Sarasota Fishing Report Capt Jim Klopfer 3/23/2013
Capt. Jim Klopfer
March 23, 2013
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Weather was once again the story this week. Unseasonably cool temperatures and breezy conditions made fishing a little more difficult that it should be for the middle of March. Still, action was good for anglers willing to adapt to the conditions. The sheepshead bite has been very reliable. Small live shrimp fished near structure in Big Pass put meals on the table for clients this week. Speckled trout to 18", big silver trout, ladyfish, and Spanish mackerel provided steady action on the deep flats at the Radio Tower, Moorings, middlegrounds, and Marker #5 for anglers casting jigs, plugs, and flies.
I started the week off with a fly fishing charter. Tom Lade from used an 8 wt outfit and caught a dozen ladyfish and 6 speckled trout. Several of the trout were between 15" and 17". Chartreuse/white Clousers at Marina Jacks and Radio Tower flats caught them.
Bob Siemering and his 18 year old son John from MA went out on Monday morning. There were breaking fish near the Siesta Drive bridge and we caught a few ladyfish first off. Drifts at the middlegrounds, Moorings, and Radio Tower produced some small trout with a pair in the slot, a Spanish mackerel, and plenty of big ladyfish on free lined shrimp. The wind picked up and we finished up with a few more fish near Bird Key then called it a few minutes early with threatening weather on the way.
On Tuesday I ran a group trip will all the other guides out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters with a bunch of people in the generator business. These trips are a lot of fun with some good-natured ribbing involved. Action was steady on speckled trout, silver trout, and ladyfish using jigs and Gulp! Shrimp at Marker #5 and the Radio Tower flats. We also caught a half dozen Spanish mackerel using Rapala X-Raps. Wednesday morning it was raining, so no fishing.
Gino Picciano from Montreal, Canada, his brother Bruno, and son Matt had a decent morning on Thursday. Once again, it was breezy, and they wanted enough for dinner, so we concentrated on docks and stucture in big Pass using shrimp. Ten sheepshead, a pair of mangrove snapper, and a flounder went in the box. We spend a little time on the deep grass and caught ladyfish and speckled trout, including one 17" trout, using jigs.
Brad Mueller and his friend Drew Johnson from Cincinnati, OH had a similar day on Friday. We put fat sheepies in the box, including a nice fish pushing 4 pounds. We fished up with ladyfish, small trout, and several small, but legal mackerel using Glow Gulp! Shrimp.
Rich Ruis from Ann arbor, MI, his son Tom, and a couple of friends had another day like those earlier in the week. We hit the docks early, caught some sheepies, then fished the deep flats and had steady action on speckled trout to 17", a pair of 14" silver trout, and ladyfish using jigs and live shrimp.
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