Good Sarasota Bay Flats & Venice Night Snook Action
Capt. Rick Grassett
March 1, 2016
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 at night in the ICW near Venice on flies, trout and ladyfish in Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound and trout and redfish in Terra Ceia Bay on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails during the past couple of weeks. The best action was with snook at night and big trout in skinny water on flies.
Sarasota winter resident Tom Lamb and Roy Glah, also from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, 2/16 and had good action catching and releasing trout to 18", including several slot-size fish, on CAL jigs with shad tails. Annmarie Alberino, from RI, fly fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday, 2/17 and caught and released a few trout on a variety of flies.
Keith McClintock and Hal D'Orazio, both from IL, fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Thursday, 2/18. We worked edges of bars and backcountry areas where they had some action with trout to 18" and a snook on CAL jigs with shad tails. Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 2/19. We waded a couple of bars and had good action catching and releasing 23" to 24" trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow and Flats Bunny flies.
Capt. Ed Hurst and I were instructors for a CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, 2/20. The course covered fly casting, leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Designed for beginning and intermediate fly anglers, we focused on basics but also worked with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. The next class is scheduled for Mar 12th. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or [email protected] to make reservations.
Jerry Poslusny, from Palmetto, FL, fished the ICW near Venice with me on Monday night, 2/22. He caught and released more than 20 snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We were in a good weather window between fronts and with a good tide, snook responded well by gorging themselves on glass minnows and they ate our flies just as well.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL and Jack McCullough, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Tuesday, 2/23. We worked edges of bars and backcountry areas where they had some action with trout and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails. The next 2 days were blown out as a front passed and the wind blew 20 to 30-mph on Wednesday and Thursday, 2/24 & 25.
Frank Zaffino, from Rochester, NY, and his son, Frank, from Pittsburgh, PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 2/26. With the wind still at 15 to 20-mph out of the north, we headed south into Roberts Bay where they had steady action catching and releasing ladyfish and trout on Ultra Hair Clousers and my Flats Bunny flies.
Ryan Pflugner, from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 2/27. I found some big trout in skinny water and he had good action sight fishing them. He caught and released a couple of over slot trout and had some shots at others on my Grassett Flats Bunny fly. With bright sun and crystal clear water, it was fun to watch the trout eat a nicely presented fly!
I will be at the News Channel 8 Outdoors Expo & Boat Show (http://wfla.com/outdoors-expo-boat-show/), at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, next Sunday, March 6. Formerly the Frank Sargeant Outdoors Show, the show is now hosted by Capt. Mike Anderson of the "Reel Animals" TV show and is the largest outdoors show in Florida. I'll be giving a presentation on the main stage at 11:30 AM on "Fly Fishing the West Coast of Florida". I'll also be at the DOA Fishing Lures booth giving my friends Mark Nichols and Capt. Ed Zyak a hand, so stop by to say hello and check out the latest from DOA.
Look for reds and big trout mixed with mullet schools or cruising shallow flats and edges of bars in Sarasota Bay and backcountry areas of Charlotte Harbor and lower Tampa Bay. Catch and release night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW with flies and DOA Lures should be a good option. Trout, bluefish and more should also be a good option on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.
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 March 2016
There should be good action with reds, trout and snook in skinny water in March as baitfish become more plentiful. Look for Spanish and king mackerel, cobia, tripletail and false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf. Night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option this month.
Snook season reopens this month on the west coast, although personally I will continue to ask clients to release them. Snook are a fantastic gamefish and I would rather my clients have the chance to catch and release a big snook. This should be a good month for snook fishing at night around lighted docks and bridge fenders in the ICW. I like the area known as "snook alley" from Little Sarasota Bay to Venice. DOA Shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails and small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, usually work well at night since glass minnows and shrimp are the predominate bait. Focus on shadow lines where light meets dark and fish strong tides for the best action. Although snook may also be found in rivers, creeks or canals in March, they will also start to move onto shallow flats, particularly on sunny afternoons when it's warm. I like larger lures like CAL jigs with jerk worms, CAL 4" Shad Tails, DOA Baitbusters and CAL Swimbaits or wide profile flies like Clousers, Deceivers and EP flies, for snook on the flats.
Look for early season tarpon that may start to show in backcountry areas. These are usually adult resident fish that are making their way out of rivers and creeks. They may be "laid up" or rolling on deep grass flats, on edges of shallow flats or along bars when it is calm. An accurate cast with a DOA Baitbuster or a Deceiver or Tarpon Bunny fly may result in an explosive strike! Look for them in areas of Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay or in Gasparilla Sound on some of the same deep grass flats where you find trout.
Reds should be more active as the water warms and baitfish become more plentiful. Higher tides, as we head into spring, will allow them to spend more time feeding in shallow water. Look for them over shallow grass, along mangrove shorelines and around oyster bars when the tide is high. You should find them in potholes and along sand bars when the tide is low. I like the shallow flats of north Sarasota Bay for reds this month. I like 1/16-ounce CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms to locate reds. Fly anglers should score with my Grassett Flats Minnow fly, fished on a 10'-12' leader. When using a long leader be sure you are able turn it over, otherwise you'll need to shorten it until you can. The butt section should be at least 50% of the total length of the leader and stiff enough to transfer energy from your fly line to the leader.
You might also find reds around docks when the tide is low. Look for deep water under docks with a good tidal flow for the best action. A 1/8-ounce CAL jig with a shad tail or grub or a weighted fly fished on a clear intermediate sink tip fly line with a 6' leader with should work well for dock fishing.
You may find big trout in skinny water in many of the same places that you find reds. Blind cast seams where grass meets sand or focus on light colored bottom, in potholes on top of sand bars, where you may be able to sight fish them. You should also find trout plentiful on deep grass flats along with Spanish mackerel, blues, flounder or pompano. I like to make a series of drifts, casting ahead of the drift with CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly combos or an Ultra Hair Clouser fly tied on a long shank hook and fished on a clear intermediate sink tip fly line to locate fish. Also look for birds, bait showering out of the water or boils on the surface that will indicate fish feeding below. When mackerel and blues are around, you may need to add 6" of 40# to 60# fluorocarbon or wire to your leader. Top water plugs and fly poppers also work well when blues and mackerel are around and may help locate them by attracting them from further away. Flounder may be found on sand or mud bottom areas on both shallow and deep grass flats or around docks. Pompano may skip on the surface when you drift or run past them, giving their location away. Fish deep grass flats with a mixture of grass and sand and a strong tidal flow for the best action.
You may also find Spanish or king mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), cobia or tripletail in the coastal gulf this month. Look for diving or hovering terns to find Spanish mackerel or false albacore feeding on the surface. ¼-ounce CAL jigs with shad tails or jerk worms or top water plugs should work well for spin anglers. Fly anglers should score with small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow or Ultra Hair Clousers fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line..
Run crab trap lines at various depths to find tripletail or cobia around crab trap floats. Fly anglers should score on tripletail with DOA shrimp or lightly weighted flies with weed guards. Cobia may also be swimming on the surface as they migrate from south to north following warmer water and baitfish. DOA Baitbusters, DOA Airheads and large, wide profile flies, like Deceivers or EP flies would be good fly choices for cobia. In the absence of any fish on the surface, check out one of the many artificial reefs or natural hard bottom areas that may hold baitfish and predators. Drift over structure and cast DOA Baitbusters or weighted flies on fast sinking fly lines to get deeper in the water column to catch them.
Conditions will improve during March and fishing should heat up. Flats and night snook fishing are usually good options this month. I like to check the coastal gulf when conditions are good, since you could find something really good happening there. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Target Species:
reds, snook, trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano, tripletail, false albacore
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