Good Catch & Release snook and Tarpon Action in Sarasota Area
Capt. Rick Grassett
April 30, 2011
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
The best action continues to be catch and release night snook fishing and tarpon are becoming plentiful in the coastal gulf. 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 snook, reds, trout, Spanish mackerel, flounder, jacks and a tarpon on jigs and flies during the past couple of weeks.
Alain Dumouchel and Cindy McPherson, both from Montreal, Quebec, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 4/18. They caught and released trout to 2 ½-pounds and a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies. The biggest trout and the reds were in skinny water on the west side of the bay. Pete Walacko, from MI, fished deep grass flats near Bird Key and at Stephens Point with me on Tuesday morning, 4/19. He caught and released several trout and a Spanish mackerel on Clouser flies fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line.
One of the best trips of the week was when Norm Boardman, from Sarasota, fished the ICW on Tuesday night, 4/19, near Venice with me. He caught and released more than 15 snook to 24" and a couple of trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. George Aylesworth, from Englewood, FL, and his brother-in-law, Mike from IN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon, 4/20. The action wasn't fast, but they caught and released trout to 17" and a small red on CAL jigs with grubs and shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos along the west side of the bay.
John Wolfstaetter and his dad, Paul Wolfstaetter, both from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 4/21. John is an accomplished fly angler and sight fishing reds was our game plan. He had some shots at fish in potholes and on top of sandbars throughout the day. Even though we showed them numerous flies, he had a few follows but no takes. They caught and released a few trout along the way and Paul caught an 18" flounder on a CAL jig with grub.
Kurt Tenenbaum and his father-in-law, Don McGovern, both from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me last Saturday, 4/23. We fished deep grass flats at Stephens Point and on the west side of the bay where they caught and released trout on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Bill Morrison, from Anna Maria Island, and Gary Marple from Sarasota, snook fished with me on Monday evening, 4/25, in the ICW near Venice. They caught and released more than a dozen snook to 22" on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.
I scouted the coastal gulf for tarpon on Tuesday, 4/26, and was pleasantly surprised. We saw numerous tarpon, mostly singles, doubles and small schools, moving both north and south. Anglers on my boat had 8 or 10 shots at fish and landed an 80-pounder on a black Deceiver fly.
First fish of the season!
Ed and Louise Martin, from Ontario, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Wednesday, 4/27. With a south wind gusting to 20-mph, the water in Gasparilla Sound and most of the backcountry was very dirty. It was tough to find a place to fish, but Ed caught and released a couple of trout and jacks on a Clouser fly
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL and a guest fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday morning, 4/28. It continued to be very windy, but they caught several trout to 18", a Spanish mackerel and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails on the west side of the bay. Seth Koch, from MD, and Bill Miller, from MS, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice that evening. The wind dropped a little and with the approaching front, snook fed aggressively. They caught and released more than 20 snook to 23" on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We were met by rain and wind at the boat ramp the next morning, so after waiting it out for about an hour we cancelled the trip.
Congratulations to CB's Saltwater Outfitters who was named Orvis Outfitter of the Year at the 25th annual guide & dealer rendezvous in Casper, Wyoming last week. This is a very prestigious award that is earned by providing the high level of quality and service that Orvis is known for. CB's has been an Orvis dealer and outfitter on Siesta Key in Sarasota for more than 15 years. The winner is chosen from among numerous Orvis-Endorsed Outfitters in destinations around the US.
Tides will be good early next week, particularly the outgoing tide in the evening, as we approach a new moon on May 3rd. Night snook fishing, tarpon in the coastal gulf and trout and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should all be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Forecast for May 2011
Tarpon time! Tarpon fishing will take off during May as migratory fish arrive along our beaches, snook will be in the passes and in the surf and reds and trout will be feeding heavily on shallow flats. There may also still be a few king and Spanish mackerel in our area early in the month.
Due to an unusually warm spring pushing water temperatures to 80 degrees by mid April, there are already tarpon showing up along our beaches. Resident tarpon are usually the first to show as they make their way out of rivers and creeks. You may find them on deep grass flats in many areas from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. As more migratory tarpon start to arrive from offshore, we should have schools of tarpon moving both north and south along our beaches. I use 50-pound braided line on a 7', medium heavy spinning rod and a reel with a smooth drag capable of holding a minimum of 250 yards of line. When fly fishing, I use 12-weight fly tackle with a large arbor fly reel with at least 250 or 300-yards of backing.
I prefer to set up anywhere from a few hundred feet to a few hundred yards off our beaches and wait for schools of tarpon to move past. Once you've seen the first school of fish, you can concentrate your efforts that distance from shore since other schools should be following the same route. Be quiet, using your trolling motor sparingly, especially in shallow water. Even though your 4-stroke outboard sounds quiet, it is no substitute for an electric trolling motor.
Cast flies, DOA Baitbusters and Swimming Mullet or live crabs and baitfish ahead of schools of tarpon and be ready for the thrill of a lifetime!
Snook season remains closed this month, so any snook fishing is catch and release only. You'll find them in passes, in the ICW around docks and bridges close to passes and in the surf. Since the season is closed, I recommend using tackle heavy enough to land them quickly. Once landed, they should be handled gently and released without removing them from the water. You can cast jigs, flies or live bait around docks and bridges close to passes. Drifting in the passes with live bait or bouncing a DOA TerrorEyz along the bottom should be effective. One of the most fun ways to target snook is to walk the beach and cast CAL jigs, DOA shrimp or flies to them in the surf. This is almost like fishing for bonefish on a crystal clear, Caribbean flat!
Higher tides this month will mean that reds will spend more time feeding on shallow flats. Look for them along mangrove shorelines and around oyster bars when the tide is high and in potholes or along sandbars when the tide is low. I prefer to cast CAL jigs or flies, but live shrimp or pilchards should also be very productive. When fishing shallow water for reds, be as quiet as possible. I prefer to use a push pole or wade. Reds are one of the most challenging species to catch on a fly. Since they can be very spooky, I like to wade for them when fly fishing to keep a lower profile.
You might also find reds around docks. Look for docks that have deep water and a good tidal flow for the most action. You will find that certain docks will often hold fish on a regular basis due to all the right ingredients. The Terra Ceia Bay area, north Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound should all be excellent areas to fish for reds.
Trout will also spend more time feeding in shallow water due to higher tides. You'll find larger trout on the same shallow flats where you find reds. However, they will be more plentiful on deep grass flats. I prefer to cast CAL jigs and flies on sinking fly lines for trout. A DOA Deadly Combo also works very well. Drifting and casting ahead of the drift is usually the most productive method. Look for flats that have a good mix of grass and sand and good tidal flow. The Middleground and Radio Tower flats, Stephens Point, Bishops Point and near Buttonwood Harbor are all great trout areas in Sarasota Bay.
You may also find pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on the same deep grass flats where trout are plentiful. They can be targeted in the same way as trout, but you may need to use wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader when toothy fish are around. You may also find Spanish and king mackerel, little tunny, cobia and tripletail in the coastal gulf. Keep your eyes open for surface activity such as diving birds, breaking fish or baitfish being forced out of the water which could indicate the presence of mackerel, blues or little tunny. Medium spinning tackle and 8 or 9-weight fly tackle should be heavy enough, although your tarpon spinning and fly tackle is not too heavy for cobia. Look for cobia either swimming on the surface or around navigational markers or buoys. I have also found cobia swimming with schools of tarpon before. Tripletail may be found around crab trap floats or buoys, where they can be targeted with live or plastic shrimp on spinning tackle. When fly fishing for tripletail, a floating line on an 8 or 9-weight fly rod with a shrimp or baitfish fly pattern should get the job done.
This is one of my favorite months of the year. If battling a big silver king is not your cup of tea, you should have plenty to do on both shallow and deep grass flats or in the coastal gulf. I'll be spending my time targeting tarpon in the coastal gulf unless conditions won't allow it. It's hard for me to fish for anything else, when 100-pound plus fish are around. There is something about casting a fly to a giant fish in shallow water! Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Target Species:
Tarpon, snook, reds, trout, Spanish mackerel
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