Captain's Monthly Fishing Forecast

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Forecast for December 2010

This can be a great month for fishing skinny water. With negative low tides on either side of the new and full moons, reds, snook and trout should be concentrated in potholes and easier to find. With cooler weather coming, many species will fatten up in preparation for tougher times ahead. Look for blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano on deep grass flats. In the coastal gulf, king and Spanish mackerel, blues, little tunny and tripletail may all be options.

Snook season remains closed until Sept. 2011 as a result of special action taken by our FWC. Catch and release them as quickly as possible and handle them gently. Pinched down barbs on lures and flies and circle hooks for live bait anglers will help them survive. You should find snook staging on shallow flats this month as they prepare to move into rivers, creeks and canals. I like to fish CAL jigs or weedless-rigged CAL shad tails in skinny water for snook. Surface walking top water plugs or fly poppers may draw exciting strikes early or late in the day.

There is also a good population of snook around docks and bridges in the ICW this time of year. What makes the ICW so good is a strong tidal flow, deep water and plentiful bait. Snook will feed on glass minnows and small shrimp around lighted docks and bridge fenders, so small white flies and 1/16 oz CAL jigs will work well. When snook are “popping” shrimp in lights, a Gurgler fly will provide exciting strikes!

Trout season also remains closed this month in the south region, which is approximately south of the Pinellas/Pasco county line (see www.myfwc.com for details), although it’s inevitable that you’ll catch trout in the pursuit of other species. They will be plentiful on both deep and shallow grass flats. Handle them gently and release them quickly, since they are fragile. Pinch barbs down on lures and flies and consider using circle hooks if using live bait. I like to cast CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails or weighted flies ahead of my drift to locate them on deep grass flats. The DOA Deadly Combo is a great trout lure for fishing deep grass flats. Also, look for trout in potholes and along sand and oyster bars in skinny water where they may be sight-fished

Reds will be found on shallow grass flats in the same places where big trout may be. The negative low tides from Dec. 2-10 and 18-26 should concentrate reds in potholes or along drop offs. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats of lower Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor setting up exciting sight-fishing opportunities. I like to cast 1/16 oz CAL jigs with plastic tails or weedless-rigged CAL shad tails for reds in skinny water. A DOA shrimp rigged weedless and fished backwards is a great lure for fishing potholes and shallow grass. Lightly weighted flies or weedless flies that suspend will work best for reds in potholes or tailing on shallow grass. I have been successful recently while blind casting my Grassett Flats Minnow fly to reds scattered in skinny water. North Sarasota Bay to lower Tampa Bay is an excellent area to fish for reds, snook and trout on shallow flats in December.

You may find blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano or flounder on deep grass flats this month. In addion to looking for “fishy” signs, such as birds, bait or breaking fish, drift across seams where grass and sand meet while casting CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos or weighted flies, such as Clousers or my Grassett Flats Bunny fly, ahead of your drift. Blues may be enticed to strike a top water plug or a fly popper and pompano may “skip” as you drift or run past them telling you where to fish for them. Flounder may also be found on edges of sandbars in shallow water. You might find any of these species in passes, where the best technique will be drifting and vertical jigging or casting perpendicular to your drift, to get your fly down in the water column, with a fast sinking fly line and a weighted fly.

In the coastal gulf, king and Spanish mackerel, blues and little tunny should all be options depending on conditions. With water temperatures from the high 60’s to low 70’s, most of these species should still be around. Look for breaking fish and cast small Clousers, my Grassett Snook Minnow or Crease flies to them. If you can’t find them on the surface, try drifting over one of the many artificial reefs with a fast sinking fly line. Spin anglers may score with top water plugs, CAL jigs or Diamond jigs. You’ll need to use wire when targeting mackerel and blue.

Tripletail might be found on any of the plentiful stone crab trap buoys in the coastal gulf. Just pick a line, stay about 50 feet away and run along the trap line with the sun at your back for the best visibility. Once you’ve located one, approach from downwind with a trolling motor and try to swing a fly or DOA shrimp in front of their nose. Flies and lures that sink too fast may not stay in the strike zone long enough. This is an exciting sight-fishing opportunity!

Weather will be more of an issue this month as fronts become more frequent, although fishing is usually good most of the month. It’s always worth a look in the coastal gulf if conditions are good and it hasn’t been too cold. Take advantage of the negative low tides this month to help you find reds, snook and trout in potholes. The fastest action may be with blues, pompano or more on deep grass flats. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

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


Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
http://www.flyfishingflorida.net
http://www.snookfin-addict.com