster bars when the tide is high and fish deep grass flats for trout, jacks, ladyfish, pompano and more. Fishing early in the day will be the most productive time of day for many species.
Tarpon schools will thin out this month as many fish have already spawned. Since they have expended a lot of energy to migrate and spawn, their focus will change to feeding. I particularly like to fly fish for tarpon this month. Tarpon are not affected by heat as much as some species may be, so with good visibility you can have great action in the middle of the day. Set up on the edges of bars and cast flies and DOA Baitbusters, 4" shrimp or BFL's to them in shallow water.
Anglers fishing deep water should have good action by drifting with live baits, either free lined or under a float. I also like to have a live crab or a DOA bait ready to cast to them. They may not show as well on the surface this month, so try to be sure you are set up in their travel lane. You might only get a glimpse of them, but a quick cast in the right spot will often result in a hook up. Fishing passes on a good moving tide can also be productive using the same technique.
You may see some tarpon starting to move to inside waters towards the end of the month. Look for them around bridges before dawn or on deep grass flats or in deep holes in bays. Upper Charlotte Harbor, Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay all have areas where late season tarpon will congregate.
Snook season remains closed this month, although catch and release fishing for them can be hot! One of the best techniques will be to sight fish them in the surf. You can walk the beach in the morning and sight cast to them with flies or 3" DOA shrimp and CAL jigs. You'll need a pair of polarized sunglasses to be able to see them. You'll also find lots of snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders. The same DOA baits and flies that we use in the surf will also work around lighted docks. Work the edges where light and dark meet by casting up tide and swinging your lure or fly into the strike zone. Most beaches from Anna Maria Island to Boca Grande will hold snook in the surf. Lighted docks and bridges close to passes should be the most productive areas.
Snook took a big hit this year with the record freeze of January and they will need all the help they can get to recover. The big difference between now and the past is less habitat and increased fishing pressure which will make it harder for them to recover. Handle them gently and release them quickly.
Reds should be plentiful during July. They take both heat and cold pretty well so you might find them around oyster bars or along mangrove shorelines at mid day when the tide is high. Look for them in potholes, along the edges of bars or under docks when the tide is low. I like to blind cast with CAL jigs, spoons or flies to locate them. Casting a top water plug or fly popper is also a good way to locate them when the tide is high. Sight casting to them is the most challenging and rewarding. Try to fish areas with light colored bottom for the best chance to sight fish. North Sarasota Bay and lower Tampa Bay have some great flats for reds in July.
Trout, especially "gators", will be found in skinny water at dawn and dusk. Cast top water plugs and fly poppers for the most action. Fish around bait schools to locate them. They will drop into deeper water later in the day where you might also find jacks, ladyfish, blues or pompano. I like to drift deep grass flats and cast ahead of my drift with jigs or flies to locate fish. Look for birds diving or fish "breaking" on the surface. A DOA Deadly Combo, consisting of a "clacker" float and a DOA shrimp is one of my favorite lures for fishing deep grass flats. I have caught almost everything, including late season tarpon, on this rig. You can do the same thing with a fly popper with a fly fished behind it.
You might find some action in the coastal gulf with tripletail, a stray cobia or little tunny. You'll find tripletail or cobia around crab trap floats in the coastal gulf or you might also find them in bays. Have a rod rigged and ready for them, since there probably won't be time to rig up when you find them. You'll need medium weight spinning gear for tripletail and medium heavy to heavy tackle for cobia. Look for fish "breaking" on the surface to find little tunny. I have often found little tunny, cobia and tripletail in the coastal gulf while tarpon fishing. Sometimes cobia will swim with tarpon schools much like they would follow a ray or a manatee.
There are lots of options during July. Since we will be in our afternoon pattern of thundershowers, it is best to fish early in the day. I will focus on tarpon along the beaches as long as they are available. Another good scenario would be to snook fish before dawn, fish the flats at first light and then fish tarpon in shallow water when the sunlight is good. Whatever you choose to do, remember to always limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Capt. Rick Grassett's Fly Fishing Forecast for July 2010
Tarpon fishing along the beaches will continue to be a good option this month. Although tarpon schools will be smaller, they should be more aggressive. Catch and release fishing for snook in the surf or around lighted docks at night should also be good. Look for reds around oyster bars when the tide is high and fish deep grass flats for trout, jacks, ladyfish, pompano and more. Fishing early in the day will be the most productive time of day for many species.
Tarpon schools will thin out this month as many fish have already spawned. Since they have expended a lot of energy to migrate and spawn, their focus will change to feeding. I particularly like to fly fish for tarpon this month. Tarpon are not affected by heat as much as some species may be, so with good visibility you can have great action in the middle of the day. Set up on the edges of bars and cast a variety of flies to them in shallow water. Tarpon Toads, Tarpon Bunnies, EP flies and Deceivers in mostly dark colors are some of the flies I throw most often.
You may see some tarpon starting to move to inside waters towards the end of the month. Look for them around bridges before dawn or on deep grass flats or in deep holes in bays. Upper Charlotte Harbor, Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay all have areas where late season tarpon will congregate.
Snook season remains closed this month, although catch and release fishing for them can be hot! One of the best techniques will be to sight fish them in the surf. You can walk the beach in the morning and sight cast to them with small white flies. You'll need a pair of polarized sunglasses to be able to see them. You'll also find lots of snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders. The same small white flies that we use in the surf will also work around lighted docks. Work the edges where light and dark meet by casting up tide and swinging your fly into the strike zone. Most beaches from Anna Maria Island to Boca Grande will hold snook in the surf. Lighted docks and bridges close to passes should be the most productive areas.
Snook took a big hit this year with the record freeze of January and they will need all the help they can get to recover. The big difference between now and the past is less habitat and increased fishing pressure which will make it harder for them to recover. Handle them gently and release them quickly.
Reds should be plentiful during July. They take both heat and cold pretty well so you might find them around oyster bars or along mangrove shorelines at mid day when the tide is high. Look for them in potholes, along the edges of bars or under docks when the tide is low. I sometimes blind cast with weighted flies to locate them. Casting a fly popper is also a good way to locate them when the tide is high. Sight casting to them is the most challenging and rewarding. Try to fish areas with light colored bottom for the best chance to sight fish for them. North Sarasota Bay and lower Tampa Bay have some great flats for reds in July.
Trout, especially "gators", will be found in skinny water at dawn and dusk. Cast fly poppers to them for the most action. Fish around bait schools to find fish. They will drop into deeper water later in the day where you might also find jacks, ladyfish, blues or pompano. I like to drift deep grass flats and cast ahead of my drift with flies to locate fish. Also, look for birds diving or fish "breaking" on the surface. I have done very well on both deep and shallow grass flats with a Grassett Flats Bunny fly fished about 24" behind a popper. Fish the popper with a sharp strip followed by a distinct pause. The bunny fly rises and falls enticingly behind the popper just below the surface. You can see most takes and also get exciting surface strikes!
You might find some action in the coastal gulf with tripletail, a stray cobia or little tunny. You'll find tripletail or cobia around crab trap floats in the coastal gulf or you might also find them in bays. Have a rod rigged and ready for them, since there probably won't be time to rig up when you find them. An 8-weight rod will be adequate for most tripletail and little tunny, but you'll need a 9-weight or larger rod for cobia. I use either floating or intermediate sink tip lines for cobia and tripletail. You might also need a full intermediate or faster sinking line for little tunny. Look for fish "breaking" on the surface to find little tunny. I have often found little tunny, cobia and tripletail in the coastal gulf while tarpon fishing. Sometimes cobia will swim with tarpon schools much like they would follow a ray or a manatee.
There are lots of options during July. Since we will be in our afternoon pattern of thundershowers, it is best to fish early in the day. I will focus on tarpon along the beaches as long as they are available. Another good scenario would be to snook fish before dawn, fish the flats at first light and then fish tarpon in shallow water when the sunlight is good. Whatever you choose to do, remember to always limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Target Species:
tarpon, red, snook, trout, tripletail, little tunny, cobia
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