Sarasota Fishing Report Capt Jim Klopfer 10/13/2012
Capt. Jim Klopfer
October 13, 2012
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing was excellent in both salt and fresh water this week. Action on the deep flats was outstanding for speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, two pound jacks, ladyfish, snapper, gag grouper, black sea bass, big sailcats, and other species. Snook, redfish, jacks, sheepshead and a gar were caught in Robert's Bay. My wife Christine Klopfer and I went out to Myakka Lake on Sunday morning. Fishing was fair, we caught crappie, bluegill, and bullhead using black Beetlespins. For an hour or so we had a manatee following us and kept rubbing his back on the bottom of the boat. Then on Monday a client caught sheepshead on whitebait and a 4' gar in Phillippi Creek. Strange. Bluegill action was very good later in the week using black Beetlespins and flies.
Dennis Dickenson and his friend Richard Leferink who was in town from Montana went out on Monday for a 6 hour trip. We started at at dawn in a light drizzle catching speckled trout to 17" and ladyfish on Gulp! Shrimp under a cork on a shallow bar near Big Pass. Action slowed a bit and bait was thick so I tossed the net and loaded the well. For the next couple of hours the action was non-stop free lining live baitfish on the deep edge of a flat near Bird Key. A dozen Spanish mackerel (one was almost four pounds), a bunch of speckled trout, ladyfish, jack crevelle, gag grouper, mangrove snapper, and catfish kept the rods bent constantly. We decided to try for snook and reds, so I headed to Robert's Bay. Action was fair, they landed several snook, one decent one around 25". We finished up in Phillippi Creek catching sheepshead, snook, mangrove snapper to 12", a big gar, and on the last cast Dennis caught a 20" redfish to complete his "inshore slam" Great morning with a couple of great guys!
Keith Daniels, his son Jonathan and his Jon's friend Seth Hounshell from Mentor, KY fished with me mid-week and did well using live baitfish on the deep flats near Big Pass and Bird Key. Speckled trout to 22" and Spanish mackerel to 3 pounds went in the box, along with catch and release action on short trout, ladyfish, jacks, gag grouper, and snapper.
I was back out at Myakka Lake on Thursday and Friday; the bluegill bit like crazy! Black beetlespins produced a bunch of hand-sized 'gills and small bass. CB's Saltwater Outfitters associate Tim Palmer caught bluegill and his first largemouth bass flyfishing. They hit a #10 black Wooly Bugger.
On Saturday Bryce Wadsworth from Lehi, UT took out 3 of his kids Bridger (11), Coleman (15), and McKenzie (17). despite breezy conditions, the action was non-stop for several hours at Marker # 5. They caught trout to 18", Spanish mackerel to 3 pounds, jacks, ladyfish, grouper, snapper, sea bass, and catfish free lining pilchards. The wind finally ran us off and we finished up on a bar in Robert's Bay, where Coleman caught a trout and a small snook.
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