Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 1/22/2012



Action slowed a little in Sarasota Bay this week as water temperatures dropped into the low 60’s. Action was better later in the day due to the cool water. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound with me caught and released trout, pompano, flounder, bluefish and reds on jigs and flies during the past week.

A high school classmate from Seaford DE, Allen Handy and his wife, Jessye, drove up from Naples to fish Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We fished the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to the Marina Jack flat where they caught and released several trout to 18” on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Marshall Dinerman and his friend, Neil, from Atlanta, GA, fished the Middleground and Radio Tower Flats in Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday afternoon. They caught and released numerous trout to 18”, including 4 slot size fish, on CAL jigs with shad tails.

Tom Lamb, from Geneva, Switzerland and John Freeman, Jr. from Venice, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Wednesday. They caught and released trout to 18”, bluefish and a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. Following a front on Wednesday evening, Dave Wahl, from Sterling, IL and his brother-in-law, Don McKenna, from Milledgeville , IL fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. We fished the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to Long Bar and they had steady action with trout and a 3-pound plus pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and my Grassett Flats Bunny fly. Dave caught and released the last fish of the day, a 4-pound plus gator trout out of a pothole on my Flats Minnow fly. It was fun to watch the big trout eat in the clear, shallow water!

Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We waded several bars in north Sarasota Bay and action was slow. We didn’t see many mullet that day which is often the key to finding reds, although Nick caught and released a red and a trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. Pete Pedersen, from MA, visited his dad Norm Pedersen in Sarasota and fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. They caught trout, pompano, flounder and blues on CAL jigs with grub and shad tails. The best action was at the Middleground flat.

Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should concentrate reds and trout in potholes. In addition to trout, look for pompano, blues and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Afternoons may fish better than mornings due to cool water.



Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

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