Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: April 11, 2016

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 snook in the ICW near Venice at night, trout, snook and redfish in Charlotte Harbor and trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay on flies and DOA Lures during the past week.

 

Tim Graham, of Venice, and Pat Redmond, of Sarasota, fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Monday. The best action was with trout to 18 inches on CAL jigs with shad tails but they also caught and released a couple of snook and Tim finished the day with a small red to complete his slam.

 

Anglers fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me on several trips caught and released trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. The best trip of the week was a night trip was when Frank Zaffino, from Rochester, N.Y., snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice. We fished dock lights and he had good action catching and releasing numerous snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

 

Look for reds, snook and big trout mixed with mullet schools or cruising shallow flats and edges of bars in backcountry areas of Charlotte Harbor and lower Tampa Bay. Night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW with flies and DOA Lures should also be a good option.