Good Red and Trout Action in Southwest Florida
Capt. Rick Grassett
March 3, 2012
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Shallow water action with reds and trout was good during the past couple of weeks. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay, Gasparilla Sound, the ICW near Venice and the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with catch and release snook, reds and trout on flies and jigs. We also caught a few scattered Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano mixed with trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.
Glen Elia, from CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday afternoon, 2/20. The action wasn't fast, but he caught and released a few trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly along the east side of the bay. Wes Demmon, from Chicago, fished Terra Ceia Bay with me on Tuesday, 2/21. He caught and released 3 nice reds to 26" on CAL jigs with shad tails and about a dozen trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Tony Merlis, from NH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday, 2/22. It was Tony's first time fly fishing in saltwater and he did well. He caught and released trout to 17" and Spanish mackerel on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly along the west side of the bay.
The best trip that week was when Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Gary Roberts, from Bradenton, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Thursday, 2/23. They caught and released 7 reds to 24", 3 snook and a few trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. A great trip! With water temperatures in the mid 70's on shallow flats, especially in back country areas, we are seeing snook moving onto shallow flats to feed.
Longboat Key and Sarasota winter residents, Nick Reding and Mike Perez, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 2/24. It was very windy, so we waded several flats and bars along the west side of Sarasota Bay and caught and released a pair of reds and a few trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.
Longboat Key winter resident, Pat Decastro, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 2/27. We fished skinny water on the east side of the bay hunting reds and trout where Pat caught and released a 24", 5-pound trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly! He also caught a few other trout to 19" over deep grass near Buttonwood Harbor. Big trout have been plentiful in shallow water. Since these big fish are usually females that are full of roe this time of year, it is important to handle then gently and release them quickly.
Joe Stevens and his friend, Rob, from MI, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday, 2/28. I poled a couple of sand bars where we had shots at numerous big trout, reds and snook but they were very spooky and hard to get a fly or jig in front of. However, they did well fishing deep grass near Sandfly and Three Sisters Keys where they caught numerous trout to 19" on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished the ICW near Venice with me on Wednesday evening, 2/29. He caught and released 6 or 7 snook to 26", several trout and a bluefish. Blues will sometimes invade bridge fender lights at night in the winter months. Snook were being finicky that night, so I downsized the fly to an EP Micro Minnow fly, which did the trick. Downsizing the fly or leader is often the solution for picky fish.
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, and Sarasota winter resident, Mike Perez, waded a couple of flats on both sides of Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 3/1. The action wasn't fast but we caught and released a 4-pound trout on a Deceiver fly and a nice red and pompano on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.
Next week's tides are favorable for reds, trout and more on both shallow and deep grass flats as we approach a full moon. Reds and trout should move over shallow grass at the top of the tide, especially on sunny afternoons. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option. Check the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), tripletail and more when conditions are good. I'll be doing a presentation on "Fly Fishing for Tarpon" on the AAA Casting Pond at 3:30 PM at the Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo on Sunday afternoon, 3/3. I'll also be at the DOA Fishing Lures booth prior to speaking if you want to stop by to say hello to Mark Nichols and me and check out the latest DOA products.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for March 2012
March is usually a good month for fishing the flats. Fishing for reds and trout should be strong this month as baitfish become more plentiful. Top water plugs should work well due to warmer water. You might also find sheepshead around docks and oyster bars. Look for catch and release snook in the ICW at night. In the coastal gulf, king and Spanish mackerel and more should begin to show up towards the end of the month or sooner due to the warm winter we've had so far. Keep your eyes open for early arriving tarpon in Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
Catch and release snook fishing should be good in the ICW between Sarasota and Venice this month. Cast 1/16-ounce CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms beyond shadow lines and swim them through the lights. DOA Shrimp can be dead drifted, reeled slowly with an occasional twitch or skipped under docks. Fly fishing for snook at night should be very good this month. Cast small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, up tide and let them sink before stripping them across shadow lines. They may eat Gurgler type flies when they are chasing shrimp across the surface. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action. You may also find snook feeding on shallow grass flats on sunny afternoons, especially due to the warm winter we've had so far, where they might eat CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms and wide profile baitfish fly patterns.
Reds should also be a good option in March. They'll spend more time feeding in shallow water due to more plentiful bait. Look for them along mangrove shore lines and the top of bars when the tide is high or in potholes and along edges of bars when the tide is low. I like to pole and cast 1/16-ounce CAL jigs with shad, grub or 4" jerk worm tails ahead of my drift to find fish. Focus on seams where grass meets sand. You'll need to approach them differently when fly fishing. Avoid crossing seams with you fly line. Instead just cast your fly and leader across seams. It is better to start with shorter casts and lengthen them to avoid spooking fish you may not see. I like lightly weighted flies (bead chain or extra small lead eyes) with weed guards, like my Grassett Flats Minnow, fished on 10'-12' leaders on a floating fly line.
Trout fishing should also be good in March due to warmer water. Baitfish will become more plentiful as water temperatures reach 70 degrees or higher, which means good top water action. I like to use surface walking top water plugs and prop baits. DOA Deadly Combos also work well in this situation. Drift deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and cast ahead of the drift with CAL jigs and a variety of plastic tails, DOA Shrimp, DOA Deadly Tandems and weighted flies on sink tip fly lines. My Grassett Deep Flats Bunny fly and Ultra Hair Clousers are both good fly choices for trout on deep grass flats. You'll find the biggest trout in skinny water along with reds. Look for them in potholes or on shallow grass flats. Cast 1/16-ounce CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms or weedless-rigged plastic tails beyond potholes and seams and work across them. Fly anglers should do well with 12' or longer leaders and lightly weighted flies. North Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound have some great flats for trout and reds in the spring.
You might also find pompano, bluefish or Spanish mackerel mixed with trout on deep grass flats. Surface walking plugs, DOA Deadly Combos and fly poppers or Gurglers may make blues and mackerel show themselves. Techniques are the same as for trout, drifting deep grass flats and casting ahead of your drift with CAL jigs or weighted flies on sink tip fly lines, but you'll need to use 6" of multi strand braided wire or heavy fluorocarbon when toothy fish are around.
Be on the lookout for early arriving tarpon. These are probably resident fish moving out of rivers and creeks where they've spent the winter. They may be rolling on deep grass flats or "laid up", sitting still just below the surface. Cast 4" DOA shrimp or DOA Baitbusters to them on medium heavy spinning tackle. Don't hit them on the head or cast beyond them so the lure or fly comes toward the fish. I use 50-pound braid on a 7' rod and an 80-pound fluorocarbon leader. Fly anglers can use floating or sink tip fly lines and wide profile baitfish fly patterns. You may find early tarpon in Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay and lower Charlotte Harbor including Gasparilla and Pine Island Sound. They may frequent some of the same deep grass flats where you trout fish, so be prepared when fishing those areas.
Look for Spanish and king mackerel, blues, tripletail, cobia and false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf this month. When the water temperature is in the high 60's to low 70's, baitfish and predators should be plentiful. This might normally happen towards the end of the month, but with the warm winter we've had it could happen at any time. Look for diving terns and breaking fish to find mackerel, blues and false albacore. Cobia and tripletail may be around crab trap floats and buoys or over structure. I use CAL jigs with shad tails and 4" jerk worms and surface walking top water plugs for mackerel, blues and false albacore. Fly anglers should do well with sink tip fly lines and weighted flies, like my Snook Minnow. I like CAL jigs with shad tails or DOA shrimp on spinning tackle for tripletail. Fly anglers should score with lightly weighted flies fished on floating or sink tip fly lines. CAL jigs with 5 ½" jerk worms, DOA Baitbusters and BFL's should work well for cobia. Fly anglers might use wide profile baitfish fly patterns, such as Deceivers and EP flies on floating or sink tip fly lines.
There should be lots of action this month on both shallow and deep grass flats, the ICW and the coastal gulf. We've had a warm winter, so action in the coastal gulf could explode early. 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:
Reds, trout, snook, tarpon, Spanish mackerel, false albacore, tripletail, tarpon
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