Good Action with Blues & Spanish Mackerel in Sarasota Bay
Capt. Rick Grassett
January 6, 2014
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay on flies, DOA Deadly Combos, CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs, during the past couple of weeks. The best action continued to be with blues in the 3 to 5-pound class, Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds and trout on flies, top water plugs and DOA's on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Large ladyfish and jacks in the mix also kept fly and light tackle anglers busy.
Jack McCulloch, from Lakewood Ranch, FL, sons Jack and Mike and 6-year old grandson, Canon, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 12/23. We fished deep grass flats on the west side of the bay where they caught and released trout to 20" and jacks on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.
The action continued after Christmas when Joe Murphy and his son, Zach, from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 12/27. Chris Cunis, from CO, and his father-in-law, Bill Watson, from Lake Placid, FL, also had good action in Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 12/28. Although the water was rougher on the west side of the bay, that's where we had the best action with big blues and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails and flies. Chris finished the trip strong, catching and releasing several blues in the 4 to 5-pound class and large ladyfish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on a sink tip fly line. It's a lot of fun to catch fast swimming, strong fish on flies and lures, particularly fly poppers and top water plugs. A Spanish mackerel or large ladyfish can quickly take you to the end of your fly line or into the backing. Bluefish can slug it out with the best of them and they jump, too!
Glenn Elia and his son Greg, from CT, fished Stephens Point and near Bishop Point in Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 12/30. They caught and released blues to 4-pounds and trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, top water plugs and CAL jigs with shad tails. Keith McClintock, from IL, his son Steve, from Pittsburgh, PA and grandson Garrett Anderson, also from IL fished the same areas with me on New Year's Eve day on Tuesday, 12/31. They also caught and released trout and blues on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
Greg Smith and his son, Alex, both from MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday morning, 1/2. With a front approaching there was a strong south wind, which gave us some protection along the west side of the bay. They caught and released 6 or more large blues and a couple of jacks to 4 1/2-pounds on top water plugs, which are very effective for trout, blues, jacks and more on deep grass flats. Schools of blues are roaming the flats searching for baitfish and the sound of the top water plug or fly poppers, which simulates a baitfish struggling at the surface, helps them zero in on our lures.
A strong front pushed through on Thursday afternoon/evening and the wind blew 20 mph out of the north on Friday. Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, was supposed to fish Sarasota Bay with me that day but we pushed the trip back to Saturday, 1/4. We fished the west side of the bay and caught and released several blues to 5-pounds and Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds on fly poppers and top water plugs. With an almost 10 degree drop in water temperature we weren't sure what to expect, but the hearty blues were still feeding aggressively despite the change.
Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should be a good option next week. Also look for big trout and reds in skinny water. They may be in potholes or edges of bars when the tide is low or cruising on shallow grass flats when the tide is high.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for January 2014
You may find reds and big trout concentrated in potholes of Sarasota Bay in January. Action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and more on deep grass flats can be good depending on conditions. There should also be good catch and release snook action in rivers, creeks and canals this month, although fishing docks for snook and other species is also a good option. It may be worth checking the coastal gulf for tripletail, false albacore (little tunny) and more when it's warm.
Snook season remains closed this month. Since they are very temperature sensitive, I won't target them if the water temperature dips below 60 degrees. However, fishing lighted docks in the ICW at night with lures and flies can be very good in January. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, Gurglers and shrimp fly patterns will work well for fly anglers. Spin anglers should score with CAL jigs with shad tails or 4" jerk worms and DOA shrimp. I like the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for night snook fishing. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.
You should also find snook in rivers, creeks and canals this month. Fish deeper water in outside bends to locate snook where you may catch them with CAL jigs and shad tails or jerk worms, DOA Baitbusters or diving/suspending plugs. You may also find reds, juvenile tarpon and even largemouth bass in the same areas depending on salinity.
Reds should be a good option this month. You'll find them concentrated in potholes of north Sarasota Bay when the tide is low. Fly anglers should score with lightly weighted flies fished on a 10'-12' leader with a floating fly line. Reds feed on crustaceans this time of the year, so crab and shrimp fly patterns should work well. They may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound and lower Tampa Bay when the tide is low. You'll need weedless rigged plastic baits or flies with weed guards to target tailing reds. A CAL shad tail on a weedless hook or a DOA shrimp rigged weedless and fished backwards are a couple of my favorite lures for tailing reds. The DOA crab also fishes very well in shallow water and can be deadly on reds in potholes or tailing in shallow grass.
You may also find reds around docks, along with snook, sheepshead, flounder and more. Little Sarasota Bay has numerous oyster bars and docks that often hold reds in January. Work CAL jigs slowly along the bottom for the best action. Sheepshead feed more with their nose, so if you can't get them to eat your jig, try tipping it with a small piece of fresh shrimp. You're likely to find big trout in many of the same areas that you find reds. The same lures, flies and techniques that are used for reds will also work for big trout.
You'll also find trout on deep grass flats in January along with blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano, flounder and more. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs and a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Since trout can sometimes hold very tight to a particular spot or area, try to cover as much water as possible to find them. Once you've located fish you can shorten your drift or anchor on them. A GPS can be useful for this type of fishing since the breadcrumb trail will allow you to duplicate your drift. A drift anchor will slow your drift so you can fish it more thoroughly or make it easier for fly anglers to move their fly. Some of my favorite deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay; Middleground flat, Stephens Point, Bishop Point and near Buttonwood Harbor, have a good mix of grass and sand with a good tidal flow.
Migratory species such as king and Spanish mackerel and tripletail probably have moved further south this month, however during warm ups they could reappear. Even though there isn't much happening in the coastal gulf this month in the way of sight fishing it may be worth a look when it is warm.
January can be one of the toughest months of the year to fish. However if you are able to choose when to fish based on tides and weather, it can be good. Action is usually good as weather fronts approach. Following fronts, fishing may be tough for a couple of days so afternoons may fish better then. I'll let the stage of the tide determine where to look for fish. When the tide is low, look for reds tailing on shallow grass or reds, trout and more in potholes or around docks. Look for reds or big trout cruising on shallow grass flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fly Fishing Forecast for January 2014
You may find reds and big trout concentrated in potholes of Sarasota Bay in January. Action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and more on deep grass flats can be good depending on conditions. There should also be good catch and release snook action in rivers, creeks and canals this month, although fishing docks for snook and other species is also a good option. It may be worth checking the coastal gulf for tripletail, false albacore (little tunny) and more when it's warm.
Snook season remains closed this month, so use tackle heavy enough to catch and release them quickly with as little handling as possible. Since they are very temperature sensitive, I won't target them if the water temperature dips below 60 degrees. However, fishing lighted docks in the ICW at night with flies can be very good in January. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, Gurglers and shrimp fly patterns fished on intermediate sink tip fly lines should work well. I like the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for night snook fishing. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.
You should also find snook in rivers, creeks and canals this month. Fish deeper water in outside bends to locate snook where you may catch them with wide profile flies fished on sink tip fly lines. You may also find reds, tarpon and even largemouth bass in the same areas depending on salinity.
Reds should be a good option this month. You'll find them concentrated in potholes of north Sarasota Bay when the tide is low. Fly anglers should score with lightly weighted flies fished on a 10'-12' leader with a floating fly line. Reds feed on crustaceans this time of the year, so crab and shrimp fly patterns should work well. They may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound, north Sarasota Bay and lower Tampa Bay when the tide is low. You'll need flies with weed guards when targeting tailing reds since they are usually in thick turtle grass.
You may also find reds around docks, along with snook, sheepshead, flounder and more. Little Sarasota Bay has numerous oyster bars and docks that often hold reds, snook and sheepshead in January. Use floating fly lines and lightly weighted flies to fish around oyster bars and sink tip fly lines to fish docks. You're likely to find big trout in many of the same areas that you find reds. The same flies and techniques that are used for reds will also work for big trout.
You'll also find trout on deep grass flats in January along with blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano, flounder and more depending on conditions. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with Ultra Hair Clouser or my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny flies fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line. Since trout can sometimes hold very tight to a particular spot or area, try to cover as much water as possible to find them. Once you've located fish you can shorten your drift or anchor on them. My favorite deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay all have a good mix of grass and sand with a good tidal flow.
Migratory species such as king and Spanish mackerel and tripletail probably have moved further south this month, however during warm ups they could reappear. Even though there may not be much happening in the coastal gulf this month in the way of sight fishing it may be worth a look when it is warm.
January can be one of the toughest months of the year to fish. However if you are able to choose when to fish based on tides and weather, it can be good. Action is usually good as weather fronts approach. Following fronts, fishing may be tough for a couple of days so afternoons may fish better then. I'll let the stage of the tide determine where to look for fish. When the tide is low, look for reds tailing on shallow grass or reds, trout and more in potholes or around docks. Look for reds or big trout cruising on shallow grass flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Target Species:
Reds, snook, trout, blues, Spanish mackerel
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