Good Sarasota Bay Flats & Coastal Gulf Action
Capt. Rick Grassett
October 26, 2015
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, caught and released snook, trout, jacks, tripletail, Spanish mackerel and a cobia on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms in Sarasota Bay and tripletail and false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf on flies during the past couple of weeks.
Mike Storey, from Bradenton, FL, and Bob Stack, from GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 10/12. We worked deep grass flats on both sides of the bay where they caught and released trout and a tripletail on Clouser and shrimp fly patterns.
My son, Bryan Gibson and Sam Green, both from St. Pete, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 10/13. We worked docks before and after daylight where they caught and released a few snook and jacks on CAL jigs with shad tails. We fished deep grass flats close to passes after daylight where they had steady action with a variety of species including trout, jacks, mangrove snapper, gag grouper and black sea bass on the same lures.
Nick Thompson, from the UK, fished with me on Thursday, 10/15. Our plan was to fish the coastal gulf for tripletail and false albacore, but it was rougher than anticipated. There was a big swell out of the northwest and we also ran into some red tide south of Sarasota. We fished the east side of Sarasota Bay instead where he had steady action catching and releasing trout on Clouser flies. We also sound found some surface activity and he had good action catching and releasing jacks and ladyfish on the same flies.
Patrice Camillieri, from France, fished the coastal gulf with me on Friday, 10/16. It was rough and windy when we started, so we fished Sarasota Bay for a while. The wind dropped and the sun popped out at midday, giving us a window of opportunity to fish the gulf. We found good conditions; clear water, not much swell or chop and no red tide off Manatee County. He caught and released several tripletail on a shrimp fly pattern.
Frank Zaffino, from Rochester, NY, had good action on a couple of days in the coastal gulf with me. It was very windy on Monday, 10/19 and tough to get too far offshore. However, we found plenty of tripletail and he caught and released 7 or 8 on a shrimp fly pattern. Conditions were much better on Thursday, 10/22 and he had good action with false albacore hooking up several times on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.
Massimo Giardina and Tatiana Migliaretti, from Switzerland, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 10/20. We worked deep grass flats on both sides of the bay and they had steady action with trout and a couple of Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails. Tatiana caught and released the fish of the day, a 26" cobia that put on quite a show for us including numerous jumps! Jim Festa, from Sarasota, FL, and a friend, Dennis from MI, fished the same areas with me on Wednesday, 10/21 and had steady action with trout on CAL jigs with shad tails.
John Freeman, from WI and Dave Willer, from MN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 10/23 and John and his wife, Barbara, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 10/24. We fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay where they had steady action with trout and Spanish mackerel to 18" on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Action with tripletail, false albacore and Spanish mackerel should be a good option now in the coastal gulf when conditions allow it. Tripletail fishing combines hunting fish and sight casting to them. Although they've been running small, due to their body shape and fighting tactics they are still fun to catch on fly or spinning tackle. You may also find trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and jacks on deep grass flats. Snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges close to passes with flies and DOA Lures should be a good option. Look for reds, snook and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats and edges of bars.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF 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 November 2015
As the water cools this month there will be many changes. You may find blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano mixed with trout on deep grass flats. You'll also find larger trout in skinny water along with reds. Snook will stage around bars and on shallow flats as they make their move towards winter areas. Action in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel, blues, false albacore, tripletail and more will explode!
You'll find snook staging around docks and bridges in the ICW and along sand bars and in potholes on shallow flats. They may be along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. I like CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms, surface walking top water plugs and DOA Baitbusters in shallow water for snook. CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms, DOA TerrorEyz, DOA shrimp and small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, will work well around dock and bridge fender lights. Fish the strongest tides for the best action. I like the flats of north Sarasota Bay and the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for snook in November.
Reds will spread out on shallow grass flats in November. You'll find them along bars, in potholes or around docks. Look for them along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high, but they are just as likely to be roaming with mullet schools in shallow water. CAL jigs with shad tails, grubs or jerk worms and gold spoons should work well for reds in shallow water. Fly anglers may score with lightly weighted flies, such as Clousers, spoon flies or my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. I catch a lot more reds wading than from the deck of my boat, so keep a low profile.
You may also find big trout along with reds in shallow water this month. Although anglers may keep one trout over 20", I release all trout over 20" since they are usually females that may be full of roe. The same lures and flies that you use for snook and reds in shallow water will also work for trout. You'll also find trout on deep grass flats in water from 3' to 7' deep. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos or weighted flies on sink tip fly lines to locate trout. In addition to making a series of drifts to find fish, look for baitfish on the surface or birds to find them.
You may also find blues, Spanish mackerel, flounder or pompano on deep grass flats this month. The techniques to find them is the same as for trout, although blues and Spanish mackerel may feed on the surface making them easier to find. Likewise with pompano, that may skip on the surface when you run or drift past them. When that happens, circle back upwind and drift back through the area, casting ahead of your drift. I like a 1/16-ounce chartreuse CAL jig head with a gold grub for pompano. You'll need to add wire or heavy fluorocarbon when toothy fish are around to keep them from biting you off. You may find flounder on a mixture of grass and sand, particularly on the edges of bars or in potholes.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), Spanish and king mackerel, blues, tripletail or cobia. Look for Spanish mackerel, blues or false albacore feeding on the surface to find them. Diving terns or terns hovering just above the surface of the water and moving fast will give their presence away if they aren't on top. CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms and top water plugs will work well. Fly anglers should score with small white flies, Ultra Hair Clousers, poppers or Crease flies. Look for tripletail around crab trap floats and cast DOA shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails or DOA TerrorEyz to them. Cobia may also be found around crab trap floats, swimming on the surface or over structure. They will require medium-heavy spinning tackle or at least a 9-weight fly rod. Larger baits like DOA Baitbusters or CAL jigs with 5½" jerk worms should work well for cobia on spinning tackle. Fly anglers should score with wide profile baitfish patterns.
This a great month for fishing the flats or the coastal gulf. Since the action in the coastal gulf is seasonal and will end when it gets cooler, I like to fish there when conditions allow it. However, if that's not for you or if conditions won't allow it, there will be plenty of action for a variety of fish on shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Target Species:
reds, snook, trout, tripletail, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, flounder
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