Sarasota Bay Fishing Report 4-30-2012

Sarasota, FL Fishing Report
4/27/2012
by Capt. Rick Grassett

Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay 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, tripletail and snook on flies, CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos and had numerous shots at tarpon with a fly during the past week.

Don Tase, from NH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning. He also had Monday booked with me, but due to 20-25 mph winds we canceled. It was still breezy on Tuesday, but much better conditions. Don brought his 6-year old grandson, Ryan, along for the first ½ of the trip and sent his son and daughter out for the 2nd ½ of the trip. They caught and released a few trout to 16” and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at the Marina Jack flat and near Stephens Point.

Sarasota winter residents, Burt Farbman and Phil Rever, snook fished with me on Wednesday evening. They caught and released 4 or 5 snook to 23” and 6 trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly in the ICW near Venice.

My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, fished with me on Friday. We ran the coastal gulf along the beach out to about 30’ of water south to Grassy Point looking for false albacore (little tunny) but didn’t find anything. However, we found a pair of tripletail on the way back and caught both of them on my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. We spent several hours tarpon fishing, saw more than 50 fish and had a dozen or more shots. A couple of fish charged the fly but didn’t eat!

Tarpon are becoming more plentiful in the coastal gulf and are a good option now when conditions are good. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW and cobia, tripletail or false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf may also be good options. Look for reds and trout in shallow water in Sarasota Bay.

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


Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, caught and released his first tripletail on a Grassett Flats Minnow fly while fishing the coastal gulf off Sarasota with his brother, Capt. Rick Grassett.

Sarasota Bay Fishing Report 4-22-2012

Sarasota, FL Fishing Report
4/22/2012
by Capt. Rick Grassett


Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay 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, snook and reds on flies, plugs, CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos during the past week. An angler fishing with me caught and released one of the largest trout ever caught on my boat!

Mark Eddy and Carey Ryerson, from CO, fished with me on Monday. We checked the coastal gulf and found it unfishable due to a 4’-5’ swell, so we fished Sarasota Bay. They caught and released trout to 18” on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails on various deep grass flats near Long Bar and Buttonwood Harbor.

The action was hot on Tuesday when Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and Doug Forde, manager at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, fished Sarasota Bay with me. We stayed in shallow water doing some practice fishing for Saturday’s Sarasota CCA Photo All Release Challenge. Anglers fish for reds, snook and trout with identical boxes of lures or flies in the popular tournament which raises money for conservation. With light winds, clear water and a rising tide, we found big trout, reds and snook mixed with mullet schools near Long Bar. They caught and released 4 snook to 26”, a pair of reds and several big trout on Sebile Stick Shad plugs. Aledia caught and released one of the biggest trout ever caught on my boat, a 29” fish estimated to weigh more than 9-pounds. This is an awesome trout for the west coast of Florida! The only other trout of that size that I’ve seen before was one I caught and released at a DOA Lures/Outdoor Writers event in the Indian River near Ft. Pierce several year ago. In addition to snook, Doug also caught and released 27” and 29” reds. What a difference a day can make!

We found the action slow in shallow water on a couple of other trips later in the week, but Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton. FL, and Jim Denoi, from Sarasota, caught and released a red and a snook on surface walking plugs near Long Bar with me on Friday. They also caught and released trout on deep grass flats near Bayshore Gardens and Bishop Point on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms and DOA Deadly Combos.

Bob Parker, from Sarasota and I fished the Sarasota CCA Photo All Release Challenge with my son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton, on Saturday. With winds gusting more than 25 mph out of the south and an extreme high tide, conditions were tough for everyone. We caught and released a few small trout and a snook on flies wading shallow water near Long Bar. Andy caught and released a couple of slot sized fish, including a 26” red, which was good enough to win the Grand Champion award of the Fly Division!

Fishing may be tough early next week due to the strong front passing through this weekend. 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. Catch and release night snook fishing at night in the ICW and cobia, tripletail or false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf should also be good options. Tarpon are becoming more plentiful in the coastal gulf and are also a good option now.

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



Saltwater Outfitters manager, Doug Forde, caught and released this 29" red on a Sebile Stick Shad while fishing skinny water in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.



CB's Saltwater Outfitters manager, Doug Forde, caught and released this 26" snook on a Sebile Stick Shad while fishing skinny water in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.



Aledia Tush, owner of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, caught and released this huge, 29" trout, estimated at more than 9-pounds on a Sebile Stick Shad while fishing skinny water in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Indian River Sight Fishing 4-19-2012

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
April 19, 2012
by Capt. Chris Myers

There has been one word to describe the fishing that last couple months - Outstanding. The flats fishing for redfish and trout could not get much better here in Mosquito Lagoon. Many of the redfish are still in schools and it is not unusual to have well over 1,000 fish per day pass by the boat. Even on the "slower" days there have been hundreds of fish for anglers to cast at. Both the redfish and trout have been feeding aggressively.

For topwater action, the DOA shallow running Baitbuster lure reeled along the surface has produced some spectacular action. Both species will readily attack this lure. With lots of loose grass floating on the surface now, standard plugs with treble hooks can be difficult to use. In addition to the Baitbuster, the DOA CAL in the 3, 4, and 5.5 inch model have also been catching both redfish and trout every day. Add a Woodies Rattle to the bait if you are blind casting for more bites.

For fly fishing, use a soft landing bendback style fly when the winds are calm and the water is shallow. Later in the day, switch to lead eye crab or shrimp patterns to get down quickly. Lots of baitfish are on the flats so pinfish and mullet style flies will also work well. All must have a weedguard. Some days there are tailing fish in every direction and the next there are just as many fish but not one tail breaks the surface. Having sun is the most important factor when fly fishing.

Unlike the past couple years, this has been an excellent spring for seatrout. The younger and smaller fish have been plentiful in 2-4 feet of water and can be caught by the dozens. Ultralight spinning tackle provides added entertainment. The 1-2 foot depths with a mix of grass and sand have been holding the larger female trout. Unfortunately, some anglers have been putting these trophy breeding fish in the coolers. The bite is the best it has been, however, since the devastating freeze of 2010. On clear days, you can sight fish them in the white sand holes. An easier method is to blind cast likely spots using a 5.5 inch DOA CAL and long casts. Trout are much more delicate than redfish and must be handled with care if they are to survive release. I would encourage all anglers to release the big females to help ensure a healthy population for years to come. With an increased commercial trout limit and longer season this year, the big fish in our Lagoon have even less of a chance to survive.

Phil had shots at lots of redfish and trout on his first adventure to Mosquito Lagoon. He especially enjoyed battling this big black drum.




The following day my clients had shots as hundreds of redfish throughout the morning but only one cast came close enough to the fish to get a bite. Later, they had a chance at a school of 20-30 pound redfish and ended the day catching numerous seatrout.

Dave started out the day landing a redfish on the Baitbuster and continued catching them on the three inch paddle tail as well.




After dropping him off, I went out to check some other spots. It was a successful afternoon with 4 reds on the DOA shrimp and 4 more on a rootbeer colored redfish worm fly.




Some high winds moved in for the next several days changing the water level slightly and moving the fish around. Things settled down after a couple days and the fishing was hot. Trevor had never fished the flats but had a great morning catching redfish on Baitbusters and CALs.




Seven year old Chase wanted to catch a redfish for his birthday. He could handle a spinning rod as good as many adults and slayed the trout on the DOA Deadly Combo as well as a 1/4 ounce jig. The redfish were not as plentiful in the morning as I had hoped. We finally found them just when the wind started to pick up but Chase got his wish.







Big schools of fish were roaming the flats this week. Anglers had varying levels of success catching them. The catching ratio had nothing to do with the fish not eating as every time a lure or fly landed properly, it got a bite. Mike and Matt had the most success and started off with this double header of redfish.


The fishing this weekend will be tough with wind, clouds, and rain in the forecast. After the front passes through, look for the excellent action to continue. Lots of lures, baits, and flies will work but they will only get bites if they are in the right spot. The number one thing you can do to catch more fish is practice your casting.

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

Indian River Fishing Report 2-14 2012

Indian River Lagoon Coast Fishing Report
April 14, 2012
By Captain Tom Van Horn

Upcoming Seminars and Events
Saturday April 21st , 10:00 to 12 Noon "Free Seminar", Fundamentals of Flats Fishing Seminar 3 "Lines, Leaders and Practical Knots" instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn, Chris Myers, located in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida, www.mosquitocreek.com.

Saturday April 28th- 9:39 a.m. Rod Crafters Meeting at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S. Washington Ave., Apopka, Florida For more details on this event visit www.mosquitocreek.com.

Saturday April 28th - 4th Annual Kayak Swap Saturday at Wekiva Island, 1014 Miami Springs Drive  Longwood, FL 32779 This all day Orlando Kayak Fishing Club event starts at 9am and allows both members and guest to try out club members kayaks. For more details, visit http://www.orlandokayakfishingclub.com.

Saturday May 5th - 12 Noon - 4 p.m., Chevy Florida Insider Fishing Report Tour and Hook Kids on Fishing event. Held at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 S. Washington Ave. Apopka, Florida. For more details on this event visit www.mosquitocreek.com.

Saturday May 5th - Hook Kids on Fishing Program held in conjunction with the Chevy Insider Fishing Report Tour at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka, www.mosquitocreek.com  Please call 407-464-2000 to register.


This Week's Fishing Report
Fishing on Florida's East Central Coast these past few weeks has been good in many respects and poor in others. In the early mornings, the sea trout bite has been as good as it gets with our best fish coming on top-water plugs at first light. This year, most of the trout coming to the boat are averaging 20 inches and we have been catching then in 12 inches of water or less. We have also been doing well blind casting 3-inch DOA CAL Paddle Tails on a ¼ ounce DOA Jig Hook in those same areas.

Redfish on the other hand have been a bit more challenging with only a few slot fish being caught on a typical charter.


Ernie's Top-water Sea Trout


Steve's early morning sea trout caught on a Hall-Um-In Lure

On the freshwater side, the bass fishing has been off the hook on the St Johns River. For the most part, bass are finished spawning and they are feeding up on menhaden schools. Look for bait schools being pressured in the early morning and late evening and fish with small fin fish imitation lures. Yesterday I bass fished with my good friend Steve Chapman, and between the two of us, we boated over 40 bass in three hours.



Captain Tom's St Johns River Bass


Steve Chapman, host of Florida Fishing Radio Show with a hefty largemouth.

Lastly, I've been hearing good reports of pogies (American menhaden) schools concentrated between the Cocoa Beach Pier and Sebastian Inlet, with some large tarpon mixed in. I know the weather (wind) has been challenging this weekend, but once it settles down, look for a green Maverick Master Angler pulling on tarpon along the beach.

We also have two different Hook Kids on Fishing Programs scheduled in the next few weeks, so if you are interested to helping introduce kids to fishing, please give me a call. The first is at the Conrad Academy on Thursday 8 am morning, and the second is at the Chevy Insider Fishing Report Road show at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka on May 5th. Our plan on May 5th is to conduct two different clinics with 100 kids in each, so if you know anyone who would like to assist or kids would like to attend; either contact me of Mosquito Creek 407.886.1716directly to register.

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

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
(407) 416-1187
http://www.irl-fishing.com
mosquitocoast@cfl.rr.com

Let you adventure begin at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, www.mosquitocreek.com

Tampa Fishing Charters 4- 2012

April 11, 2012 - Tampa Fishing Charters







Wow what an awesome spring mackerel run we are having. While slow trolling over artificial reefs and other live bottom areas we have barely been able to keep our baits in the water. We have had at least three Kingfish each day and around ten Spanish mackerel. Not to mention all “the ones that got away”.







Obviously we did not catch these two kings in front of this dock, but it was time to take pictures for my happy clients and they did not mind the location. Catching bait has been pretty easy and quick. I am very thankful for the bait we have around and the kings and Spanish love them. While slow trolling it is not uncommon to get double knock downs and we have had at least one on each trip.







When the fishing is this hot, it does not take long to get a large catch like these two professional junior anglers achieved. We should have another month of this awesome mackerel run. Many other species of fish are biting very well this spring:







It has been a pleasure to live and fish in Florida for my whole life, but the months of March and April definitely exemplifies why Florida is the fishing capital of the world. Snook, red fish, trout and grouper have all been caught on recent trips.



In contrast to the previous two springs, bait is easy to find and catch. This mild winter has allowed our fishery the chance to recover a bit, and God knows we need it. While fishing out of Tarpon Springs the past week, we caught this black grouper by free lining a scaled sardine in an edge.







An edge is place were two current flows meet to form a water barrier, that is, two rips moving in different directions. Add a whirlpool effect and you have an Eddie. On the next day’s trip, we caught this snook immediately after leaving the dock:







This happy client had never caught a fish before in his 85 years:







He caught many fish that date.



Here is a picture of a gag we caught while slow trolling for kings:







Fishing for the next few months will be superb, so get out on the water and catch them up!

Captain Rick Reddick
813-787-0249
Tampa Fishing Charters | Tampa Fishing Guides

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report 4- 2012

Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
April 1, 2012
by Capt. Chris Myers




Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

The Mosquito Lagoon flats fishing has been about as good as it gets these past couple weeks. Except for a couple days of windy weather, both the conditions and the fishing have been outstanding. Anglers have been encountering from 500 to over 1000 fish per day. Our three springtime species, redfish, trout, and black drum, have all been cooperating. Both fly and light tackle anglers are having success on a variety of lures and fly patterns. Big schools of mullet have arrived in the lagoon and the fish are feasting on them.

Richard spent a couple days on the front of my boat this month targeting fish on fly. He had lots of shots at fish and managed to catch all three species. The black redfish worm and bendback patterns were the most successful.





The third day Richard was to go with me, we arrived at the ramp to 20 knot winds. After some consideration, he decided he would rather not go out in the tough conditions. Since I was already there, I hopped in the boat for some fun fishing. The winds unexpectedly dropped and I was able to get in some decent sight fishing. The redfish were very aggressive and willing to eat anything I threw from Baitbusters to topwater to CAL jigs and flies.



The following day we found some large schools of redfish at first light. They would allow the anglers one shot before moving out of range. As the sun got higher, there were consistent shots at single fish on the clear flat. Several redfish were caught and released. They ended the day with some nonstop catching action for trout using a jig and CAL tail in 3-4 feet of water.

Friday was nearly a carbon copy with more schools of redfish. During the day we found a spot holding redfish, trout, and drum well off the beaten path and had shots at them for nearly 2 hours.

Last Monday I had the pleasure of fishing with John Machin and Paul Procter. They are both fly casting instructors in the UK and needed every bit of their skill as it was the only day last week the wind was blowing. As luck would have it, most of the schools were nowhere to be found. Both guys put on a top notch fly casting display, however, catching both black drum and redfish in sustained winds up to 24mph.



Tuesday there was no wind, clear skies, and redfish in every direction. Jon had an excellent day of sight fishing on the flats catching his first Mosquito Lagoon slam.





Tom got to experience some great redfish action using a DOA Baitbuster that he threw to tailing fish. Reeling the bait along the surface to mimic a small mullet, he caught some nice reds and lost a few as well. Later in the day, he finished with some nice seatrout.



The husband and wife team of Ray and Kim were on board for Thursday's trip. Ray landed the first red on a Baitbuster while Kim followed up with several nice drum and a redfish of her own. They then proceeded to catch a trout nearly every cast for the last half hour of the day.



On Friday, Bob and his son Joe made their first trip to Mosquito Lagoon. The action started off good with some nice schools of reds in the first half hour. After a brief lull in the action, we came across plenty of singles and small groups. The day ended with several large trout being caught and released on 5.5" DOA CALs with a Woodies Rattle.



The redfish have turned their focus to mullet and pinfish and have been very aggressive the past few weeks. Lures imitating mullet will be effective on both the redfish and trout. Watch for trophy sized trout to be lying on shallow sand holes. Once you see them moving the chance of getting a bite is significantly reduced. Get the lure or fly to them before they see you and your success rate will be much higher. Look for the outstanding sight fishing to continue through this month.

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

Charter Fishing In Ft Lauderdale 4-2012

 Charter fishing in Ft Lauderdale

Charter fishing in Ft Lauderdale has been excelent over the last week. Anglers deep sea fishing aboard the Reel Work out of Fort Lauderdale have been catching mahi-mahi, king mackerel, blackfin tuna,shark, wahoo and vermillion snapper. April first was the opening day of vermillion snapper season and we have caught a bunch. Saturday of last week our anglers caught a nice mix of mahi, kingfish and blackfin tuna. they also ended up with a few wahoo, sailfish and a shark. The folowing Monday we had a good morning charter catching a good number of kingfish along with some wahoo and tuna. April 1st was the opening day of vermillion snapper season, and our anglers caught a bunch of them. Fishing was pretty good on Tuesday. We got some bonito, blackfin tuna, kingfish, snapper, and mahi-mahi.

Fish On!

Reel Work Sport Fishing Charters
301 Seabreeze Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
954-522-9399
1-877-524-9377
Email: lauderdalefishing@gmail.com
Website: lauderdalefishing.com
Charter Fishing in Fort Lauderdale

Amelia Island Fishing Report 4- 2012

Amelia Island Fishing Report
April 2012
by Captain Lawrence Piper

Spring has Sprung and the Fishing's Great!

We've already had a few days with temperature approaching the 90's.  Bait is showing up and Slot Sized Redfish and larger are in the back waters. Keep up with what's biting and where they are at by reading the Amelia Island Fishing Report.   Push away from that desk!  Forget about your To-Do list!  Get the kids away from that television and book a trip. Get away from it all and...Let's Go Fishing on The Angler's Mark!

March Report/April Forecast

As I mentioned, Slot sized Redfish are back up in the marshes and creeks.  We had some great fishing trips in the month of March, with a Redfish Bonanza early in the month.  Another group started out catching small Trout but then pulled in more Slot sized Redfish. We found that we were having better luck along the oyster beds rather than the structure of docks and logs. At times we were finding big Reds and big Trout   in the same area.  April is "Spring Break Month" and the waterways will be full of boaters and anglers.  In April we will continue to see catches of Redfish and more catches of Trout and Flounder. The Bonnethead Shark are moving in and will be fun to catch on light tackle.  Last April we even caught a Spanish Mackerel back in the river and saw our first Manatee of the year.   Whiting will still be biting. Keep up with all the fishing action 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