Action heating up
Steve Gibson
March 28, 2010
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Just as predicted, fishing action heated up with the weather. All it took was a couple of days of golden sunshine to spark the fish into a feeding frenzy.
We've been taking good numbers of spotted seatrout, pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish on both sides of Sarasota Bay.
Fishing just south of Whale Key over deep grass in 3 to 4 feet of water, we managed 30 spotted seatrout to 19 inches, several Spanish mackerel and a few ladyfish on D.O.A. CAL Jigs and gold shad tails. The spot is excellent whenever the wind is out of the west.
When the wind shifted out of the east, we headed for the west side of the bay. Ian Hill of Ontario joined me and had a very good day. He caught a load of spotted seatrout, pompano, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish from Stephens Point to just north of the Ringling Mansion. It was the first time since December that we've seen blues , pompano or Spanish mackerel. All it took for them to return was for the water to warm up 2 or 3 degrees.
Mark Fleischauer of Vernon Hills, Ill., and his son, Matt, 14, joined me the following day and did very well. They caught spotted seatrout to 2 pounds, bluefish to 3, Spanish mackerel to 4, pompano to 2, ladyfish and flounder. All fish were taken on CAL Jigs with gold tails. Unfortunately, their six-hour trip was shortened for four hours when the wind came up strong out of the south.
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
We expect this action to continue for another month or so. The pattern has been very easy to figure out: find grass patches in 4 to 6 feet of water and that's where you'll find the fish. We look for schools of feeding fish to start busting minnows on the surface soon. That makes for fast , furious and fun action.
If you're interested in redfish, Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor or Pine Island Sound are the places. Be advised that redfish success requires commitment and dedication. They aren't the easiest fish in salt water by any means. When the wind is out of the east or south, we usually encounter some pretty neat sight-fishing opportunities in Tampa Bay out of Bishop Harbor. The white sand bars and clear water make for great sight fishing.
Snook are still out of season. We won't begin targeting them until at least May when we'll start our always popular beach snook trips. These are great sight-fishing sessions that are tough to beat. Clients routinely will get shots at 200 or more snook. We usually use 6- to 9-weight fly rods, floating or sinktip lines, 25-pound fluorocarbon shock leader and the famous D.T. Special (variation). Last season, clients and guests caught and released a total of 332 snook to 20 pounds. In addition, we encounter spotted seatrout, redfish, tarpon, ladyfish, flounder, pompano, jack crevalle and other species.
Beach snook trips book up fast, so now's the time to reserve a day or several days.
Target Species:
Spotted seatrout, pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, redfish
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