Amelia Island Fishing Report 7- 2012

June Report/July Forecast

With two tropical storms and a long-wet front in between, we've had tons of fresh water dropped in our marshes and creeks. But surprisingly, we can still find fish and have had some excellent trips mixed in between the storms. The Flounder seem exceptionally active and are taking mud minnows and live shrimp off the bottom. The same can be said for Seatrout where they are picking up the bait down near the bottom, too. It was fun to see one customer catch a nice Slot Redfish on an artificial jerk bait fished over some flooded oysters. Keep up with all the fishing action at the Amelia Island Fishing Report. July anglers should see a smorgasbord of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder with the usual Bonnethead Sharks mixed in. Most of my trips last year in July saw great action. So if you want to 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   

Snapper & Scallop Seasons Extended!‏

Great News! This just in from the FWC!

The state and federal 2012 recreational red snapper season in Gulf of Mexico waters has been extended by 6 days. The season will close July 17, with the last day of harvest being July 16. To learn more, visit NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service website or the FWC red snapper page.

The FWC Commission approved the extension of bay scallop season and decided to continue the recreational closure for snook in Gulf of Mexico waters at the June Commission meeting in Palm Beach Gardens. The bay scallop season will be extended by two weeks, changing the season from July 1 through Sept. 10 to July 1 through Sept. 24. They also decided to continue the closure of snook through Aug. 31, 2013. This closure will offer additional protection to snook, which was detrimentally affected by the 2010 cold kill. To learn more, view our news release page.

Please note that we have Offshore trips open next week with Bruce, Grayson, Ken & John (and possibly Charlie if he calls to tell me he's open when he reads this) And don't forget we can hook you up for scalloping with Capt. Greg Fletcher.

More good news...Capt. Brett Martina is now a full time Flats Guide! This time of year he is all over Tarpon on a fly rod, but he is also an excellent Redfish guide (Spring & Fall) as well. Brett is a very intuitive and innovative fisherman who has in his own way revolutionized our local fishery. You'll just have to fish with him to find out what this means.

Kathy Robinson
Robinson Real Estate Company
44 Avenue E.
Apalachicola, FL 32320
850-653-8896
www.FloridaRedfish.com

Sarasota Bay Tarpon 7-4-2012

Sarasota, FL Fishing Report
6/30/2012
by Capt. Rick Grassett

Conditions were poor in the coastal gulf for tarpon fishing every day last week. Water was very dirty as rough seas combined with 8”-10” of rain due to Tropical Storm Debby. Although the swell came down significantly toward the end of the week, water clarity in and around passes remained poor due to silt and still draining flood waters, making sight fishing impossible. My experience has been that a weather event such as TS Debby will often disrupt tarpon patterns until conditions return to normal.

However, Sarasota Bay is looking good and fishing well in areas away from passes, such as Stephens and Bishop Points. Several guide friends of mine fished Sarasota Bay recently and had steady action with trout and scattered blues, Spanish mackerel and several reds on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with glow shad tails. Best action should be early in the day on both shallow and deep grass flats. Schools of reds may push wakes in shallow water. Look for bait dimpling the surface or “breaking” jacks, blues or ladyfish on deep grass flats. Be ready for a variety of species, including tarpon, to show up and join the fray, particularly if the surface activity continues for a while.

Sea conditions in the coastal gulf are getting better every day and tarpon action should resume as visibility improves and we head towards a full moon next week. Drift live baits and be ready to cast a live bait or DOA Baitbuster to tarpon that may pop up fast in 10’-20’ of water early in the day. Fly anglers should do best with tarpon in shallow water later in the day when visibility is best.

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

Tarpon action in the coastal gulf should resume when conditions return to normal. Capt. Rick Grassett leaders a fish in the coastal gulf off Sarasota just before TS Debby.

FWC Extends Scalop Season

The FWC Commission approved the extension of bay scallop season by two weeks, changing the season from July 1 through Sept. 10 to July 1 through Sept. 24. The open region extends from the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County to the Pasco-Hernando county line.

The daily limit is two gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or one pint of bay scallop meat per person, with a vessel limit of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or one-half gallon of bay scallop meat. Harvesting can only be accomplished by hand or with the use of a landing or dip net.

During the season, scallop harvesters can assist FWC’s scallop researchers by completing an online survey at svy.mk/bayscallops.

Snook Season Remains Closed In Gulf

The FWC Commission has voted to keep snook season closed in Gulf of Mexico waters until at least September 1st 2013. They decided to continue the closure of snook through Aug. 31, 2013. This closure will offer additional protection to snook, which was detrimentally affected by the 2010 cold kill.