Good Snook & Flats Action in Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor
Capt. Rick Grassett
September 28, 2015
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
I was away on a family vacation during the week of 9/12 so I don't have a Sarasota fishing report for that week. However, I had a chance to fly fish the "low country" in the Charleston, SC area for reds a couple of days. My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE and I fished with a couple of guide friends of mine, Capt. Mark Phelps (shorethangcharters.com) and Capt. John Irwin (flyrightcharters.com) and caught and released several reds on flies.
It was great to fish a new area and experience their style of fishing reds in shallow water. With tides of 6' or more, timing is everything and these guys know their area well. We had a very small window each day when a high tide flooded spartina grass flats and reds tailed and crawled through the grass eating crabs. This is the opposite of tailing reds in southwest Florida where they tail on negative low tides. When the tide dropped, schools of reds cruised shorelines eating shrimp being sucked out of the marsh by the falling tide. The Charleston area is rich in history with great food and fishing!
Back in Sarasota anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, redfish, trout and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay on flies and snook, trout and flounder in Gasparilla Sound on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms during the past week.
Steve Kost, from Lakewood Ranch, FL, fished a pre-dawn snook/flats trip with me in Sarasota Bay on Tuesday, 9/22. He caught and released 5 or 6 snook and a red on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly before daylight, then we moved to the flats where he finished his slam with a few trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Stephen Liska, from Naples, FL, fished the backcountry of Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Thursday, 9/24. They caught and released a few trout, snook and a flounder on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. Many of the fish that we caught had a golden hue due to the dark, tannic water in that area.
Lynn Skipper, from Apollo Beach, FL, fished a pre-dawn snook/flats trip with me on Saturday morning, 9/26. He caught and released snook, trout and Spanish mackerel on my Grassett Snook Minnow and Clouser flies.
Fall is here and action will heat up as days get shorter and water cools down. False albacore should be a good option in the coastal gulf especially after another front cools the water and schools baitfish up. Snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges close to passes with flies and DOA Lures should also be a good option. Tarpon are moving to inside waters of Sarasota Bay, where you may find them around lighted docks and bridges, in passes or in canals and creeks. You may find trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and jacks on deep grass flats, particularly close to passes. Look for reds, snook and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats and edges of bars.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for October 2015
The flats of Sarasota Bay and the coastal Gulf of Mexico will turn on this month. Schools of reds will break up and scatter on shallow flats. There should be good action with snook and trout in Sarasota Bay. Snook will gorge themselves at night around lighted docks in the ICW. There will also be good action in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), tripletail and cobia. You might also still find tarpon anywhere from upper Charlotte Harbor to along the beaches.
Snook will move from passes and the surf as water temperature cools and days get shorter. They will stage around docks and bridges in the ICW and along sand bars, potholes and along mangrove shorelines. They may blow up on top water plugs or fly poppers in shallow water early or late in the day. CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms or DOA shrimp should work well around docks and bridges and on shallow flats. The 4" CAL shad tail should work very well on the flats since larger baits will be prevalent there. I like larger flies, like Lefty's Deceiver and EP flies, for snook on the flats for the same reason. Fly anglers should also score with small white flies or Gurglers around lighted docks and bridge fenders. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.
Tarpon will still be an option this month. I find them in upper Charlotte Harbor this time of year. Look for them feeding in ladyfish schools or rolling in deep water to find them. DOA Baitbusters and Swimming Mullet are my top producing lures for large tarpon. Fly anglers should score with many of the same flies that work for sight casting to them along the beaches. I use 12-wt fly tackle with a floating or clear intermediate sink tip line for large tarpon. You'll also find juvenile tarpon from 10 to 30-pounds in many creeks and canals of the Peace or Myakka Rivers. Spin anglers should score with DOA Shrimp or TerrorEyz on snook tackle. Fly anglers can handle the smaller fish on 8 or 9-wt fly rods with fast sinking fly lines and a scaled down version of any fly that large tarpon will eat. I've also found tarpon feeding heavily in the coastal gulf in October. They are usually scattered over a broad area, feeding and "blowing up" in bait schools. This "reverse migration" may only last for a few days but it can be really good!
Big schools of reds that were more common in August and September will break up into smaller schools, singles and doubles by the end of the month. As water cools and baitfish school up, reds will feed in shallow water. I like to pole my flats skiff to hunt for reds in shallow water. Focus on baitfish or mullet schools to find reds. CAL jigs with shad tails, including the 4" CAL shad tail, DOA Baitbusters or Airheads are some of my favorite lures to locate reds with. If the tide is very low, weedless-rigged CAL shad tails and Airheads or DOA shrimp rigged backwards will work well in the thick turtle grass. Once I've located fish, wading is often the best way to approach them when fly fishing. I like a long leader (12') on a floating fly line with a lightly weighted fly with a weed guard, like my Grassett Flats Minnow. When you have good sunlight, you may be able to sight fish them on light colored bottom, like sandbars or potholes.
You'll also find big trout in many of the same areas in shallow water. I would approach locating big trout the same way as reds. Focus on baitfish or mullet schools to find them and use the same lures and flies to catch them. Some of the best action that I've experienced with big trout was at first light with big trout feeding in baitfish schools in very shallow water.
You'll find trout of all sizes on deep grass flats. Wherever there are small trout, there may be a few "gators" around since big trout will eat small ones. Mixed with trout there should also be blues, Spanish mackerel or pompano. In addition to focusing on bait and birds, I like to drift and cast ahead of the drift with CAL jigs and shad tails or DOA Deadly Combos or a lightly weighted fly on a sink tip fly line to find fish. When toothy fish are around add 6"of heavy fluorocarbon (60-lb) or wire to prevent cut offs. You may find tripletail or cobia around buoys, crab trap floats or channel markers in inside waters or the coastal gulf. A DOA shrimp or CAL jig with a shad tail will work well for tripletail. Fly anglers should score with lightly weighted flies with a weed guard. A DOA Baitbuster, 4" CAL shad or Airhead on 20 to 30-pound class spinning tackle or a wide profile tarpon fly on a minimum of 9-weight fly tackle will get the job done with cobia.
Look for Spanish and king mackerel or false albacore in the coastal gulf. I look for diving terns or "breaking" fish to find them. Once you've located feeding fish, a CAL jig with a shad tail or jerk worm or a size specific top water plug will work well for spin anglers. Fly anglers should score with olive, chartreuse or white flies, poppers and Crease flies. You'll need wire or heavy fluorocarbon when mackerel are in the mix. You may also find a few kings around the edges of feeding frenzies. I don't usually target kings, but I will catch a few when fishing breaking mackerel or albies. You can also look for tripletail or cobia around crab trap floats, buoys or channel markers while searching for mackerel or albies in the coastal gulf.
October is one of my favorite months. It's nice to do something different, so I like to fish the coastal gulf for mackerel, false albacore, tripletail and cobia when conditions are good. There will also be good action on shallow flats of Sarasota Bay with reds, trout and snook or tarpon of all sizes in upper Charlotte Harbor. Night snook fishing in the ICW heats up as the water cools down. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Target Species:
snook, reds, trout, tarpon, bluefish, false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel
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