Good Action on Sarasota Bay & Charlotte Harbor Flats
Capt. Rick Grassett
March 10, 2018
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing snook in the ICW at night, trout and bluefish in Sarasota Bay and trout, redfish and snook in Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails during the past couple of weeks. The best action was with snook at night and snook and reds in skinny water in Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande.
Jerry Poslusny, from Palmetto and Rich Hunter, from Longboat Key, fished the ICW with me on Wednesday night, 2/28. They had good action catching and releasing numerous snook and a nice trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Snook season reopened on March 1st on the west coast, although personally I will continue to ask clients to release them. Snook are a fantastic gamefish and too valuable of a resource to only catch them once, in my opinion.
Tom Sachs, from Longboat Key and Jeff Holsworth, from MI, fished an instructional fly fishing trip in Sarasota Bay and had some action catching and releasing trout on deep grass flats on Ultra Hair Clouser flies with me on Thursday, 3/1. They had some freshwater experience with trout on Michigan rivers, so we focused on saltwater fly fishing techniques including line management, hook setting and playing fish.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL fished the backcountry of Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Friday, 3/2. With a big full moon and behind a front, fish weren't too aggressive that day. However he had good action with some nice trout and also caught a red and snook on CAL jigs with shad tails to complete his slam. Keith and Chuck Hempfling, also from IL fished the same area with me on Monday, 3/5. They had good action catching and releasing several snook and a nice red on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key and Mike Perez, from Sarasota, waded a shallow flat and fly fished in Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 3/6. We had a small window of action at the bottom of the tide, when Nick caught and released a nice trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly, then the tide came in fast, dispersing the bait and mullet.
I gave a presentation on springtime fly fishing opportunities in southwest Florida to a group of fly anglers at the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club on Wednesday evening, 3/7. A great group with many friends! Marshall Dinerman and Stan Sunshine, both from Atlanta, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 3/9. They had steady action with trout and bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails on deep grass flats.
Fishing shallow water for big trout, snook and reds should be a good option. There should also be good action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Fishing dock lights in the ICW at night is always a good option for snook and more. Our natural resources are under constant pressure, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFI Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for March 2018
There should be good action with reds, trout and snook in skinny water in March as baitfish become more plentiful. Look for Spanish and king mackerel, cobia, tripletail and false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf. Night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option this month.
Snook season reopens this month on the west coast, although personally I will continue to ask clients to release them. Snook are a fantastic gamefish and I would rather my clients have the chance to catch and release a big snook many times rather than eat it once. This should be a good month for snook fishing at night around lighted docks and bridge fenders in the ICW. DOA Shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails and small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, usually work well at night since glass minnows and shrimp are the predominate bait. Focus on shadow lines where light meets dark and fish strong tides for the best action. Although snook may also be found in rivers, creeks or canals in March, they will also start to move onto shallow flats, particularly on sunny afternoons when it's warm. I like larger lures like CAL jigs with jerk worms, CAL 4" Shad Tails, DOA Baitbusters and the new DOA PT soft plastic top water lure or wide profile flies like Clousers, Deceivers and EP flies, for snook on the flats.
Look for early season tarpon that may start to show in backcountry areas. These are usually adult resident fish that are making their way out of rivers and creeks. They may be "laid up" or rolling on deep grass flats, on edges of shallow flats or along bars when it is calm. An accurate cast with a DOA Shrimp or Baitbuster or a Deceiver or Tarpon Bunny fly may result in an explosive strike! Look for them in areas of Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay or in Gasparilla Sound on some of the same deep grass flats where you find trout.
Reds should be more active as the water warms and baitfish become more plentiful. Higher tides, as we head into spring, will allow them to spend more time feeding in shallow water. Look for them over shallow grass, along mangrove shorelines and around oyster bars when the tide is high. You should find them in potholes and along sand bars when the tide is low. I like the shallow flats of north Sarasota Bay for reds this month. I like 1/16-ounce CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms to locate reds. Fly anglers should score with my Grassett Flats Minnow fly, fished on a 10'-12' leader. When using a long leader be sure you are able turn it over, otherwise you'll need to shorten it until you can. The butt section should be at least 50% of the total length of the leader and stiff enough to transfer energy from your fly line to the leader.
You might also find reds around docks when the tide is low. Look for deep water under docks with a good tidal flow for the best action. A 1/8-ounce CAL jig with a shad tail or grub or a weighted fly fished on a clear intermediate sink tip fly line with a 6' leader with should work well for dock fishing.
You may find big trout in skinny water in many of the same places that you find reds. Blind cast seams where grass meets sand or focus on light colored bottom, in potholes on top of sand bars, where you may be able to sight fish them. You should also find trout plentiful on deep grass flats along with Spanish mackerel, blues, flounder or pompano. I like to make a series of drifts, casting ahead of the drift with CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos or an Ultra Hair Clouser fly tied on a long shank hook and fished on a clear intermediate sink tip fly line to locate fish. Also look for birds, bait showering out of the water or boils on the surface that will indicate fish feeding below. When mackerel and blues are around, you may need to add 6" of 40# to 60# fluorocarbon or wire to your leader. Top water plugs and fly poppers also work well when blues and mackerel are around and may help locate them by attracting them from further away. Flounder may be found on sand or mud bottom areas on both shallow and deep grass flats or around docks. Pompano may skip on the surface when you drift or run past them, giving their location away. Fish deep grass flats with a mixture of grass and sand and a strong tidal flow for the best action.
You may also find Spanish or king mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), cobia or tripletail in the coastal gulf this month. Look for diving or hovering terns to find Spanish mackerel or false albacore feeding on the surface. ¼-ounce CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms or top water plugs should work well for spin anglers. Fly anglers should score with small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow or Ultra Hair Clousers fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line..
Run crab trap lines at various depths to find tripletail or cobia around crab trap floats. Fly anglers should score on tripletail with DOA Shrimp or lightly weighted flies with weed guards. Cobia may also be swimming on the surface as they migrate from south to north following warmer water and baitfish. DOA Baitbusters, Airheads, PT's and large, wide profile flies, like Deceivers or EP flies would be good fly choices for cobia. In the absence of any fish on the surface, check out one of the many artificial reefs or natural hard bottom areas that may hold baitfish and predators. Drift over structure and cast DOA Baitbusters or weighted flies on fast sinking fly lines to get deeper in the water column to catch them.
Conditions are usually good during March and fishing should heat up. Flats and night snook fishing are usually good options this month. I like to check the coastal gulf when conditions are good, since you could find something really good happening there. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
FFI Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Target Species:
snook, reds, trout, bluefish, false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel
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