Sarasota Fishing Report Capt Jim Klopfer 10/20/2012
Capt. Jim Klopfer
October 20, 2012
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing remained excellent in Sarasota Bay near Big Pass and in Robert's Bay. Bait is plentiful and easy to catch, so I have been loading up and chumming with very good results. The deep flats near Big Pass continue to produce good numbers of Spanish mackerel, along with speckled trout, jack crevelle, bluefish, ladyfish, gag grouper, sea bass, mangrove snapper, and other species. The docks and mangrove shorelines in Robert's Bay are producing increasing numbers of snook along with big jacks and redfish.
On Sunday morning Cody Miller and his girlfriend Jennifer Vogel from Tampa, FL went out to do a little spin and fly fishing. We started off ot Marker # 5 catching speckled trout, jacks, and ladyfish on live baitfish and jigs. We moved over to a flat near the Ringling Bridge and got into some Spanish mackerel to 2 1/2 pounds. The breeze picked up so we moved into the Yacht Club Channel and Cody caught a nice mackerel on a chartreuse/white Clouser and Jennifer caught several speckled trout using a white Crystal Minnow. We ran out on the beach but nothing was happening so we called it a morning.
Fly fisherman David Morgan from Chevy Chase MD went out with me on Monday morning. We started out catching ladyfish, jacks, and a bluefish on D.T. specials at Marker # 5. David wanted to try for snook, so we hit some bars and mangrove shorelines, but no luck. We fished up back catching ladyfish and then ran into a school of jacks on the way back in.
Kirk Horn and his dad Bob from Columbus, OH had a very good trip. I loaded up on bait and hit a deep edge near Bird Key. We basically caught fish steadily for 2 1/2 hours at that spot, landing Spanish mackerel to 3 pounds, speckled trout to 16", silver trout to 12", mangrove snapper, and ladyfish on free lined bait. With a half hour to go, we decided to try for something else and fished a canal on the east side of Siesta Key. The move paid off with a snook, a pair of jacks to 5 pounds, and a 16" flounder.
Diane and Gordon Skeel from Clinton, IL did very well on the flats near Bird Key. Spanish mackerel to 3 pounds, speckled trout to 19", jack crevelle, gag grouper, mangrove snapper, and ladyfish kept the rods bent using live pilchards. We decided to try for snook since I had some really big pilchards left in the well and it paid off. Diane caught a 22" snook on her second cast and they both landed another half dozen along with a jack fishing in Robert's Bay.
Sarasota resident Bonnie Czepiel and her brother Dan caught bluefish, spanish mackerel, speckled trout, jacks, snapper, and ladyfish at Marker #5 using free lined pilchards. Dan had a 5" shark eat a bait right at the boat before it took off and cut the line.
Bill Schmidt and Ewell Eubanks from The Villiages in north Florida had a terrific trip. Bait was a little hard to get, and I did not get a lot, but it was enough. I anchored up near Bird Key and they caught 40 Spanish mackerel along with a few trout, ladyfish, jacks, and snapper. The macks ate just about every bait as soon as it hit the water. With an hour to go we decided to go snook fishing. Bill caught a red and a pair of snook to complete his "inshore slam" and Ewell caught several decent snook.
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