Sarasota Bay & Coastal Gulf Action Explodes
Capt. Rick Grassett
September 29, 2011
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, had good action in Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf recently. Spin anglers scored on reds, snook, trout, flounder, blues and Spanish mackerel. Fly anglers had great action with little tunny (false albacore). Some of the best action was on deep grass flats where blues and trout fed in glass minnow schools. Reds in the low 20" range were scattered on shallow grass flats and along bars.
Tom and Mary Howard, from Bradenton, Fl, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 9/19. We focused on skinny water and the action wasn't fast, but they caught and released a slam including a red, a couple of snook and several trout and flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I scouted the coastal gulf off Siesta and Casey Keys and had great action with little tunny and Spanish mackerel on Tuesday, 9/20. Little tunny were "surfing", eating tiny baits with their heads and backs out of the water, which made for some exciting top water strikes! We landed 7 or 8 little tunny to 10-lbs and about 6 Spanish mackerel to 2 ½-lbs on my Grassett Snook Minnow, Clouser and Bubblehead fly poppers.
Jerry Roth, from Longwood, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday, 9/22. He also had a slam including 3 reds, a snook and several trout on a Zara Spook, Jr. and CAL jigs with shad tails. Greg and Patty Pratt, from Cincinnati, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 9/23. They had good action with trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies. I spoke at the Florida Sportsman Fishing Show in Tampa and helped out at the DOA Fishing Lures booth on Saturday and Sunday, 9/24 and 25. It was good to have a chance to visit with old friends and talk fishing with some avid anglers.
We were met with lightning and sloppy sea conditions on Monday morning, 9/26, so we rescheduled our trip into the coastal gulf for little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Aledia Tush, owner of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, and Melissa Littlewood, both from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 9/27. They caught and released trout to 18" and blues to 3-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails at Stephens Point. Melissa connected with a nice red in skinny water on a weedless rigged CAL shad tail near Buttonwood Harbor.
Steve Partain, from Atlanta, and his son, Chris Partain from OK, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday, 9/28. The action was slow to start due to a slack tide but as the water started to move the action got cranked up. They caught and released numerous trout to 19", blues to 4-pounds and a Spanish mackerel at Stephens Point and near Whale Key on top water plugs, DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Chris caught a red on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail along a bar on the east side of the bay.
Outgoing tides in the morning should be good this weekend. Bay water is still warm enough that mornings are fishing better. Snook are moving onto shallow flats and staging around sand bars in Sarasota Bay. Action in shallow water and the coastal gulf should only get better as water cools.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota Fishing Forecast for October 2011
The flats should be alive with action this month. Schools of reds will spread out on shallow flats where you may find them in potholes or along the edges of sand bars when the tide is low or along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. Look for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano on deep grass flats and catch and release snook around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW. Action will be equally good in the coastal gulf where you should find Spanish and king mackerel, little tunny, cobia and tarpon following bait schools. With the opening of stone crab season this month, you may also find tripletail around some of the many crab trap floats in the coastal gulf.
Reds may still be schooled up early in the month, but by later in the month the big schools will start to break up and scatter on shallow flats. Look for them along sand bars and in potholes when the tide is low or along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. I like to blind cast with CAL jigs with shad tails or lightly weighted flies to find them. Focus on seams where grass and sand meet. When the tide is high they will feed along mangrove shorelines and around oyster bars.
Snook season remains closed this month so use tackle heavy enough to catch and release them quickly. The less you can handle them, the better it is for the fish. I like to use CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms and small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, around lighted docks and bridges at night. Focus on shadow lines where dark meets light and fish peak tidal flows for the best action. You'll also find snook moving onto shallow flats where you may find them in the same areas with reds. I like north Sarasota Bay flats for reds and snook this month or the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for snook at night.
Both juvenile and large tarpon should still be a good option during October. I like to fish the canals of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda for juvenile tarpon from 15 to 30-pounds. My "go to" lure is a rootbeer or pearl DOA TerrorEyz. I've also done well with a small tarpon bunny fly (1/0 hook) stripped slowly near the bottom on an Orvis 350-grain Depth Charge fly line. Look for larger fish in the Peace River and upper Charlotte Harbor rolling on the surface when it is calm or feeding in ladyfish schools breaking on the surface. DOA Baitbusters and DOA Swimming Mullet are my top producing lures for late season large tarpon. With fly anglers, I use an intermediate sink tip or full intermediate fly line with a large profile fly like a Deceiver or EP fly. Work your lure or fly slowly around the edges of breaking ladyfish schools to keep the ladyfish off of it and hold on for the big bite!
You'll find plentiful trout on deep grass flats in October. I like flats that have a good mixture of grass and sand and good tidal movement. Flats that are close to passes, such as the Midddleground, Radio Tower and Marina Jack flats and points, like Stephens and Bishop Point, are all reliable trout flats. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos to locate fish on deep grass flats. When fly fishing I use weighted flies, like Clousers or my Deep Flats Bunny, fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line. Once you've found fish you can shorten your drift or anchor on them. You may find larger trout in the same waters where you find reds and snook.
You might also find blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano on deep grass flats this month. The techniques, lures and flies are all the same as when trout fishing, drifting and casting ahead of the drift. Blues and Spanish mackerel may be breaking on the surface and pompano may skip on the surface when you get close to them making them easier to find. I add 6" of 60-pound fluorocarbon leader to help prevent bite offs when toothy fish are around. Most blues and mackerel don't bite through the heavier leader and it doesn't affect the trout or pompano bite. I like a 1/16-ounce CAL jig with a gold or rootbeer/gold grub for pompano.
The coastal gulf should have lots of action during October. Baitfish schools will flush out of bays and gather along beaches where Spanish and king mackerel, blues and little tunny feast on them. Look for diving terns and predators or baitfish coming out of the water to find them. CAL jigs with shad tails, small surface walking plugs, Crease flies and small white flies, like Clousers or my Snook Minnow, work really well. Tarpon may join the frenzy as they prepare to migrate away from our area for the winter. I have found feeding frenzies in October with blues, king and Spanish mackerel, little tunny, tarpon and sharks all feeding on whatever is smaller than them.
Look for tripletail on crab trap floats in the coastal gulf. I like to put the sun behind me and run along a crab trap line about 50' away from the floats. When you spot a tripletail, drop off plane past the float and approach the fish from downwind, so you maintain control of your boat. DOA shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails and a variety of flies, as well as live shrimp, will all work well for tripletail. The key is to make your first shot count. They are much harder to catch once they know you are there.
October is one of my favorite months for reds and trout on the flats, snook around lighted docks in the ICW at night or little tunny along the beaches. I like to fly fish for little tunny along the beach when conditions are good. If the gulf is rough, you've got plenty of other options. 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:
snook, reds, trout, tarpon, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, little tunny, cobia, tripletail
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