Trout, Reds and Snook Hot in Sarasota
Capt. Rick Grassett
March 2, 2009
Sarasota - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action the past couple of weeks with reds, snook, trout and bluefish. The fastest action continues to be on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout, bluefish and a few pompano. We also had a few good trips with reds in skinny water and snook at night.
Dick Reece from Dayton, OH and Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished with me a couple of days in Sarasota Bay. They had good action with trout and blues on CAL jigs with shad tails on a trip on Tues, Feb. 17th. They caught and released lots of trout and 5 reds to 24" around oyster bars along a mangrove shoreline in north Sarasota Bay the following week. Sarasota winter residents, Norm and Francie Boardman, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, Feb. 18th. They had steady action with trout to 19" on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails along the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor.
I fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor on Thurs, Feb. 19th with Ismo Uosukainen, from Helsinki, Finland and his two sons. They caught and released trout and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. We spent some time working mangrove shorelines and potholes for reds and snook but a strong wind made it tough. Bob Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, Feb. 20th. We caught and released more than 15 trout to 18" on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Sarasota winter resident, Phil Rever, and his guest, Eric Dobkin from NY, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice on Sunday evening, Feb. 22nd. They caught and released about a dozen snook to 24", a couple of blues and several ladyfish on my Grassett's Snook Minnow fly. Dan Lynch, from Alburg, VT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. He had good action with more than 20 trout to 19" and a pair of reds to 28" on CAL jigs with shad tails near Long Bar. Jordan Hecktman, from Longboat Key, FL and his grandson Joey, from Chicago, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They had good action with trout to 18" and a few blues along the east side of Sarasota Bay on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
I was on the casting pond at the Frank Sargeant Outdoors Expo on Friday afternoon giving a seminar and casting demonstration on "Saltwater Fly Rodding". It is one of the best outdoor shows in the state. It's always good to see old friends and new products. DOA Lures (www.doalures.com) will soon have available a 5 ½" BFL (Big Fish Lure), which is a jointed, soft plastic mullet that swims like the real thing. New from Wang Anchor (www.wanganchor.com) is a quick release surface mounted bracket that will allow their stake out pole to be deployed from anywhere on the boat. The Wang Anchor on my new Action Craft 1720 flats skiff is sweet! It'll quietly stop my boat on a dime in up to 5' of water and weighs almost nothing.
We had another successful Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday. The course is for beginners and intermediate casters and covers basic casting, shooting line, roll casting and more. Students also learned leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Dates for the two remaining schools for 2009 are March 14 and April 4th. Cost for the school, which runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 and includes an instructional video, a textbook, the use of premium Orvis fly tackle and lunch. Contact CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Snook season reopened today after being closed for 3 months and next week's tides will be favorable for fishing the ICW for snook at night. As the water warms, we should also find more snook on shallow flats, particularly on warm, sunny days. Trout, blues and pompano on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay or reds and trout in skinny water should also be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Forecast for March 2009
There should be plenty of action this month. Snook season reopens, trout and reds will become more active on shallow flats as baitfish become more plentiful, migratory species such as Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and cobia should make an appearance and pompano should also be plentiful.
After being closed for the last 3 months on the west coast and in the Keys, snook season reopens on March 1st. March is usually a good month for snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders at night. They will feed primarily on shrimp and glass minnows in the ICW so small flies, plastic baits and live shrimp will work well in that situation. Choose a night with a good tidal flow for the best action. We are still vulnerable to fronts during March, so following a front if there is a significant change in water temperature, it could slow the action. I like to fish the ICW from Sarasota to Venice. Small white flies like Grassett's Snook Minnow, DOA shrimp, live shrimp and jigs with jerk worms or shad tails should all work well.
You'll also find snook more plentiful on shallow grass flats and along sandbars as they move out of rivers, creeks and canals. They may feed on larger baitfish in these areas so wider profile plastic baits and flies, such as Deceivers, Enrico Puglisi flies and Grassett's Flats Minnow should all work for snook on the flats. Lower Tampa Bay, north Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound are all prime areas for spring snook fishing on the flats.
Reds and trout will also spend more time feeding on shallow grass flats due to more plentiful baitfish. When the tide is low, focus on potholes and sandbars. As the tide rises, they will move higher on flats where you'll find them along mangrove shorelines and around oyster bars. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats, particularly in Gasparilla Sound. Although tailing reds are feeding, they can be challenging to catch. Many times they don't see your lure or fly because their head is buried in mud and sea grass as they dig crabs out of the bottom. The key to catching them is to make delicate presentations with flies or cast beyond them with a weedless-rigged plastic bait, "surf" it across the surface of the water and let it drop next to the tailing fish. When the tail disappears, the fish is horizontal and searching for the next morsel. A slight twitch of your lure or fly could draw a big strike! You can also target reds and trout in potholes with jigs or weighted flies.
I have done well with big trout in shallow water at this time of the year. They can be sight-fished in potholes or on the edges of sand bars and spoil islands, but you will need light colored bottom to see them. Cast jigs, weedless-rigged plastic baits or flies to them in these areas. There is nothing better than watching a fish react to your lure or fly as you make that perfect presentation!
Deep grass flats should have plenty of action with trout, ladyfish, bluefish or pompano. Drift deep grass flats and cast ahead of your drift with jigs, flies or DOA Deadly Combos. The combo rig, which consists of a plastic shrimp under a "clacker" float, is very effective. Trout on deep grass flats will usually be smaller than those found in shallow water. However, since big trout may eat smaller ones you will sometimes find a few "gators" around schools of small trout. Pompano may come and go from day to day depending on weather conditions, but deep grass flats or passes are the places that you'll find them. Drift with the tide and jig vertically with pompano jigs that weigh 3/8 oz. or more for pompano in passes.
We should also get some action with Spanish and king mackerel and cobia this month. As the coastal gulf warms to the high 60's and low 70's later in the month, these species will migrate north following baitfish schools. Little tunny (a.k.a. bonito or false albacore) may also be around during March. If baitfish are plentiful along the beach they should be in that area feeding on them, otherwise they might be further offshore. Look for surface activity, such as diving terns or fish "breaking" the surface to find Spanish mackerel and little tunny. They may also have king mackerel or bluefish mixed with them. You will need to use wire or heavy fluorocarbon when targeting toothy fish such as mackerel and blues. Cobia may be found cruising on the surface or hanging around crab trap floats where you can cast flies, plastic baits or live baits to them. In the absence of surface activity, try one of the many artificial reefs or natural hard bottom in our area. You can drift over the structure or anchor on it, but you'll probably need to fish deeper in the water column in these areas.
Tripletail is another species that you may find in the coastal gulf after the water warms to the high 60's or low 70's. I prefer to fish them on a light southeast breeze, which is favorable for them to be close to the surface around crab trap floats or buoys. Once you've found them, cast flies and plastic or live shrimp to them. Try to make your first presentation count since they are much harder to catch once they know you are there.
There are lots of options this month, but weather will still be a big factor. This is a month of transition with migratory species moving north in the coastal gulf and many inshore species moving out of their winter quarters. If you are interested in learning how to fly fish, there is still time to register for the CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on March 14th. I will be the instructor for the course. Call CB's Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to register. 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:
Snook, reds, trout, bluefish, pompano, Spanish mackerel,cobia and tripletail
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