Tripletail, Spanish Mackerel and Trout Good Options in Sarasota
Capt. Rick Grassett
November 30, 2012
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
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 trout and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay and tripletail in the coastal gulf on lures and flies during the past week.
Capt. Chris Myers, of Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters (www.floridafishinglessons.com), fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me on Tuesday. Chris guides in the Mosquito Lagoon area of Florida, focusing on sight fishing for big reds, trout and black drum with lures and flies. He was the speaker at the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers meeting that evening and gave a very nice presentation on fly fishing his area. We fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota for tripletail and found more than a dozen. He caught and released 4 tripletail to 9-pounds on DOA shrimp and my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. The 9-pounder is the largest tripletail caught on my boat so far this fall.
Phil and Brenda Rever, from Sarasota, FL, fished the coastal gulf with me on Wednesday. Conditions weren't great to start, foggy and windy, but by late morning the sun broke out and the wind dropped a little and gave us a chance. We had shots at 7 or 8 tripletail and Phil connected with several of them on my Grassett Flats Minnow and EP flies.
Sarasota winter resident Norm Boardman fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. We fished deep grass flats on the east side of the bay with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly on sink tip fly line. Norm caught and released numerous trout and a couple of Spanish mackerel including a 4-pounder.
Tripletail should remain a good option in the coastal gulf when conditions are good. You should find trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, flounder and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. With water now in the mid 60's, shallow water fishing for reds should also be good. Look for them in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or higher on shallow grass flats at the top of the tide.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Forecast for December 2012
You may find reds along with big trout concentrated in potholes or along the edges of bars when the tide is low in December. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound or lower Tampa Bay when the tide is low. You may also find reds and sheepshead around docks this month. This is a good month for catch and release snook action around lighted docks in the ICW. Some lights will also have trout making it possible to get a dock "slam". There may be good action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), Spanish mackerel and tripletail, particularly early in the month, depending on conditions.
Catch and release snook fishing around lighted docks can be good this month unless it gets too cool. I don't recommend fishing for snook following a strong cold front or if the water dips below 60 degrees. However, it can be very good in December under normal conditions. Larger baitfish will thin out and snook will gorge themselves on glass minnows and small shrimp in the ICW at night. I like docks that have a good tidal flow and deep water under them. CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms or DOA shrimp are my favorite lures for snook at night. Fly anglers should do well with sink tip fly lines and small white flies. Fish peak tidal flows for the fastest action. The ICW between Sarasota and Venice is my favorite area for night snook fishing in December.
Reds may be in potholes or along the edges of flats and bars when the tide is low. They may also tail on shallow grass when the tide is low. Weedless rigged CAL shad tails and jerk worms, DOA shrimp, gold spoons and lightly weighted flies with weed guards will work well in that situation. As the tide rises, reds will spread out and feed on shallow flats. You may also find reds around docks along with sheepshead this month. I usually let the stage of the tide tell me where to look for reds.
You may also find big trout in skinny water this month in many of the same areas where you find reds. The same lures and techniques that I use for reds will also work for trout in the same areas. I release all big trout (over 20") since they are usually females and I feel it is important that they are left in the water as breeders. You should also find trout on deep grass flats this month along with blues, flounder or pompano. Blues may sometimes feed on the surface, so bird activity may give their presence away. Pompano may skip when you drift or run past them and when that happens, circle back upwind and drift through the area casting ahead of your drift. Flounder prefer a mix of sand and grass, particularly in potholes or on the edges of bars. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs and a variety of plastic tails or DOA Deadly Combos. Fly anglers should score with sink tip fly lines and weighted flies, like Clousers or my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny fly, which behaves like a jig with a shad tail. I like the shallow flats of north Sarasota Bay for reds and trout in December and deep grass flats close to passes, on points and along sand bars for trout, blues, flounder and pompano.
There should still be good action in the coastal gulf, particularly early in the month, with Spanish mackerel, blues, false albacore and tripletail. Rough and cold water later in the month will slow the action and move fish south or offshore. Look for terns either diving or hovering low over the surface of the water to find albies, blues and mackerel feeding on the surface. Once you've found them, cast top water plugs or CAL jigs with shad tails to catch them. Fly anglers should score with glass minnow fly patterns, poppers or Crease flies. Sometimes top water plugs or fly poppers will draw fish to the surface, especially over structure. You'll need to add wire or heavy fluorocarbon to your leader when blues and mackerel are around. Look for tripletail around crab trap floats or channel markers. Once you've located a fish, work back into the wind or current with an electric trolling motor to get into casting range and cast live or DOA shrimp, CAL jigs with shad tails or lightly weighted, bulky flies to them. Try to make your first shot count since they are much tougher to catch once they know you're there.
There will be lots of options in December, although fishing becomes more affected by weather. I usually let conditions and the stage of the tide determine when, where and what I will target. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Orvis Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB's Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Target Species:
Reds, trout, snook, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, flounder, tripletail and false albacore
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