| CATCH OF THE WEEK |
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| Marshall Dinerman, from Atlanta, GA, caught this nice Sarasota Bay Spanish mackerel on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett. |
During 2013, a preliminary total of 829 manatee deaths were documented. St. Johns River blue crab trap closure starts Jan. 16. Our contributing captain, Rick Grassett, said he saw another sawfish, only the second he has seen in his entire life. Sawfish were prevalent in the area during the 1800's but were overfished and thought to be extinct from the area. Weather Underground reports that another cold front should reach the area on Monday night.
FWC busy responding to manatee deaths
St. Johns River blue crab trap closure starts Jan. 16
New FWC buoy in Tampa Bay to aid water quality, harmful algal bloom monitoring
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| 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, caught and released trout and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay and trout and bluefish in Gasparilla Sound on CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs during the past week.
Marshall Dinerman, from Atlanta, Ga., fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday morning. With an approaching front and a west wind, he had good action with Spanish mackerel to more than 4-pounds and trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and top water plugs fishing deep grass flats near Whale Key. An awesome looking front with frigid air and wind, but not much rain, pushed through about 11 a.m. and seas went to 4 feet in the bay very fast.
The next couple of days were cold and windy, so I didn’t fish. Since water temperatures dipped into the high 50’s at night in inshore waters, I postponed a night snook fly fishing trip until the water warms back up. Keith McClintock and Victor Feldman, both from Ill., made up their trip from earlier in the week when they fished Gasparilla Sound near Boca Grande with me on Friday. They had good action with numerous trout to 18” and blues to three pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails. The majority of trout were fat, healthy fish in the slot. I also spotted a smalltooth sawfish swimming on top of a sandbar in 2 feet of water. I wasn’t able to get a photo but got a very good, close look at the fish-the 2nd one I’ve ever seen!
I had an instructional fly fishing trip in Sarasota Bay on Saturday morning. With an upcoming bonefish trip planned to Andros Island, Bahamas, the anglers wanted to hone their saltwater fly fishing skills. We worked on accuracy, line management, saltwater speed casting and dealing with wind, all important aspects of bonefishing.
Catch and released night snook action in the ICW should be good option next week now that water temperatures have warmed back to the mid 60’s. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should continue to be a good option.
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
Northerly flow in the wake of a cold front will diminish below cautionary levels this evening. Winds will shift east and then southeast tonight into Monday as high pressure passes east of the region. The next cold front is forecast to pass through the eastern Gulf Monday night or early Tuesday...with winds reaching cautionary levels across offshore zones Monday evening and across coastal zones by early Tuesday. Behind the front...a strengthening gradient will bring cautionary wind criteria and wave heights of 4-8 feet beginning early Wednesday before high pressure returns and the gradient relaxes allowing winds and waves to subside early Friday morning.
Monday
Southeast winds around 10 knots then becoming south in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Monday night will bring southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A chance of showers in the evening. Isolated thunderstorms. Thunderstorms may increase winds and seas. Showers likely after midnight.
2014/01/13Mon08:24 AM-0.04L
Tuesday
West winds around 10 knots then becoming northwest in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Showers likely in the morning...then a chance of showers in the afternoon. Tuesday night will bring northwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.
2014/01/14Tue12:41 AM2.03H
2014/01/14Tue08:59 AM-0.07L
Wednesday
Northwest winds around 20 knots. Bay and inland waters choppy. Wednesday night will bring northwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/01/15Wed01:23 AM2.04H
2014/01/15Wed09:28 AM-0.07L
2014/01/15Wed05:04 PM1.15H
2014/01/15Wed07:33 PM1.09L
Thursday
North winds 10 to 15 knots diminishing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Thursday night will bring north winds around 10 knots then becoming northwest around 5 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters a light chop.
2014/01/16Thu02:02 AM2.03H
2014/01/16Thu09:54 AM-0.06L
2014/01/16Thu04:56 PM1.17H
2014/01/16Thu08:25 PM1.05L
Friday
Northwest winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth.
2014/01/17Fri02:39 AM2.0H
2014/01/17Fri10:19 AM-0.01L
2014/01/17Fri04:56 PM1.21H
2014/01/17Fri09:16 PM0.99L
Solunar Forecast
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