Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had action with trout, ladyfish and redfish on deep grass flats of Little Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound during the past couple of weeks. The bigger trout have been coming from the edges of bars, channels and troughs.

Mike Sprague and Kep Philips, both from NJ, fished Little Sarasota Bay near Midnight Pass with me on Monday, Feb. 8th. They caught and released a dozen or more trout to 18” and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Keith McClintock and Hal D’Orazio, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Tuesday, Feb. 9th with similar results. We caught and released about a dozen trout to more than 20”and a redfish also on CAL jigs with shad tails. A trip on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 14th, in Little Sarasota Bay produced several trout and ladyfish on the same lures.

On a couple of trips in Little Sarasota Bay last week, with water temperatures persisting in the low 50’s, we caught and released trout and ladyfish in the ICW channel, on channel edges or on deep grass flats close to channel edges. One of the best trips of the week was on Tuesday with Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, FL. They had good action catching and releasing about 10 trout and numerous ladyfish on deep grass near Spanish Point.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a full moon on Feb. 28th. With water temperatures still in the low to mid 50’s, afternoons should continue to fish better than mornings due to warmer water. Trout on deep flats or in channels and reds or sheepshead around docks should continue to be the best options. When the water warms a few degrees it should make a big difference. There are still some spots available for CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on March 6th. Contact CB’s at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.

Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a full moon on Feb. 28th. If the water will warm a little more, action should be faster.

Tight Lines,
Captain Rick

Captain Rick has also been kind enough to provide us with this absolutely excellent forecast of what's on the horizon in the coming months. Considering the cold snap we've experienced this year (thanks, we guess, to rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere), hearing what guys like Rick think is happening is very interesting :) -- the publisher

Captain Rick's Forecast 

March is a great month for a variety of species. With the two toughest months to fish behind us (January and February) the action will heat up. Baitfish will become more plentiful on grass flats and reds, snook and trout will become more active as a result. Bluefish and pompano should also be found on deep grass flats along with trout. Migratory species such as Spanish and king mackerel and cobia should also start to show up in our area as they head north. You might also find tripletail in the coastal gulf around crab trap floats and buoys.

Snook season will remain closed during the spring months this year due to the devastating freeze of early January. Details of this closure can be found at www.myfwc.com . Although we lost a large number of snook in January due to the freeze, hopefully it isn’t as bad as feared. Some areas, such as Charlotte Harbor, were hit particularly hard due to lots of shallow water but a large percentage of snook should have escaped to deeper, safe waters.

You should find them on shallow flats, along sand bars and around docks and bridges in the ICW, particularly later in the month. I like to cast jigs and plastic baits for them on shallow flats. Top water plugs should also work well this month, particularly in low light conditions. I like north Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound for snook on the flats in March. They will feed on small baitfish, such as glass minnows, and shrimp in the ICW at night. Small white flies, jigs and plastic shrimp, as well as live shrimp, should all work well around docks and bridges. The ICW from Sarasota to Venice is my favorite area to fish for snook at night. Use tackle heavy enough to land them quickly and handle them as little as possible. Snook need all the help we can give them right now.

Reds should be found on shallow flats this month as baitfish become more plentiful. Look along mangrove shorelines or the top of bars when the tide is high or in potholes, and the edges of bars and flats when the tide is low. Jigs with plastic tails, plastic shrimp and live shrimp will all work well for reds. I prefer shad type plastic tails because they have a lot of action and also will “vibrate” when worked properly. Fly anglers should score with either baitfish, crab or shrimp fly patterns.

You might also find reds around docks. I like docks that have lots of barnacle and oyster growth and a good tidal flow. The closer you can get to the structure the better. You can “skip” plastic baits under docks with a little practice by casting sidearm. I like north Sarasota Bay for reds in the spring, but lower Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound are also great areas.

Trout fishing should be strong during March. Reds and trout were two species that were unaffected by January’s freeze. We are fortunate to have lots of variety and trout is usually a species you can depend on. They should be plentiful on deep grass flats this month. However, the biggest fish will usually be found in shallow water. I like to drift and cast jigs or weighted flies ahead of my drift to locate trout on deep grass flats. You might find “gator” trout in potholes or on shallow grass where the same lures will work. Another great lure is a plastic shrimp/clacker float combo. This can also be fished in shallow water by shortening the leader between the plastic shrimp and the clacker.

You might also find pompano, bluefish or Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats this month and they can also be caught with same lures and flies that you would use for trout. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay are definitely my favorite areas to fish for trout and more. The usually clean, clear water and lush grass flats are great habitat for a variety of species. You might also find these species in passes, where you can drift with the tide and cast jigs for them. You will need heavy jigs (3/8 or ½ oz) when fishing passes due to deep water and swift currents. You’ll need to use wire or heavy fluorocarbon when targeting blues or mackerel due to their razor sharp teeth.

Look for cobia, king or Spanish mackerel and little tunny in the coastal gulf this month. You might find cobia cruising on the surface or around buoys and channel markers. If they aren’t on the surface, you might find them over structure on one of the many artificial reefs in the coastal gulf off Sarasota. Cobia will require at least medium heavy spinning tackle or 9 to 10-wt fly tackle. A jig head with a jerk worm or a tarpon bunny fly are good choices to catch them. Spanish mackerel and little tunny may be “breaking” on the surface. You may also find kings in and around any surface activity. I like to cast jigs or top water plugs on spinning tackle or Crease flies, poppers and Ultra Hair Clouser flies to them with fly tackle. I’ll occasionally also catch a king mackerel when fishing in a feeding frenzy or over structure. Little tunny, a.k.a, bonito or false albacore, are one of my favorite fish to catch on a fly. They can run fast and far and turn around and come back at you just as fast.

You might also find tripletail in the coastal gulf this month. Look for them around crab trap floats, particularly on a southeast wind. You can cast live or plastic shrimp to them with spinning tackle or shrimp patterns on fly tackle to catch them. Make your first shot count because they are much tougher to catch once they know you are there.

There are lots of options this month. Weather will still be an issue early in the month, but by late in the month, we should be mostly done with winter weather. Whatever you choose to do, remember to always limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

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