Captain's Weekly Fishing Report


Capt. Jim Klopfer Fishing Report for 02/04/2012

Despite breezy conditions, fishing was good this week on a variety of species. Silver trout are abundant in the deep dredges areas surrounding Bird Key. Many of them are decent size and they fight three times harder than speckled trout. Jigs will catch a few but fresh shrimp accounted for most of the fish. Bluefish are hitting D.O.A. jigs and Rapala X-Raps in Big Pass.

Local Sarasota resident Steve Martin took out his buddy Bob Pahl from Mn who was in town for a short visit. They landed several bluefish in Big Pass on Rapalas before it got too windy. A move to the flats near Otter Key resulted in keeper flounder, speckled trout, silver trout, whiting and ladyfish on live shrimp.

We had a very good trip on Saturday with the Bruins family from Roslin, Ontario. Dad Rob took out his daughter Heidi (10) and son Mattew (12). A couple of drifts in Big Pass yielded a couple of bluefish and a ladyfish on gold D.O.A. Cal jigs. The deep canals near Bird Key were thick with silver trout and whiting. Small pieces of fresh shrimp fished on the bottom were the ticket to steady action and good eating! The deep grass edges were productive; we caught several slot speckled trout to 18" and a couple of big ladyfish.

I got out to the Myakka one day this week. Snook action is slowing as the water temperature rises, but bass were hitting steadily on #8 gold/black X-Rap Slashbaits.

Capt.Rick Grassett's Fishing Report for 02/04/2012

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, reds, sheepshead, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on flies during the past week. Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished with me on Monday and Friday and it was windy on both trips. Monday was the windiest day, so we fished Little Sarasota Bay to get some protection from it. The action wasn’t fast, but Martin caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We fished the east side of Sarasota Bay on Friday and he caught and released trout, ladyfish and a sharpnose shark on the same flies.

Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday and Thursday. Nick often invites me to fish along with him, which is a real treat. We waded several bars on both sides of the bay and caught and released a pair of reds and an over slot trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly on Tuesday. We caught and released a couple of sheepshead to 5-pounds and several trout, including a 6-pound, 27” trout, on Thursday. The big trout was caught and released on my Flats Minnow fly with a 6-weight rod.

Parrish, FL winter resident, Dave Wahl, fished with me on Wednesday. We spent a couple of hours in the coastal gulf hunting for false albacore (little tunny) and tripletail. Despite great conditions, we didn’t find anything so we spent the rest of our trip fishing Sarasota Bay. Dave caught and released several trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on Grassett Deep Flats Bunny flies.

Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds and trout in potholes of Sarasota Bay. Fishing shallow grass flats for reds and trout and deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano should be good options. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option.

Capt. Jack Ryan's Fishing Report for 02/04/2012

It was a wind, wind situation last Monday, with some areas of Sarasota Bay having clean or dirty water. But never fear Capt. Jack is near. That's the captain of the Sea Dog out of CB's. Finding some clean water at Stephen's Pt. on the east side of the bay was loaded with Trout 14 to 20", Flounder,and Bluefish. It seemed when we found clean water we got fish in most fishing spots through out the bay. Our bait choices were live shrimp and cutting off some of the tail of the shrimp to produce that fresh odor to bring in the fish....

Capt. Bruce Burkhart's Fishing Report for 02/04/2012

The fishing in the bay has been good. Bluefish, Mackerel, Pompano and Trout are all over the passes and flats .I took a little break one day and went Bass fishing in some local ponds around Sarasota. I caught about a dozen bass on Tiny Torpedo's (a small top water bait) up to 3 lbs on ultra light tackle, it was a fun time.

Capt. Roy String's Fishing Report for 02/04/2012

The fishing was very good this week!!!! we caught Bluefish,trout,pompano,ladyfish. The weather has really kicked the fishing in gear...we are having some of the best weather of the year so far with temps reaching the low 80's. The bluefish have moved in with Big Pass being the hotspot. We have been catching them on almost every cast!!! The Pompano are also increasing in numbers by the day and I feel they will continue to get better as the month goes on. I am hopeing for a great Cobia run this year which will start the end of the month and continue thru March.

Captain's Monthly Fishing Forecast

Capt. Jim Klopfer ’s Fishing Forecast for February 2012

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