Good Sarasota Bay Flats & Peace River Tarpon Action
Capt. Rick Grassett
September 5, 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, caught and released trout, reds, blues and sheepshead in Sarasota Bay and jumped several tarpon in the Peace River during the past week. The best action was with trout on deep grass flats and juvenile tarpon in the Peace River.
Steve Gibson, of Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing, fished the Peace River and residential canals of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda with me on Tuesday. We found plenty of tarpon in the 15 to 30-pound class and jumped 3 tarpon to 20-pounds on rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz. These mini torpedoes are great fun, jumping higher and more frequently than larger fish. They should continue to be a good option for the next couple of months.
Jerry Roth, from the Orlando, FL area, fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. He connected with a pair of over slot reds, one on a surface walking top water plug and the other, a 9 ½ lb fish, on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail. Ken Alexander and Steve Johns, from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. The action wasn't fast but was steady. They caught and released trout to 17" and a bluefish on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. The best action was near Whale Key.
Fly angler Mark Torkos, from St. Augustine, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. We checked the coastal gulf for little tunny (false albacore) and Spanish mackerel but didn't find anything. With plentiful baitfish in the coastal gulf, it is only a matter of time before the albie fishing takes off. We caught a few trout on Clouser flies at the Middleground flat and Stephens Point before moving to shallow water where Mark caught and released a sheepshead on a Clouser fly near Long Bar. Sheepshead are very challenging with flies and lures, since they feed mainly with their nose, and this was the first sheepshead on a fly for Mark.
Next week's tides will improve towards the end of the week as we approach a full moon on Sept. 12th. Trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay, little tunny and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf or juvenile tarpon in the Peace River should all be good options depending on conditions.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota Fishing Forecast for September 2011
Reds will be schooling on shallow grass flats this month. You'll find trout in skinny water early in the day and on deep grass flats as it gets bright out and heat becomes an issue. You may also find tarpon on deep grass flats and around bridges early in the morning or in deep areas of upper Charlotte Harbor, Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay. Snook season will remain closed on the west coast this fall due to action taken by the FWC in response to the freeze of January 2010. Look for little tunny feeding in bait pods near the mouth of Tampa Bay and in the coastal gulf.
Schools of large reds, many over the slot, will roam shallow flats in large schools this month. They'll be easier to find when the tide is low. They may push a wake that looks like a boat wake or they may be as subtle as a "nervous" patch of water when it is calm or a slick patch of water when there is a ripple. I like to be as stealthy as possible when hunting reds in shallow water, using my push pole to move silently across the flats. Casting a surface walking top water plug or a fly popper is a good way to make them show themselves. Using your outboard to make them show themselves will make them spooky and harder to catch in the long run. After a lot of that type of pressure they may retreat to the safety of deeper water where they'll be much harder to find. Large profile plastic baits such as CAL 5 ½" jerk worms, DOA Baitbusters and DOA BFL's should all work well. Fly anglers should score with poppers, large Gurglers and wide profile baitfish patterns, such as EP flies. Some of my favorite flats for big reds in September are in north Sarasota Bay.
You should also find big trout in skinny water at first light. Look for bait schools and focus on potholes, seams and drop offs along the edges of flats and bars to find them. Many of the same lures and flies that you might throw at big reds will also work well for big trout. Wading is a good way to target these fish after you've located them. As soon as it gets bright out and starts to warm up, trout will drop into deeper water. When fishing deep grass flats, I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with a CAL jig and a shad tail or jerk worm or a DOA Deadly Combo to find them. Once you've located trout, you can shorten your drift or slip an anchor into the water. Fly anglers should do well drifting and casting ahead of the drift with a sink tip fly line and a variety of flies including poppers, Gurglers, wide profile baitfish patterns or my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay such as the Middleground flat, Stephens Point, Bishop Point and near Buttonwood Harbor should all be good areas for trout later in the morning.
Snook season, which would normally open this month, will remain closed this fall. Snook were hit hard by the freeze of January 2010, so this closure should help snook stocks recover. Be sure to use tackle heavy enough to land them quickly and handle them gently. Unhook them while still in the water if possible and if you must lift them out of the water, be sure to support their body while holding them horizontally rather than vertically by their jaw. You should still find snook in the surf this month where CAL jigs, DOA shrimp and a variety of small white flies should catch them. Walk along the beach about 10' away from the water's edge and look for snook cruising in the trough. You'll need sunlight and polarized sunglasses.
You should also find snook around lighted docks and bridges, especially close to passes. The same lures and flies that you might use in the surf will work well at night. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.
Tarpon will move to inside waters of Sarasota Bay, Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. You might find them around bridges cruising shadow lines before dawn or rolling in the area after dawn. Be prepared for tarpon on many of the same deep grass flats where you find trout. Deep areas of upper Charlotte Harbor also hold good numbers of late season tarpon. Look for them rolling at dawn in the morning or when it's calm before switching to a sea breeze. You may also find tarpon feeding in baits schools or on ladyfish. DOA Baitbusters, DOA Swimming Mullet and DOA TerrorEyz are among my favorite late season tarpon baits.
You should also find juvenile tarpon, from 15 to 30-lbs in creeks, canals and turning basins. They will be most active at dawn when you'll find them rolling or feeding on baits at the surface. I use medium heavy spinning tackle or an 8 or 9-wt fly rod, much like I would use for snook, for these small tarpon. I have done best with a fast sinking Orvis 350-grain Depth Charge fly line, which will get my fly down in the water column fast with minimal false casting. Flies are scaled down versions of the same flies we throw at them on the beach, usually on 1/0 hooks. The DOA TerrrorEyz crawled slowly along the bottom is one of my most effective lures.
Look for little tunny feeding in bait schools along the beaches or at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, or Ultra Hair Clousers fished on an intermediate sink tip line should work well. Crease flies fished on floating lines should also work well when they are feeding at the surface. Spin anglers should score with CAL jigs or small surface plugs. You might also find tripletail around crab trap floats in the coastal gulf or in Sarasota Bay. A well placed DOA shrimp or a lightly weighted fly should work well for tripletail. Early season king and Spanish mackerel or cobia could also show up depending on the distribution of bait schools.
Even though there aren't a lot of people around in September, fishing can be great! My routine is usually to start in the dark targeting snook or tarpon around docks and bridges before dawn and then move to the flats for reds, trout, tarpon and more. There is usually good tarpon action with large fish in upper Charlotte Harbor and you can do that later in the day. 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, reds, trout, snook, little tunny, Spanish mackerel
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