Snook & Trout Best Bets in Sarasota
Capt. Rick Grassett
July 7, 2009
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had action with tarpon, snook and trout during the past couple of weeks. A persistent west wind has forced us to fish in areas other than the coastal gulf. Although we spent some time fishing bridges and passes for large tarpon, the best tarpon action was with juvenile tarpon from 10 to 35-pounds in canals. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay with me had good action with snook before dawn and trout on deep grass flats.
Wayne Dedyne, from MI, and his friend, Paul Broughton, fished canals in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda with me on Monday, 6/22. Since fishing the coastal gulf was not an option due to west winds, we chose to target smaller tarpon with lighter tackle. Wayne had the hot hand that day with a pair of fish jumped and one landed, a 35-pounder. Both fish ate rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz fished slowly along the bottom.
Tuesday was blown out so fly angler Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, bumped back to Wednesday due to a cancellation that day. Since Hal was fishing the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club All-Release tarpon tournament, big tarpon were our target. He already has a good one entered in the fly fishing division of the tournament and was hoping to upgrade, but it wasn't in the cards that day. We fished shallow water near the mouth of the Manatee River and only had a few shots.
Dan Bryant and his young son, Adam, both from NJ, fished with me on Friday and Saturday. We drifted big Pass early each day and had no bites. They jumped a pair of fish in the 10 to 20-pound class in a basin with live pinfish, but we couldn't get it going with the larger fish.
Craig Notari and his son, James, both from IL, tarpon fished with me on Monday. We targeted large tarpon early and moved to the flats later in the morning due to no tarpon action. James tried his hand at fly fishing and did well, catching and releasing several trout to 18" on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Double hauling can be challenging for beginners, but James grasped the concept and was successfully double hauling before the end of our trip.
I was blown out of tarpon fishing a couple of more days on Tuesday and Wednesday, but was back on the water on Thursday morning with Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL. We fished lighted docks along Siesta Key before dawn and caught and released 6 or 7 snook to 6-pounds on my Grassett's Snook Minnow fly. Mark Torkos and sons, Evan and Ross, from Jacksonville, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. They had fast action near Buttonwood Harbor with trout to 3-pounds on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.
When the wind decides to switch back to the east and allows us to fish the coastal gulf, we should have some great tarpon action remaining during the month of July. Although tarpon schools will be smaller and will require different fishing techniques, they usually feed better after they have finished spawning.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Southwest Florida Fishing Forecast for July 2009
The early bird gets the worm this month. With afternoon heat and thunderstorms an issue, the best action will begin before dawn with snook around dock and bridge fender lights and on the flats for reds and trout early in the day. Snook will also be an option in the surf and late season tarpon action will continue into mid day.
Tarpon schools will thin out towards the end of the month as they finish spawning and move to inside waters. You'll find them around bridges and on deep grass flats towards the end of the month in Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound. Some of the best tarpon fishing of the season is in July. Since they are finished spawning, their focus changes to feeding. Singles, doubles and small schools will still prowl the coastal gulf and inside flats and they are more eager to eat than the large early season schools. Look for fish rolling on the surface at dawn or cruising along the beach later in the day.
Juvenile tarpon are also a good option this month. You'll find them mixed with larger fish around bridges or in creeks and canals. Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda has miles of canals and many of them hold tarpon from 10 to 30-pounds. Look for fish rolling on the surface and cast plastic baits or flies to them. A DOA TerorEyz worked slowly along the bottom is my favorite bait on spinning tackle in those areas. I've done best when fly fishing with fast sinking fly lines and Tarpon Bunnies and Enrico Puglisi flies. These flies can be stripped slowly near the bottom and still have lots of action. Even though fish are rolling at the surface, I have the best success catching them close to the bottom.
Snook season remains closed during July, so any snook caught must be immediately released. Use tackle that is heavy enough to land them quickly so they won't be stressed and will have the best chance for survival. Walking the beach in the morning and sight casting to snook in the surf is a great option. You'll find snook on many beaches cruising in the trough that starts where the water touches sand and goes out for about 10 feet. This is almost like fishing for bonefish on a gin, clear Caribbean flat. Jigs, plastic baits and small white flies will all work well. It is much easier to put a few lures or flies in your pocket and walk up the beach rather than worry with live bait. A top water plug cast along seawall or on flats close to passes early in the day is another good choice for snook.
You'll also find snook around lighted docks and bridges, especially those close to passes, before dawn. They may be mixed with tarpon around bridges, so be ready for a big fish when targeting snook in those areas. The same lures and flies used for snook in the surf will also work well in the dark around lighted docks and bridges. The area from Sarasota to Venice is my favorite area for snook in the ICW and there are also several good beaches for snook in that area.
You'll find the biggest trout in skinny water at dawn. There will be a narrow window of opportunity before they retreat to deeper water. Look for bait activity around sand and oyster bars at dawn and cast surface walking plugs, fly poppers and Gurglers to them. You will see the activity taper off as it gets lighter. You'll find trout on deep grass flats later in the day where they will be more easily targeted with jigs and flies on sinking fly lines. A plastic shrimp under a "clacker" float is a great combination and works very well for trout on deep grass flats.
Reds will also be found on shallow flats early in the day. They may also be affected by heat at midday and go to deeper water like trout. When the tide is high they may be along mangrove shorelines or around oyster bars. When the tide drops, you'll find them in potholes or along drop offs next to sand or oyster bars. When heat becomes an issue, docks are a good place to find reds. You'll find certain docks that hold reds, usually ones with deep water and good tidal flow. Top water plugs and fly poppers are good choices to use in shallow water early in the day, but jigs and lightly weighted flies, such as Grassett's Flats Minnow or Clousers, will also work well. Some of my favorite areas for trout and reds are in north Sarasota Bay. With 3 passes that flush the bay, water quality remains good even after afternoon showers become frequent.
You may also find bluefish, pompano, jacks or ladyfish on deep grass flats. Cast top water plugs or fly poppers early in the day to make jacks and blues show themselves and jigs or Clouser flies later in the day. I like to make a series of drifts, casting ahead of my drift, to locate fish. Once you've located them you can shorten your drift and zero in on them. You might also find cobia, tripletail or little tunny in the coastal gulf. Be alert for these species when tarpon fishing. I have found cobia swimming with tarpon schools or following rays while I was targeting tarpon in the coastal gulf. Tripletail may be found around crab trap floats or buoys in both the coastal gulf and Sarasota Bay. They may not always be right at the surface, so look for them a few feet down too. With plentiful bait in the coastal gulf, little tunny could also show up at any time. If you have some lighter tackle rigged and ready, you may be able to take advantage of opportunities as they pop up. There probably isn't enough time to get rigged up after you've seen them, so be ready.
There are plenty of options this month. I like to stick with tarpon until they thin out and then concentrate my efforts on inside waters. Afternoon heat will be an issue for everything except tarpon, so starting and ending your day early may work best. Whatever you choose to do, remember to always limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Target Species:
Tarpon, reds, snook, trout, bluefish, pompano, cobia, tripletail, little tunny
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