Trout and Pompano Best Bets in Sarasota Bay
Capt. Rick Grassett
January 18, 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, bluefish, pompano and reds during the past couple of weeks. The best action continues to be on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout, blues and pompano. Anglers fishing Charlotte Harbor with me also had good action with reds, snook and trout.
Fly angler Nick Reding, a Sarasota winter resident, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Jan. 5th. We had fast action at Stephens Point with trout, pompano and blues on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We also waded a sand bar on the west side of the bay near Bishops Point and caught and released 7 or 8 nice trout to more than 20" on Grassett's Flats Minnow flies. Later in the week, Keith McClintock and his son-in-law, Rick Anderson, from Lake Forest, IL and Victor Feldman from Champagne, IL, fished the same areas with me. They had fast action with pompano, blues and trout on CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos. On Friday, Mac Arnold and Paul Moore, both from Henderson, KY, fished Sarasota Bay with me. They had good action on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout and blues.
Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Jan. 12. Since it was overcast, we stuck to deeper water where Bob had steady action with trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. The best action was at Stephens Point on the east side of Sarasota Bay. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Victor Feldman, from Champagne, IL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. They had fast action with trout to more than 20", 5 reds to 32" and a pair of snook on CAL jigs with shad tails. A front pushed through late in the day, dropping temperatures into the 40's at night.
Pete Makowski, from Sarasota, FL, and Frank Vener, from Westport, CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They had steady action with trout to more than 20" and a pair of pompano on DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. I gave a presentation on "Winter Fishing with Lures and Flies" at the Florida Fishing College in Manatee County on Friday and Saturday. Bad fishing weather is great for fishing shows and I was pleasantly surprised when there were more than 200 people at my presentation at 1 PM on Friday afternoon.
It has been cool for the last several days, dropping water temperatures in shallow water into the 50's. Deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay should continue to produce trout and blues. However, pompano are questionable with the water this cool. Trout and reds in potholes of Sarasota Bay and in Gasparilla Sound should also be good options. Next week's tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a new moon on Jan. 26th. Negative low tides will concentrate reds and trout in potholes and reds may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound. Deep grass flats should hold trout, blues and possibly pompano depending on water temperature.
If you are interested in learning to fly fish in saltwater. I will be the instructor at a CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, Jan. 24th. Cost is $150 for the course, which runs from 9 AM to 4 PM, and will cover basic casting, shooting line, roll casting, leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Students will be provided with a text book, an instructional DVD, lunch and the use of premium Orvis fly tackle. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
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