Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: April 15, 2013

Catch of the Week
Doug Manning, from Largo, Fla., caught this trout on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – FWCC will vote on whether to open its coastal red snapper season longer on Wednesday. If you catch a lionfish, send the pic to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and they will send you a free T-shirt! April 19-20, the Sarasota Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association will host their 18th annual photo all-release challenge. 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.

'Lionfish Control Month' to kick off with Twitter chat, photo contest

• The lionfish have invaded, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants the public to join its Lionfish Control Team for the month of April. This nonnative, invasive species has infiltrated state waters and has great potential to negatively impact Florida’s reefs and wildlife.
• These fish not only prey on native species, they also compete for food with economically important species such as grouper and snapper, and they can disrupt the balance of native populations, ultimately causing a cascade effect that can alter habitats. Have you caught a lionfish? Photographed one? Want to know more about the lionfish problem? Join the FWC’s live Twitter chat from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 28.
• To participate, sign in to Twitter and follow @MyFWClife or #FWCLionfish. The chat will feature experts, including FWC Division of Marine Fisheries Management biological scientist Mason Smith and public information specialist Amanda Nalley. During the chat, the FWC will unveil its “Lionfish Control Team” photo contest. Tune in Thursday to find what your reward will be for submitting a photo. Learn more about lionfish at MyFWC.com/Nonnatives; click on “Marine Life.”

18th Annual CCA Sarasota “Photo All‐Release Challenge” April 19-20

• The Sarasota chapter of Coastal Conservation Association will host their 18th annual “Photo All‐Release Challenge” fishing tournament on April 19 and 20, 2013. This year’s tournament headquarters will be at the Potter Building at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds. There will be a mandatory angler meeting on Friday evening, April 19th at the Potter Building.
• The tournament features a catch‐photo‐release format for snook, redfish and trout with anglers using identical boxes of lures or flies that are provided. Fishing begins Saturday morning and all anglers must turn in their photos at New Pass Grill & Bait Shop by 3:00 pm.
• Anglers will photograph their catch with their own digital cameras, which must have a removable memory card. Divisions include Grand Slam (largest snook, redfish and trout), Angler (most inches per species), Largest Fish (each species), Lady Angler (largest fish, each species), Fly Rod and Youth. The tournament, which raises money for CCA’s conservation projects, also features an upscale raffle, a silent auction and an awards dinner on Saturday evening. Cost is $95 per angler and $30 for youth anglers (12 years old and younger). Anglers must register in advance. Applications will be available at fishing tackle shops, marinas and boating stores in Sarasota and Manatee counties and online at www.ccaflorida.org/chapters/sarasota.html.
• Contact Adam Miller at (941) 270‐0895 or Capt. Bruce Burkhart at (941) 922‐3675 for more information.

Weekly Fishing Report by Capt. Rick Grassett

Sarasota winter resident, Gary Marple, with a Sarasota Bay Spanish mackerel caught on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

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, Fla. 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 inches 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, Fla., and Doug Manning, from Largo, Fla., fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They caught and released a red and trout to more than 20 inches 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

To create a forecast specific to your zip code visit www.wunderground.com

Fishing Forecast 

Low pressure will move off the southeast U.S coast tonight, with showers and thunderstorms expected over the waters through tonight. High pressure will then build over the waters Monday through midweek.

Monday

South winds around 10 knots then becoming west in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated showers in the morning then a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Monday night will bring northeast winds around 5 knots then becoming east around 5 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth. Patchy fog after midnight.

2013/04/15Mon05:39 a.m.1.2H

2013/04/15Mon09:22 a.m.1.05L

2013/04/15Mon03:26 p.m.2.19H

Tuesday

Southeast winds around 10 knots then becoming southwest in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms. Tuesday night will bring east winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2013/04/16Tue12:05 a.m.-0.04L

2013/04/16Tue07:01 a.m.1.19H

2013/04/16Tue09:56 a.m.1.12L

2013/04/16Tue04:12 p.m.2.08H

Wednesday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Wednesday night will bring east winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2013/04/17Wed01:05 a.m.0.04L

2013/04/17Wed05:10 p.m.1.93H

Thursday

Southeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Thursday night will bring southeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2013/04/18Thu02:08 a.m.0.1L

2013/04/18Thu09:35 a.m.1.34H

2013/04/18Thu01:07 p.m.1.24L

2013/04/18Thu06:29 p.m.1.78H

Friday

South winds around 10 knots then becoming southwest around 15 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon.

2013/04/19Fri03:08 a.m.0.15L

2013/04/19Fri10:05 a.m.1.45H

2013/04/19Fri03:01 p.m.1.13L

2013/04/19Fri08:05 p.m.1.68H

Solunar Forecast