Sarasota fishing report Capt Jim Klopfer 1/2/2016
Capt. Jim Klopfer
January 2, 2016
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Both the weather and the fishing were outstanding in Sarasota this week for our Christmas holiday visitors. Sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 80s made for excellent conditions to catch fish! A variety of species were taken using different techniques in various locations. Schools of good-sized jack crevelle were seen breaking on the surface near Big Pass and further south along Siesta Key and greedily took a jig cast in front of them. Speckled trout to 18", bluefish to 3 pounds, Spanish mackerel to 2 pounds, cobia to 31", pompano, jacks, grouper, sea bass, and ladyfish hit Bass Assassin jigs and free lined live shrimp at the Midlegrounds, in Big Pass, and the nearby flats. Sheepshead, grouper, snapper, and Key West grunts hit shrimp fished on the bottom on ledges in Big Pass. Snook and largemouth bass hit gold/blue Clouser patterns for anglers fly fishing in the Myakka River.
I started off my week on Monday with a fun and productive charter with Dan Koening from Chicago, his father-in-law Bob Widman, and children Oliver and Sylvia. I ran to Big Pass, which is a good place to start, especially with inexperienced clients. Action was steady, mostly large ladyfish, but a few jacks, a mackerel, and a sheepshead mixed in. After several hours, I made a move and came across a school of jacks ravaging baitfish on the surface. The gang landed several on Bass Assassin jigs and live shrimp, lost a couple more, and also caught a nice Spanish mackerel, and 18" speckled trout, gag grouper, and ladyfish.
Peggy Heaslip from Osprey, FL had her son Alex and his girlfriend Jen in town and decided to go fishing. Action was good in Big Pass to start off, mostly ladyfish, then we moved in search of other species. The bite was slow until right near the end when Jen landed a 31" cobia on a red/gold Bass Assassin Sea Shad. Nice fish!!
Brothers Paul and Dan Ruzumna joined me for a little fly fishing in the Myakka River. They experienced fair action, landing several snook and bass casting gold and blue Clouser Minnow flies.
I spent the last day of 2015 fishing with Maria and Jeff Manby from Brookfield, WI and their teenage daughters Julia and Abby. Jeff started things off with a nice jack crevelle in shallow water near Bird Key and the girls lost a couple more. We moved deeper and caught a bunch of ladyfish and a few sea bass. We finished up in Big Pass with a steady bite on ladies, blue runners, mackerel, and sea bass. They landed 56 fish total and lost a bunch more.
Phil Cox from Arkansas took several of his family members, son, grandsons, son-in-law, out on a charter on New Years Day. We started off in big Pass, catching some decent ladyfish before the dolphins moved in and shut down the bite. We did well at the Middlegrounds casting Bass Assassin jigs and free lining shrimp. Pompano, bluefish, ladyfish, and Spanish mackerel provided steady action.
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