Captain's Weekly Fishing Report

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota Bay & Gasparilla Sound, FL Fishing Report for 1/29/2011

Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout during the past week. In addition to trout, we also caught and released reds on one trip. A front moved through early in the week forcing the cancellation of a couple of days due to winds in the mid 20 mph range.

Tom Wright, from Sarasota, FL, and his brother, Frank Wright, from Columbus, OH, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me on Monday afternoon. They had steady action with trout, catching and releasing more than 30 trout to 17” on CAL jigs with shad tails. We fished a trough along a spoil bar to catch most of the fish. The next couple of days were blown out as 20 to 25-mph winds whipped the water. On Thursday the water looked like coffee with cream in Gasparilla Sound when Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his cousin, Jack McCulloch from Englewood, FL fished with me. Although the water was churned up in open areas, it was very clear in the backcountry. They caught and released more than 20 trout to 18”, with about half of them in the slot, and five small reds on CAL jigs with shad tails.

Sarasota winter residents Nick Reding and Mike Perez fished north Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We waded all day, fishing potholes and drop offs and it was slow due to cold water. However, they did catch and release a few quality trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow and Clouser flies.

Next week’s negative low tides as we approach a new moon on Feb. 3rd should concentrate reds and trout in potholes and deep areas. However, afternoons may fish better due to warmer water.

Capt. Jim Klopfer's Fishing Report for 1/29/2011

I did not get out every day this week due to the weather, but on the days that I did, fishing was outstanding! It really illustrates the need to be flexible this time of year, in terms of both technique and taking advantage of "windows" in the weather.

On Monday the Hall family from St Charles, Illinois fished with me, Steve, his wife and young children caught an 18" and 16" trout, along with several sheepshead to 3 pounds and loads of ladyfish and smaller trout fishing bars near Midnight Pass with live shrimp.

Thursday afternoon I took out Bill Tully and his son Doug from Dayton, Ohio. We left CB's Saltwater Outfitters at 11:00 a.m., and never went two miles from there. Doug caught a "Slam", trout, reds, and snook fishing oyster bars, creeks, and canals on Siesta Key, along with sheepies and ladyfish. The trout and reds hit shrimp while gold and olive Rapala X-Raps fooled a half dozen snook.

On Saturday I took out Andy Radkins and a couple of friends of his from Michigan. We started off catching redfish, flounder, speckled trout to 18", and ladyfish on "New Penny" 3" Gulp! Shrimp on the flats and bars near Vamo and Hidden Harbor. Later in the day, we found a bunch of fish schooled up in a hole in a residential canal near Stickney Pt. We caught 4 trout around 25", a dozen sheepshead to 2 pounds, two small reds and a bunch of ladyfish on free lined live shrimp.

Captain's Monthly Fishing Forecast

Capt. Rick Grassett's Fishing Forecast for February 2011

You might find trout, reds and snook in rivers, creeks and canals this month. They may sneak out onto grass flats and around bars to feed on sunny afternoons. You’ll also find snook in the ICW at night feeding on glass minnows and small shrimp. If the weather isn’t too harsh, you might also find pompano on grass flats and around bars and drop offs this month. Sheepshead should be plentiful around docks and oyster bars and they are a good cool weather option. It’s always worth a look in the coastal gulf in February when conditions are good for tripletail, little tunny, blues or more.

Snook season remains closed this month, so handle them gently. Use tackle that is heavy enough to catch and release them quickly. The ICW from Sarasota down through Englewood offers a lot of protection from blasts of cold air and plenty of food for snook during the winter. I use small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, and CAL jigs when they are feeding on glass minnows and fly poppers or Gurglers when they are eating shrimp near the surface. I try to use good judgment when catch and release snook fishing in the winter. If the water temperature dips into the 50’s, their survivability is questionable, so that’s not a good time to target them. However, there may be good action during warm ups between fronts.

You’ll also find snook in rivers, creeks and canals this month. They may be around docks or in deep spots such as bends or channels. They may feed on larger baits such as finger mullet, pinfish or killifish (mud minnows) in these areas. Larger profile baits such as CAL jigs, DOA Baitbusters or barred flies such as Kwans or EP flies will work well in these areas especially on a sunny afternoon.

Trout may be found on deep grass flats, in channels, potholes or on drop-offs along the edges of bars and flats in February. They will drop into potholes and drop-offs along the edges of flats or bars when the tide is low. The negative low tides from Feb. 1-5 and 14-19 should be particularly good. You may find them in skinny water over shallow grass when the tide is high on a sunny afternoon. On deep grass flats, I like to drift and cast ahead of my drift with CAL jigs or weighted flies, like my Grassett Deep Flats Bunny-a new fly in the Orvis catalog for 2011, on sinking fly lines to locate fish. In deep water, you may need to crawl your jig or fly along the bottom to get a bite. Once you’ve located fish you can shorten your drift or anchor up on them.

Reds may be found in some of the same areas as trout this month. They will concentrate in potholes or edges of bars and flats when the tide is low. They will feed up onto shallow grass flats as the tide rises, particularly on a sunny afternoon. They may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound on the negative low tides mentioned earlier. They will occasionally tail in areas of north Sarasota Bay or lower Tampa Bay, but usually not to the extent that they do in Gasparilla Sound. Use weedless-rigged plastic baits or flies with weed guards that suspend or sink slowly when targeting tailing reds. Cast to them when their tail is in the air and wait for the tail to disappear, which is when they are horizontal and searching for food, and then move your plastic bait or fly slightly. Docks are another area that you may find reds in February. Look for docks that are crusty, with a lot of barnacle and oyster growth, have deep water and good tidal flow to find fish. Heavier jigs or weighted flies cast under a dock should work fine in these areas. I prefer north Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound for reds and trout in February.

You might also find blues, flounder, pompano, jacks and ladyfish on deep grass flats this month and the techniques would be the same as when trout fishing. Pompano may skip on the surface making their presence known, so when this happens, circle around up wind and drift the area, casting ahead of your drift. These species may also be found in passes, which will require heavy jigs (3/8 to 1/2 oz) or fast sinking fly lines with weighted flies. Make a series of drifts to locate fish, either jigging vertically as the tide moves your boat or casting perpendicular to the drift with jigs and flies to get them down in the water column.

I like to take a look in the coastal gulf on nice days to see what I might find. Little tunny, blues, jacks and ladyfish are all species you might find. Look for surface activity to find them and then cast jigs or weighted flies on sinking fly lines to them. Tripletail may be found with their nose right against a crab trap float. Make an accurate presentation with a DOA shrimp or a fly that suspends or sinks slowly, like my Grassett Flats Minnow, to catch them. Make your first presentation count, since they are much harder to catch once they know you are there.

If you are interested in learning to fly fish or improving your skills, I will be the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Feb. 19, 2011. Located at 1249 Stickney Point Rd., on Siesta Key in Sarasota, FL the school will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. I will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the school, which will run from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book and lunch. Contact me or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or cbsoutfitters@verizon.net to make reservations.

You can be successful in February if you fish smart. Fish the windows of good conditions between fronts or when fronts are approaching for the best action. Following fronts, sunny afternoons may fish better. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Capt. Jim Klopfer's Fishing Forecast for February 2011

February is the last month of winter here in Sarasota. There will be days when it feels like spring is in the air. But, weather patterns will still be unstable, and fishing will follow suit. Being flexible and understanding how weather affects fish behavior will be the key to angling success this month. On many mornings the tide will be very low, especially with a hard northeast wind following a cold front. Under these conditions, fishing the afternoon high tide is often a better choice. Also avoid the areas near the passes after a blow, the cold and dirty water is not conducive to success.

One species that anglers can count on most every trip in February is sheepshead. They bite better in cold, dirty water than most other species do. Also, redfish, black drum, and flounder will be caught on the same structure and using the same techniques that are effective for sheepies. Basically, any structure will attract sheepshead. From the rocks at the west end to the Siesta Drive Bridge on the east side, the north end of Siesta Key is a great area to fish. Deep water, docks, rocks, seawalls, and rip-rap will attract and hold fish. All of the bridges and docks in both Big Pass and New Pass may hold fish, as well as the docks and oyster bars south to Albee Rd.

The preferred rig is a #1 live bait hook with a 24” piece of 20 lb leader and just enough weight to hold bottom. Live and frozen shrimp, fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and oyster worms are the top baits. Shrimp are the easiest bait to obtain and work great. Sheepshead bite very lightly. Usually, it starts with several light “taps”. It is important not to move the bait at all, the fish will sense that something is wrong. Instead, wait for a steady pull, then reel fast and raise the rod tip sharply.

Casting jigs while drifting with the tide in the passes will be productive when the water is clear. A ¼ oz Cotee jig head with a gold grub tail is a very effective bait. Pompano, bluefish, ladyfish, and maybe an early-arriving Spanish mackerel will be the primary catches. Try the shallow bars and the deeper channels, keep moving until the fish are located, then concentrate drifts on that area.

The deeper grass flats all throughout the area will be productive for speckled trout this month. Incoming tides a couple hours before high tide are usually the best times to fish. Again, avoid the areas around the passes when dirty water is present. The area further south, from CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at Stickney Pt. to Marker #19 in Nokomis, stays protected, resulting in reliable February fishing. Cotee jigs, Rapala suspending plugs, gold spoons, and live shrimp under a popping cork are all effective baits. Pompano, jack crevelle, ladyfish, and bluefish all feed over the deep grass.

Snook will be found in creeks and residential canals, along with redfish, drum, flounder, sheepshead, and jacks. Rapala X-Raps, scented soft plastics, and live shrimp will all produce fished near structure in creeks and canals. A slow presentation will be more productive in the cooler water.

Extreme low tides offer opportunities for anglers who enjoy sight fishing for redfish. The area on the east side, north of Long Bar is very shallow with many small potholes, resulting in idea conditions to find tailing reds. The flats off of the Ringling Mansion and Buttonwood Harbor are also good spots to fish. Scented soft plastic baits, weedless gold spoons, and live shrimp are the preferred baits.

CB's saltwater outfitters
1249 Stickney Point Road on Siesta Key
(at Stickney Point Bridge)
Sarasota, Florida 34242
941-349-4400
http://www.cbsoutfitters.com