Sarasota Fishing Report Capt Jim Klopfer 4/20/2013
Capt. Jim Klopfer
April 20, 2013
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Silver trout fishing was outstanding this week! Although not large (15" is a nice one), they are tasty, aggressive, and put up a good battle for their size. Most of the silvers caught this week hit Gulp! Shrimp. Speckled trout to 20", gag grouper to 14", Spanish mackerel to 2 pounds, jack crevelle, ladyfish, and sailcats hit jigs and live shrimp on the deep grass near Big Pass. Freshwater fishing was good in Lake Manatee; big bluegills and decent catfish hit Beetlespins and live worms.
Saturday afternoon I went out to Lake Manatee and did well on big bluegill, small bass, and a nice catfish using black Beetlespins and live worms. On Sunday Beth Higgins caught speckled trout, silver trout, jacks, and ladyfish using live shrimp and Gulp! Shrimp on the flats near Big Pass. The silver trout bite was hot!
John Spelky, his wife Amy, and daughter Cora (9) had an excellent morning on Wednesday. We started off at Marker #5, catching ladyfish, speckled trout, and jacks on Gulp! and free lined shrimp. They wanted a few fish for dinner, so I headed over to a reliable silver trout spot near Marina Jack; and it did not disappoint. In short order, ten fat silver trout went in the box, most came on jigs. We finished up near Bird Key with Amy catching a Spanish mackerel and the others landing a few trout on shrimp.
Matt Smith and his wife Jessica experienced steady action on Thursday morning. Very seldom did either go more than a few casts without a bite. Casting Glow Gulp! Shrimp over the deep flats near Big Pass resulted in speckled trout to 17 1/2", silver trout to 14", jack crevelle, Spanish mackerel, and ladyfish.
Jim Mitchell from Longboat Key and his brother-in-law charlie Beard from WI had to work a bit harder on Friday. The wind cranked up early, making for tough conditions. the boys caught a pair of slot speckled trout, 20" and 18", several silver trout, ladyfish, jacks, and a gag grouper using gulp! Shrimp and live shrimp before the wind chased us off the water.
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