Sarasota Fishing Report 4-14-13

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 4/14/2013

            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, Spanish mackerel and redfish in Sarasota Bay on lures and flies during the past week.
            Mike Perez, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me early in the week. He had some shots at several tripletail with a fly in the coastal gulf off Siesta Key before we moved into Sarasota Bay when conditions deteriorated. With the sea breeze up, we fished potholes in shallow water on the west side of the bay where Mike caught and released several nice trout to 20” on a Lefty’s Deceiver fly.
            Sarasota winter resident, Gary Marple, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. We fished deep and shallow grass flats on both sides of the bay where he caught and released several trout and Spanish mackerel on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. I’ve recently had a chance to try Carbon Marine’s new Line Lair mat for managing fly lines on a boat. Works great!
            Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, and Doug Manning, from Largo, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They caught and released a red and trout to more than 20” on CAL jigs with shad tails near Bishop Point. I was the instructor at a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday. Students in the one day course learned fly casting, leader construction and saltwater fly fishing techniques.
            This is a great time of year to find “gator” trout in shallow water. Since most big trout are females that are full of roe, I ask that all trout over 20” be released on my boat. They are delicate, so handle them gently and release them quickly. Look for reds and big trout in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or on shallow flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. Action should improve in the coastal gulf as the water continues to warm and baitfish become more plentiful. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice should also be a good option next week.

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB’s Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com