Trout, Blues & Pompano Hot in Sarasota Bay
Capt. Rick Grassett
January 4, 2009
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, blues and pompano during the past couple of weeks. In addition, we also caught a few reds.
I fished 3 days in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor during the week of Dec. 22nd with Rick Happle and his family, from Tampa, FL, Damon Dunn, from IL and Harry Davis, from Dalton, GA and Fen Sartorius, from NM. We found the reds to be challenging. Fen connected with a red that was tailing on a bead chain Clouser fly on one trip and we had plenty of other shots. We caught a few trout and bluefish on deep grass flats with flies and jigs. Scott and Scotty Heidler, from Hudson, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday of that week. They had good action with trout, blues and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point and along the east side of Sarasota Bay.
Kevin Bonasera, from Bozeman, MT, his dad Tom, from OH and guest, Tim from Sarasota fished lower Tampa Bay with Reid Zoller, of Loop Fly Tackle and me on Saturday, Dec. 27th. Kevin is with Turneffe Flats Lodge and works for them in Bozeman. We had a brief window in the morning for tailing reds and Kevin and Reid had a few shots but no takers. Tom, Tim and I had some action with trout and ladyfish on jigs and flies in the Terra Ceia Bay area.
We had lots of action with trout, blues and a few pompano in Sarasota Bay last week. Brian and Joanne Shenstone, from MI, fished with me on Monday. Brian caught and released trout, ladyfish and a pompano on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Ray Hutchinson and his brother-in-law, Craig Kinzer, both from OH fished with me on Tuesday. They caught and released lots of trout, bluefish and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Sarasota winter resident, Nick Reding, fished with me on Wednesday. We waded a flat near Long Bar where Nick caught and released a big trout on a black Grassett's Flats Minnow fly. In the afternoon, we picked up his two grandsons, Nicholas and Andrew, and they had fast action with trout, blues and ladyfish on DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point. On Friday, Jim Essig, his grandson, Chris and Ken Kolinski, from OH, had fast action with trout to 18", blues and pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point.
Next week's tides are favorable towards the end of the week for reds in potholes or tailing on shallow grass flats of Charlotte Harbor. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should have plenty of action with trout, blues and pompano.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Forecast for January 2009
Although January can be one of the tougher months to fish, there are still several good options to catch fish. If you have the flexibility to choose when you fish, try to fish ahead of approaching cold fronts. Fish will feed more when the barometer is falling as a front approaches and less after a front pushes through and high pressure settles in. There will be "windows" of good fishing between fronts as the barometer and water temperature stabilizes. Snook season remains closed this month and trout season reopens in the south region (south of the Pasco/Pinellas county line) on the west coast.
Snook are one of the more temperature sensitive species that we have in our area. I have experienced good fishing in the winter months with water temperatures down to 60 degrees. However, if it gets lower than that I won't target them due to the stress that they are undergoing. Night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice can be very good this month. Since they feed on small baitfish (glass minnows) and shrimp during the winter, flies work very well. For the best success choose a night when you have good tidal flow and cast small flies like my Grassett's Snook Minnow on intermediate or intermediate sink tip fly lines, jigs and plastic or live shrimp up tide of shadow lines.
You'll also find snook in rivers, creeks and canals this month, particularly areas with a dark, muddy bottom. Fish the outer bends of rivers and creeks which should have deep water. You might also find snook venturing out onto shallow grass flats close to these areas on warm, sunny afternoons. They will feed on larger baits, such as finger mullet, in these areas so use larger profile plastic baits or flies. Lower Tampa Bay, north Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor are all good areas for winter snook fishing.
Reds and trout are both more tolerant of cool water than snook, so they will be less affected by changes in water temperature. You find them concentrated in potholes when the tide is low or on shallow grass flats on warm, sunny afternoons. I like to work small jigs with shad tails or weighted flies slowly along the bottom for reds and trout. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound when the tide is very low. When fishing shallow grass, you'll need to use a weedless hook to keep your bait from snagging the bottom. I use flies that suspend or lightly weighted flies with weed guards when fishing these areas. The key to catching tailing reds is to cast close to the fish when it is tailing and don't move your lure or fly until the tail disappears and the fish is horizontal in the water column, otherwise their head will be buried in the grass and they'll never see your lure or fly.
You'll also find trout on deep grass flats, up to 7' or 8' deep, when the water is cool. I like to cast jigs or weighted flies on intermediate or intermediate sink tip fly lines ahead of my drift to locate fish. You might also find blues, jacks, ladyfish, pompano, flounder and more in these same areas. A DOA Deadly Combo, which is a plastic shrimp under a "clacker" float, is a great lure to fish in these areas. It is the sound that makes this lure work so well. You can also use a jig or any other plastic bait under the float and it will also work well. Of course, you can always use live shrimp under a "clacker" or a standard popping cork.
Another good area to fish during January is around docks. I like docks that are old and crusty with lots of barnacles and oysters growing on or around them. Tide is also important, so docks that are on points or along seawalls that get a good tidal flow are good choices. I also like deep water under a dock, so look for large powerboats or sailboats anchored nearby to find deeper water. Be respectful of owner's property when fishing around docks. Don't tie onto anyone's dock or walk on their dock. If I should snag a lure or fly on the dock I try to remove it, if I can reach it from my boat, before leaving.
There are lots of things to do in January, particularly if you can be flexible with when you fish. I usually let conditions and the fish tell me what is the best thing to do. One of my favorite things to do this month is to wade along a sand bar or shallow flat and sight fish reds and trout in potholes with a fly. 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:
snook, reds, trout, bluefish, pompano
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