Sarasota Fishing Report Capt Jim Klopfer 6/15/2013
Capt. Jim Klopfer
June 15, 2013
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing was steady this week in Sarasota Bay after Tropical Storm Andrea passed through. The deep flats near the Moorings, Bishop's Pt., and Buttonwood were best for me, the water near the passes was still a bit churned up. Gulp! Shrimp on a 1/4 ounce jig head produced the best results; pinfish are thick making live shrimp more difficult to use. Still no white bait on the flats. Speckled trout to 24", bluefish to 3 pounds, Spanish mackerel, flounder to 16", silver trout, black sea bass to 14", jack crevelle, ladyfish, and sailcats were caught this week on charters.
James Marsh had his nephew Jason Easton in town from Hampstead, MD and went fishing on Sunday. I had not been out for several days due to Tropical Storm Andrea, but was pleasantly surprised to see the water in decent shape. It got cleaner as I worked away from the passes. Marina Jack and Marker #5 and #6 were a bit slow though Jason did catch an 18" trout there. Action was better up near the Mooring as they landed speckled trout to 20", silver trout to 14", a nice fat 15" flounder, and ladyfish using Gulp! Shrimp.
Fishing was steady on Monday for Ed Herman and his two sons Drew (21) and David (17) from Columbus, OH. Using Gulp! Shrimp on jig heads along the west side of Sarasota Bay from the Moorings up to Helicopter Shoal, the boys landed several bluefish to 3 pounds, speckled trout to 23", Spanish mackerel, jack crevelle, and ladyfish. They kept a couple of blues, the mackerel, and two 18" trout for dinner, releasing the big trout to make babies, I never kill trout over 20" if I can help it.
Sarasota residents Drew Peterson and his dad Renno went out on Tuesday. The focus was more on learning spots than on just catching fish, so I gave them the "grand tour" of the area from Big Pass north. Drew caught speckled trout, jacks, sailcats, and ladyfish on Gulp! Shrimp while Renno landed speckled trout, silver trout, a Spanish mackerel, jack crevelle, and ladyfish casting chartreuse and dark green Clouser Minnows on his fly rod.
Kim Maxwell, Leo Cyrus, and Joe Parker had a good trip on Wednesday. Using Gulp! Shrimp on 1/4 ounce Cotee jig heads at the Moorings, Bishop's Pt., Helicopter Shoal, and Buttonwood, the boys put several speckled trout to 24", two flounder to 17", bluefish, and a croaker in the box along with steady catch-and-release action on smaller trout, jacks, and ladyfish.
Fishing slowed a bit for me towards the end of the week, tides were less than ideal. Still, action was steady, though unspectacular. Paul Trabel and his son Eric from Indiana put several slot trout in the cooler for dinner along with a nice black sea bass free lining live shrimp near Bird Key. They also released undersized trout, ladyfish, jacks, and catfish.
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