Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: Aug. 11, 2014

CATCH OF THE WEEK

Elizabeth Heidler, from Ohio, with a Sarasota Bay bluefish caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – Weather Underground is predicting winds around 15 knots and scattered thunderstorms during the week. There should still be some action with tarpon in the coastal gulf. However as they thin out in the coastal gulf, they are moving to inside areas where you may find them rolling on deep grass flats or in passes at first light. You also should find trout, blues and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Catch and release snook fishing should be good in the surf, in passes and around docks and bridges close to passes.

Monday

West winds 5 to 10 knots increasing to around 15 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Isolated thunderstorms. Monday night

will bring west winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms after midnight.

2014/08/11Mon02:21 AM1.7H

2014/08/11Mon07:35 AM0.96L

2014/08/11Mon01:31 PM2.74H

2014/08/11Mon09:07 PM0.14L

Tuesday

Southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms. Tuesday night will bring southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms.

2014/08/12Tue02:47 AM1.8H

2014/08/12Tue08:31 AM0.82L

2014/08/12Tue02:24 PM2.58H

2014/08/12Tue09:42 PM0.35L

Wednesday

Southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Wednesday night will bring southwest winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Isolated thunderstorms.

2014/08/13Wed03:15 AM1.93H

2014/08/13Wed09:28 AM0.71L

2014/08/13Wed03:18 PM2.35H

2014/08/13Wed10:15 PM0.57L

Thursday

West winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Thursday night will bring west winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms.

2014/08/14Thu03:46 AM2.07H

2014/08/14Thu10:29 AM0.63L

2014/08/14Thu04:15 PM2.08H

2014/08/14Thu10:46 PM0.8L

Friday

West winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms.

2014/08/15Fri04:21 AM2.19H

2014/08/15Fri11:35 AM0.6L

2014/08/15Fri05:21 PM1.81H

2014/08/15Fri11:19 PM1.0L

FISHING UPDATES

Amberjack, gray triggerfish reopen Aug.1 in Gulf state waters

• The recreational harvest of greater amberjack and gray triggerfish in Gulf of Mexico state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles) reopened Aug. 1.
• In Gulf federal waters, greater amberjack also opened Aug. 1, but gray triggerfish will remain closed through Dec. 31.

In both state and federal Gulf waters, greater amberjack must be larger than 30 inches when measured from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the tail to be harvested when the season is open. There is a daily bag limit of one fish per person.

• Gray triggerfish must be larger than 14 inches when measured from the lower jaw to the fork of the tail to be taken in state and federal Gulf waters when the season is open. There is a two-fish daily bag limit per person.
• Seasonal harvest closures, as well as size and bag limits, help conserve Florida’s valuable greater amberjack and gray triggerfish populations and improve opportunities in these fisheries for the future.

Red tide causes large fish kill in northeast Gulf of Mexico

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has confirmed a large-scale offshore fish kill in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. Citizens have reported observations of thousands of dead and dying bottom-dwelling reef fish, including  grouper, hogfish, white grunt, triggerfish and snapper, as well as sea turtles and crabs, to the FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline. Water quality is poor in the region with several reports of black water.
• On July 23, FWC Law Enforcement took scientists to collect fish, water samples and water quality data from six locations offshore of Hernando County. Sample analysis confirmed a bloom of the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis. Blooms of Karenia brevis in the Gulf of Mexico are naturally occurring and have been documented since the 1700s
• Satellite images from the Optical Oceanography Lab at the University of South Florida revealed an extensive surface bloom approximately 80 miles long and up to 50 miles wide in waters 40 to 90 miles offshore between Dixie and Pasco counties. Short-term forecasts of bloom movement by the Center for Prediction of Red Tides do not predict considerable movement of the bloom patch in upcoming days.
• To report fish kills to the FWC, contact the Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511 or submit a report online at Research.MyFWC.com/FishKill. For updated red tide status reports, to track blooms or to learn more about red tide, visit MyFWC.com/RedTide.

Gulf recreational red snapper season closed July 15 in state waters

• The recreational red snapper season in Gulf state waters closed July 15, with the last day of harvest being July 14. Florida state waters in the Gulf are from shore to 9 nautical miles.
• To learn more about recreational red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Gulf Snapper.”
• Several workshops on Gulf of Mexico recreational red snapper are planned for late July. The public is invited to discuss state and federal management of recreational red snapper and to explore future approaches for managing this fishery. Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Rulemaking” and “Workshops” to learn more. 

FWC moves to simplify saltwater rules in 3 counties

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a measure at its June 18 meeting in Fort Myers that will remove several outdated or redundant localized regulations in Gilchrist, Indian River and Manatee counties. These changes will go into effect as soon as possible.

• The FWC has been working to streamline and clarify saltwater fishing rules since 2009 as part of a marine fisheries rule clean-up process. This includes reviewing existing localized rules known as Special Acts of Local Application and working with county governments to remove them if warranted. Many Special Acts were put in place before the Marine Fisheries Commission, one of the FWC’s predecessor agencies, was created, and are now no longer necessary due to more current, statewide fishing management.

• The governments from all three counties have been working with the FWC on these changes. The FWC will be working with other counties in the future to help streamline and reduce regulations throughout the state, increasing transparency and consistency while standardizing FWC saltwater fishing management and making it easier for fishermen to access and participate in Florida fishing. The repeal of the Special Acts for these three counties is not expected to have any negative effects on Florida’s fisheries.

• In Manatee County, seven Special Acts are slated to be removed, including ones that limit the types of gear that can be used within the waters of the county, set aggregate bag limits for saltwater fish on the Manatee River, and authorize Manatee County to regulate the harvest of finfish within the county. Current statewide regulations now address the use of gear and give the FWC the authority to regulate the harvest of saltwater fish. Repealing these conflicting and redundant rules will help clarify and simplify regulations in Manatee County.

• To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and “Commission Meetings.”

 

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT BY CAPT. RICK GRASSETT

Capt. Rick DePaiva, from Ft. Myers, FL, battles a tarpon jumped on a fly while fishing the coastal gulf 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, had good action with snook, blues and trout on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and flies in Sarasota Bay during the past week. An angler also caught and released a big jack on a CAL 4” swim bait while tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf.

 

Denis Clohisy, from WI, and Jim Dempsey, from Ill., fished with me on Monday and Tuesday. We tarpon fished in the coastal gulf on Monday, which was our plan for both days. We had a west wind and rough water on Monday and with limited sunlight, it was tough to see fish. Jim made a quick cast and caught and released a 12-pounder on a CAL 4-inch shad tail/swim bait when we got blitzed by a big school of jacks. We often get shots at other species while tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf. We also had shots at several large cobia while tarpon fishing recently. It pays to be ready!

 

It was too rough to fish the coastal gulf for tarpon on Tuesday, so we fished the west side of Sarasota Bay, which offered some protection. They caught and released trout and blues on Clouser flies, DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.

 

Scott Heidler, his son, Scott and daughter, Elizabeth, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday before the kids went off to college. We started in the dark and they had good action catching and releasing a dozen snook to 24 inches on CAL jigs with shad tails. We moved to deep grass flats along the west side of the bay after dawn where they caught and released trout and blues on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Action with blues on deep grass flats has been good! They are also fun to catch with top water plugs or fly poppers.

 

There should still be some action with tarpon in the coastal gulf. However as they thin out in the coastal gulf, they are moving to inside areas where you may find them rolling on deep grass flats or in passes at first light. You also should find trout, blues and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Catch and release snook fishing should be good in the surf, in passes and around docks and bridges close to passes.

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

 

Fishing Forecast

High pressure across Florida and the Gulf waters will keep west to southwest winds in place. Showers and thunderstorms will develop during the overnight and early morning hours over the Gulf and coastal regions and shift inland each afternoon. The pressure gradient will be tighter across areas north of Tampa Bay where more numerous showers and storms will develop. Only hazards will be isolated waterspouts...lightning...and localized gusty winds in and near thunderstorms.

Monday

West winds 5 to 10 knots increasing to around 15 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Isolated thunderstorms. Monday night

will bring west winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms after midnight.

2014/08/11Mon02:21 AM1.7H

2014/08/11Mon07:35 AM0.96L

2014/08/11Mon01:31 PM2.74H

2014/08/11Mon09:07 PM0.14L

Tuesday

Southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms. Tuesday night will bring southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms.

2014/08/12Tue02:47 AM1.8H

2014/08/12Tue08:31 AM0.82L

2014/08/12Tue02:24 PM2.58H

2014/08/12Tue09:42 PM0.35L

Wednesday

Southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Wednesday night will bring southwest winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Isolated thunderstorms.

2014/08/13Wed03:15 AM1.93H

2014/08/13Wed09:28 AM0.71L

2014/08/13Wed03:18 PM2.35H

2014/08/13Wed10:15 PM0.57L

Thursday

West winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Thursday night will bring west winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms.

2014/08/14Thu03:46 AM2.07H

2014/08/14Thu10:29 AM0.63L

2014/08/14Thu04:15 PM2.08H

2014/08/14Thu10:46 PM0.8L

Friday

West winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms.

2014/08/15Fri04:21 AM2.19H

2014/08/15Fri11:35 AM0.6L

2014/08/15Fri05:21 PM1.81H

2014/08/15Fri11:19 PM1.0L