Little Tunny & Spanish Mackerel Action Hot in Tampa Bay
Capt. Rick Grassett
September 22, 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 a variety of species during the past 10 days. Fly anglers caught and released snook, trout, bluefish, little tunny (false albacore), Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish. Spin anglers also got in on the action catching and releasing snook.
Frank Angelona, from Oak Hill, WV, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tues, Sept. 15th. He caught and released trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line near Buttonwood Harbor.
Jeff Bell, from Sarasota, FL and his son, Tom Bell, just back from a tour of duty in Iraq, snook fished with me in "snook alley" near Venice before dawn on Saturday morning. We found snook feeding selectively on glass minnows and small shrimp. They caught and released 5 or 6 snook to 23" on DOA Tiny TerrorEyz and CAL jigs with jerk worms. Jim and Angela Labauve, from Tuscaloosa, AL, fished the same area with me on Sunday morning. Snook were even pickier than the day before, but they caught and released 2 or 3 snook on my Grassett's Snook Minnow fly.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I fished Tampa Bay on Monday, 9/21. We fished Tampa Bay near Egmont Key and found schools of Spanish mackerel and little tunny (false albacore) marauding bait schools. We caught and released 8 or 10 little tunny and about a dozen Spanish mackerel on Grassett's Snook Minnow, Ultra Hair Clousers, Crease flies and Bubblehead poppers. Fish fed throughout the entire incoming tide and we left them biting after 3 PM. A great day!
Action should improve on both flats and in the coastal gulf as days continue to get shorter and the water cools. Snook usually feed more aggressively as we head into fall and deep flats should have plenty of action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
www.flyfishingflorida.net
Sarasota Fishing Forecast:
Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Forecast for October 2009
October is a month of transition as many species of fish will be on the move this month. Snook will be moving from the surf into bays as days get shorter and the water cools slightly. King mackerel, Spanish mackerel and cobia will be migrating south through our area as they follow baitfish schools also moving south. Tarpon may also get in on the action as they have one more feeding frenzy before heading offshore. Reds should still be schooling early in the month and reds and trout will spend more time feeding on shallow grass flats later in the month.
Tarpon may still be available during October. Migratory fish may feed heavily as they prepare for their journey away from here. Last October there was a huge feeding frenzy off Siesta Key for a couple of days as tarpon gorged themselves on glass minnow schools. You may also find them in the upper reaches of Charlotte Harbor where they will feed in ladyfish schools. Look for birds and surface activity to find them. Juvenile tarpon will still be around this month, particularly in Peace River canals in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Look for them rolling on the surface in deep canals and turning basins. You should also find them around bridges at first light in the morning. I do best with plastic baits and flies fished on fast sinking fly lines.
Snook will be moving from the surf into bays as days get shorter and the water temperature cools. As long as the water temperature is above 75 degrees there will be some snook still in the surf. It is a gradual transition, with a few snook moving with each cold front. One of the prime areas to catch them in October will be around lighted docks and bridges, where they will feed on small baits. I do best when fishing docks and bridges with small white flies, like my Grassett's Snook Minnow, and plastic baits. I like the area from south Sarasota to Venice for snook in the ICW at night. This is also a good month for top water action. I like to cast surface walking plugs and fly poppers or Gurglers around sand bars and potholes for snook in October. North Sarasota Bay has some great areas for fall snook fishing.
Reds will still be schooling early in the month. Look for wakes or patches of nervous (or slick) water to find them. If there is a ripple on the water, a school of reds may look like a slick spot or vice versa. Later in the month, reds will break out of their schools and scatter on the flats. I actually prefer this type of fishing as opposed to large schools, since you may have more opportunities to catch them. Finding a big school of reds is exciting, but you may only get one or two shots at them before they disappear. If you spook one of them, you may spook them all. Later in the month focus on potholes and sandbars to find reds. When the tide is high, they should be higher on the flats or along mangrove shorelines. As the tide falls, look for them in potholes and sand bar edges. I like to cover water with jigs and shad tails to find them. Fly anglers can do the same thing with weighted flies, such as Clousers or my Grassett's Flats Minnow.
Trout will also be more active in October as the water cools. "Gator" trout may be found in shallow water early and late in the day. After that, the best trout action will be on deep grass flats. Look for flats that have a good tidal flow and a mix of grass and sand. I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with a jig, a clacker float with a plastic shrimp under it or a weighted fly on a sink tip fly line. I make a series of drifts across a flat to locate them and then shorten my drift. North Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound are among my favorite areas for reds and trout. You should also find bluefish, Spanish mackerel or pompano in the same areas. Pompano may "skip" on the surface giving their presence away. Whenever this happens, I will circle around and drift back across the area casting a jig or fly ahead of my drift. You may need to add heavy fluorocarbon or wire when blues and Spanish mackerel are plentiful.
You might also find Spanish and king mackerel, cobia, blues and little tunny in the coastal gulf. Look for diving birds or surface activity to find them and cast around the edges of schools with jigs and weighted flies. You might also get them to strike top water plugs and fly poppers. Be careful that you don't spook them by getting too close with your boat. The best technique is to watch which direction the birds are moving and set up ahead of them. If you drive your boat through a school of breaking fish it will put them down and end the action. In the absence of surface activity, you might try drifting over one of the many artificial reefs in the area.
October is one of my favorite months, particularly towards the end of the month. Many species of fish will be on the move. I like to fish the coastal gulf when conditions are good or target reds, trout and snook in bays. You might consider fishing the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association "Fall Fly Fishing Challenge" on Oct. 31st. It is a fun, low-stress fly fishing tournament with divisions for pros and amateurs. Anglers will fish with flies only for multiple species in a catch-photo-release format. Contact me for more information. 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, trout, reds, tarpon, Spanish mackerel, little tunny, bluefish and more
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