Catch of the Week![]() |
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Doug Manning, from Largo, Fla., caught this trout on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett. |
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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
18th Annual CCA Sarasota “Photo All‐Release Challenge” April 19-20
Weekly Fishing Report by Capt. Rick Grassett
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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
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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