Sarasota Fishing Report 3-29-2012

Sarasota & Gasparilla Sound, FL Fishing Report
3/25/2012
by Capt. Rick Grassett


Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound 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 and reds on flies and jigs during the past week.

We fished the Marina Jack and Middleground flats and near Whale Key in Sarasota Bay on Sunday and Wednesday of last week and caught and released silver and spotted sea trout to 19” on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Paul Denesha and his son, Avery, from IN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning. We focused on potholes in skinny water near Long Bar where they caught and released 7 or 8 trout on a Deceiver fly and a CAL jig with a shad tail. St. Pete winter resident, Wes Demmon, fished Sarasota Bay with me that afternoon. With the sea breeze and tide up, we fished skinny water on the west side of the bay. Wes caught and released 5 reds to 23” and a few trout near Bishop Point and Buttonwood Harbor on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. A great afternoon!

Harry Beaty and Chris Denney, from Ontario, Canada, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Friday. They had good action near Sandfly and Devilfish Keys with trout to 22” on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Harry also caught a 22” red on a CAL jig with a shad tail in Turtle Bay.

Reds and trout may be found along shallow edges of flats and bars or in potholes when the tide is low or along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. Look for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, ladyfish or pompano over deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option.

Tight Lines,

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



Paul Denesha, from IN, caught and released this nice trout out of a pothole on a Deceiver fly while fishing shallow water in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.



St. Pete winter resident, Wes Demmon, caught and released this nice red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Apalachicola Fishing Report 3-25- 2012

Captain Nathan Donahoe's 1st Pompano of the 2012 Season was caught on March 17th at the usual place at the usual time on the usual tackle. If you want more details than that you'll have to spend the day on his boat with him and pick his brain yourself! He's got a few days open next week and the week after next.

Keys Cancellations - Just got word that Chris has March 25 - 29 open for permit/tarpon fishing out of Key West. He is also available for either an April 1, 2 & 3 or 6, 7 & 8 three day trip. Please contact me ASAP if you can make this work! Also, Nathan has May 11-13 open for Redfishing in Apalach - this is normally an excellent time to fish.

And last, we just listed Capt. Jr & Rhonda's house for sale. It's on an acre about 3 miles from town and it is Gorgeous! Check out the real estate website for the listing.
www.RobinsonRealEstateCompany.com

Art Walk is this Saturday in Downtown Apalachicola! Enjoy Art, Wine and Friendly People!

Kathy Robinson
Robinson Brothers Guide Service
Apalachicola, FL
850-653-8896
www.FloridaRedfish.com

Sarasota Bay Fishing Report 3-17-2012

Sarasota & Venice, FL Fishing Report
3/17/2012
by Capt. Rick Grassett


Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Blackburn Bay and the ICW near Venice with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, Spanish mackerel, pompano, flounder, redfish and a small cobia on flies and jigs during the past week.

Bill Van Horne, from Sterling, IL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday afternoon. With a poor tide and a forecast for windy conditions in the morning, we chose to fish the better conditions in the afternoon. He caught and released numerous trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos fishing deep grass flats along the east side of bay. Bill finished the day with 3 nice reds caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail in very skinny water at the top of the tide.

Siesta Key winter resident Martin Marlowe and his son, Bruce from RI, fished Blackburn and Little Sarasota Bays and the ICW near Venice with me on Tuesday afternoon and night. They caught and released 7 or 8 snook and a few trout and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser and my Snook Minnow flies. Martin also fished with me on Friday and we caught and released a few trout, ladyfish, a nice Spanish mackerel and a small cobia on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails in Sarasota Bay.

Mary Smiley, from Sarasota, and Linda Foy, from Twin Bridges, MT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. Linda hooked a big Spanish mackerel on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly and the fish ran so fast that the handle broke off the reel when it was bumped! They caught and released a few trout and a pompano on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at several deep grass flats on both sides of the bay. Mike and Roxanne Beshoar, from WA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They caught and released a flounder, Spanish mackerel, pompano and trout to 4-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails at various deep grass flats on both sides of the bay.

Reds and trout may be found along shallow edges of flats and bars when the tide is low or along mangrove shorelines when the tide is high. Look for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, ladyfish or pompano over deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option. Spanish mackerel and bluefish may be found in passes especially when the tide is strong. Spanish mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), tripletail and more may be good options in the coastal gulf.

Tight Lines,

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



Bill Van Horne, from Sterling, IL, caught and released this nice red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing a shallow Sarasota Bay flat with Capt. Rick Grassett.



Roxanne Beshoar, from Spokane, WA, caught and released this 4-pound trout on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing a Sarasota Bay sand bar with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Indian River Fishing Report 3-16-2012

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
March 16, 2012
by Capt. Chris Myers

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report
The first two weeks of March have been complete opposites. Last week we experienced high winds and lots of clouds every day except one. This week was a flats fisherman's paradise with calm winds, clear skies, and thousands of happy fish in shallow water. While we caught fish on every trip, even during the windy days, it was much easier and productive this week.


I stared last week with Dave. Despite a forecast of winds between 20 and 30mph, he still wanted to venture out for what would be his only chance to fish Mosquito Lagoon. Fortunately, my boat handles rough water quite well and we found ourselves the only anglers on the flat. We spotted a few fish and a couple schools but nothing like we were hoping for. Still Dave got his first few redfish.

The following day it was nearly as windy as I set out with Neal. Clouds were hampering our sight fishing and the school of large reds we were on kept managing to sneak out of our view. It was a tough day fishing but Neal's first and only redfish topped the 20 pound mark.



The next three days I spent fishing with injured veterans from Afghanistan. Wounded Warrior Outdoors is a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic outdoor adventures to injured active duty personnel. The participating soldiers come directly from military hospitals and the activity is part of their ongoing rehab. If you want to thank a soldier for their sacrifice, I highly recommend supporting this program. I had the pleasure of fishing with Jacob and Seth, both Marines, for what was their first saltwater fishing trips. We did not get the best of weather and had to spend much of our time hiding in protected areas in the northern Lagoon. We were able to get some calmer weather the second day which allowed the guys to experience sight fishing for tailing drum. They caught a variety of fish over the days including redfish, black drum, trout, bluefish, ladyfish, jack crevalle, and more.









This Monday, the winds subsided, the skies cleared, and the sight fishing was red hot. Richard and his son Ryan landed double digit redfish on DOA CAL tails before finishing the day with some seatrout on the Deadly Combo.

Tuesday, Nick and I found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of tailing redfish throughout the morning. Every cast that landed on target resulted in a bite. The schools eventually moved off and we spend the remainder of the day with nonstop shots and single redfish.



Billy and Frank experienced similar conditions the following day. The three inch DOA CAL in the new Bloodworm color resulted in multiple bites. Later in the morning, we found some incredible seatrout action catching and releasing over 30 fish.



Irl was my final client this week. Tailing redfish again greeted us at first light. He used a silver and green bendback fly to fool several reds. Irl had some shots at black drum and 20-30 pound redfish during the day but could not convince them to eat.



Schools of finger mullet are pouring back into the Lagoon and the pinfish are making their appearance as well. Topwater baits will produce but most areas have lots of floating grass that lifted up off the shorelines as the water levels rose. For tailing reds, the 3 and 4 inch DOA CAL has been very effective along with the 3 inch shrimp. Fly anglers should use an unweighted fly that will land softly when casting to tailing fish on calm mornings.

Captain Chris Myers
321-229-2848
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
cmyers@floridafishinglessons.com   

Apalachicola Fishing Report 3- 2012

Dr. Rob Bartosh takes a a well deserved "Fishing Break"!

80 Degrees in March? This spring break is proving to be the most favorable weather-wise in years! Forcast is for the unseasonably warm weather to continue at least into next week. For beach goers the water is swimmable and for you fishermen/women on my fishing report list, The Redfish are Biting! Oh, and so are the speckled trout. The warm weather now bodes well for our summer fishing season - we are so looking forward to being out on the water!

Dr. Bartosh fished with Capt. Tommy Holland on Friday March 9th when he caught the above Bull Redfish over 30".



Scott Johnson - 33 inch Redfish

Scott & Ray Johnson spent March 10th on the boat with Capt. Ken Finch where they both hooked up on some beautiful Reds...



Ray Johnson 30" Redfish

So, after this Pictorial essay, must I use my words to entice you to make your Spring Break Fishing plans NOW?

April-May Redfishing / Flats and Bay trips are still open and we do still have June & July Tarpon dates available. Capt. Chris Robinson had a cancellation for April 6,7 & 8 in Key West for Permit & Tarpon - first call, first served!

Capt. Bruce Millinder is back this year with his 36 foot Hattaras and Capt. Ken & Capt. Grayson are both offshore & inshore guides.

Cypress N Honey (Suite B at 44 Ave. E) has April - July availability if staying in Apalach is appealing.

Hope you have a bright & shiny weekend!
Don't forget the sunscreen!

Kathy Robinson (Realtor & Fishwife)
Robinson Brothers Guide Service
44 Avenue E - Apalachicola, Florida
www.FloridaRedfish.com
850-653-8896 or 877-6Redfish

Sarasota Fishing Report 3-14-2012

Southwest Florida Fishing Report
3/11/2012
by Capt. Rick Grassett


Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay and the ICW near Venice with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on flies and jigs during the past week.

Everette and Sherry Howell, from Nashville, TN, caught and released numerous trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and a CAL jig with a shad tail fishing several deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me on Monday afternoon. Sarasota winter resident Phil Rever and his son, Matt, from NC, fished the ICW near Venice with me that night. They caught and released more than 15 snook to 23” on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. The wind blew in the 15 to more than 20 mph range from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday, so I didn’t fish those days.

Jim Ewoldt and Dick Callaway, from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. It was still a little breezy so one angler spin fished while the other fly fished. They caught and released several trout on Grassett Deep Flats Bunny flies and CAL jigs with shad tails along the east side of the bay and near Whale Key. Holmes Beach and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday morning. They caught and released a few trout on flies at the Middleground flat before I headed to New Pass to check it out. Although there was no surface activity, there were some mackerel just outside the pass and Bill caught a nice one on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Fly angler Bill Stanton, from Brunswick, ME, fished with me that afternoon. We caught and released trout, ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on a sink tip fly line at the Middleground flat and near Bishop Point.

Next week’s tides are better early in the week before they switch to 2-tide days on Wednesday. Reds and trout may be found along shallow edges of flats and bars when the tide is low before moving over shallow grass at the top of the tide. Look for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, ladyfish or pompano over deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option. Check the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), tripletail and more when conditions are good.

Tight Lines,

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

 

Holmes Beach winter resident, Bill Morrison, caught this nice Spanish mackerel on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing the coastal gulf at New Pass with Capt. Rick Grassett.



Sarasota winter resident, Phil Rever, and his son, Matt, from NC, caught and released this snook double on Grassett Snook Minnow flies while fishing the ICW at night near Venice with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Central Florida Sight Fishing 3- 2012

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report
The Mosquito Lagoon fishing has been excellent the past couple weeks. Clear water has allowed us to sight fish for redfish, drum, and seatrout on the shallow flats when the sun was out. The fish have been plentiful but will not stick around an approaching boat for long. They are eager to eat, however, and well placed casts have resulted in lots of hookups. A black redfish worm has been working well for fly anglers. The DOA Baitbuster, a 5.5 inch CAL in golden bream or the 3 inch CAL have all caught numerous large trout and redfish.

Dave and Mark got to fish on two of the best weather days during the past couple weeks. We didn't get as much sun as we hoped but we still saw multiple large schools of redfish. Fish were caught on both fly and spin gear.







Jason and Dave had to brave some high winds but enjoyed an excellent day of catching redfish and trout. The golden bream CAL with a Woodies Rattle accounted for most of the fish.







This week, I fished with Canadian angler Pascal on a cloudy and windy day. Sight fishing was tough but he did manage to land several drum along with some trout. He nearly had a redfish several times to complete his slam but each one got off before he landed them.



Thursday's anglers had shots at well over 1,000 fish in large schools. Unfortunately, they were never able to get a bait in front of a fish. After dropping them off, I went out to do some prospecting and discovered several spots holding large seatrout. I caught nearly a dozen using an ultralight rod, 5lb braid, and a DOA 5.5 inch CAL with a Woodies Rattle. I also caught some on a weedless soft plastic topwater bait that may be available later this year.

With water temperatures in the middle to upper 70's on most days, the pinfish and other baits are returning to the flats. Topwater baits are already producing good bites and will only get better during this month. This is a good time of year to catch a trophy sized seatrout in less than 2 feet of water. On bright sunny days, you can sight fish them in the shallow sand holes. When clouds are present, you will never see them until it is too late. If you must blind cast, make long casts targeting sandy areas. Many big trout will run directly at the boat after they strike. If you feel the slightest bump, reel quickly or you will miss lots of bites. Big trout are much more delicate than redfish and must be handled with care. Have you camera ready before taking them out of the water. Trout have large mouths and often are hooked inside the mouth. Using barbless hooks and having a dehooking tool will help ensure a successful release.

Captain Chris Myers
321-229-2848
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
cmyers@floridafishinglessons.com  

Amelia Island March 2012

I think the crazy weather has skipped us a month because February felt like March - just a little cool and a ton of sand gnats!  If you remember last month I advised to "Fish Structure".  Well, we did that and caught quality Redfish, Seatrout, and Sheepshead with most in the keeper size range.  Something else we found out was to fish SLOOOOWWW! We found that the Reds almost had to have the jig and shrimp served up on a platter, but when you put it in front of them, they'd bite.  We also had some good hookups of nice Seatrout with artificial's on red jig heads.  The traditional white grub with pink tail were excellent.  March should bring more of the same for Redfish, Drum and Sheepshead.  The Seatrout bite should pick up.  Throw those artificial grubs up to the shoreline and jig them back deep for the keeper sized trout.  Shrimp under a float rig at runouts will pick up the smaller trout.  Whiting fishing should be getting hot about now. Try anchoring in Nassau Sound and drop bottom rigs with a small piece of shrimp.  Follow the catch at the Amelia Island Fishing Report or Get Away From it All,  give me a shout and we'll go fishing!

Capt. Lawrence Piper
The Anglers Mark
Amelia Island, Florida
904-557-1027
lwpiper@comcast.net
theanglersmark.com   

Mosquito Lagoon March Fishing Outlook

Spring has arrived, and fishing opportunities on the Indian River Lagoon coast have begun to heat up. Spring in Florida is not defined by any specific dates, but more so by temperature and weather patterns. I have also learned over the years to watch for subtle changes in the local flora which signal spring's arrival. These changes can be slight or quite dramatic, they're easy to recognize, and they correspond with the activities and migration patterns of fish. As an example, I always watch for the bloom of my lavender Formosa azaleas as a signal of the beginning of the spring cobia run along the beaches and near-shore waters of the Space Coast. Another example is the fragrance of orange blossoms drifting across the Lagoon, which hint to the formation of redfish schools on the flats and beginning of the spring bait migration northward.

By the way, my azaleas are loaded buds, and good catches of cobia have been reported offshore of Stuart and Sebastian. It won't be long before these fish arrive in the Port Canaveral area as long as the warmer weather pattern holds. Also look for tripletail hanging on flotsam, weeds, and around buoys, and for heavy weight jacks, oversized redfish, tarpon, and sharks shadowing bait pods near the beaches and inlets close to the end of the month.

As the days grow longer and the ocean begins its gradual warming phase, 67 to 68 degrees, the spring fishing bonanza on the Indian River Lagoon coast commences. Increasing water temperatures facilitate the progression of bait pods (menhaden and mullet) from the deeper waters into the near-shore waters bringing predators we love so much with them. Additionally, warmer waters will draw manta rays near-shore with cobia shadowing them. As always, weather, water clarity, and sea conditions will determine the number of fishable days we will experience in March. This is especially true for those of us who target deep-water species in skinny water boats.

Moving out into deeper water, the spring kingfish run is just around the corner, and it should hold solid for the next six months. Look for the kingfish to begin showing up on the near-shore reefs and wrecks around the middle of the month, and then move in close to shore following bait pods. Most anglers, including myself, prefer slow trolling live pogies, but spoons and frozen Spanish sardines dressed with king buster skirts will also work if live bait is hard to find.

Inshore, the water levels should be on the rise, and schools of slot size redfish have formed up ahead of schedule on the shallow flats, with schools of larger redfish holding along the deeper edges of bars. Also look for the larger sea trout to be holding in sand pockets on the skinny flats.

Last but not least, now is the time to target American shad in the upper waters of the St Johns River. Good reports of shad have been coming from the area south of the Highway 46 Bridge near Geneva and areas south of Hatbill Park. The Third Annual Shad and Crappie Derby ends on saturday March 17th th at sunset after three fun filled months of fishing, so stay tuned for my next report and the winners of this years event.

As always, if you have any questions or need more information, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
(407) 416-1187 on the water
http://www.irl-fishing.com

For all of your outdoor shopping needs, visit Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka, Florida. For more details, visit http://www.mosquitocreek.com

Sarasota Fishing Report 2-29-2012

Sarasota & Tampa Bay, FL Fishing Report
2/25/2012
by Capt. Rick Grassett

Shallow water action with reds was good during the past week. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay and the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with catch and release snook, reds and trout on flies and jigs during the past week. We also caught a few scattered Spanish mackerel mixed with trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.

Glen Elia, from CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday afternoon. The action wasn’t fast, but he caught and released a few trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly along the east side of the bay. Wes Demmon, from Chicago, fished Terra Ceia Bay with me on Tuesday. He caught and released 3 nice reds to 26” on CAL jigs with shad tails and about a dozen trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Tony Merlis, from NH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. It was Tony’s first time fly fishing in saltwater and he did well. He caught and released trout to 17” and Spanish mackerel on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly along the west side of the bay.

The best trip of the week was when Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Gary Roberts, from Bradenton, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Thursday. They caught and released 7 reds to 24”, 3 snook and a few trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. A great trip! With water temperatures in the low 70’s on shallow flats, especially in back country area, we are seeing snook moving onto shallow flats to feed.

Longboat Key and Sarasota winter residents, Nick Reding and Mike Perez, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. It was very windy, so we waded several flats and bars along the west side of Sarasota Bay and caught and released a pair of reds and a few trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly.

Next week’s tides are better early in the week and then get weaker as they shift to 2-tide days later in the week. Reds and trout should move over shallow grass at the top of the tide, especially on sunny afternoons. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW should also be a good option. Check the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel, false albacore (little tunny), tripletail and more when conditions are good.

Tight Lines,

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



Wes Demmon, from Chicago, caught and released this nice red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Terra Ceia Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.