Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: Jan. 20, 2014

Posted Thursday, June 18, 2015 12:00 am

Merab-Michal Favorite

CATCH OF THE WEEK

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Dean Fields, from Indianapolis, IN, had good action catching and releasing snook at night on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing the ICW near Venice with Capt. Rick Grassett.

FWC reports that dozens of sea turtles were rescued during the recent cold weather. During 2013, a preliminary total of 829 manatee deaths were also documented. Our contributing captain, Rick Grassett, recommends fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should continue to be a good option. Catch and released night snook action in the ICW should also be good option during warm ups as long as water temperatures don’t dip below 60 degrees.

Fishing Update

FWC, partners release dozens of sea turtles rescued from cold in NW Fla. waters

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and several partners returned approximately 50 sea turtles to the wild today in the Gulf of Mexico off Cape San Blas after the animals were rescued from last week’s cold water temperatures.
“It is very satisfying to be able to release these turtles following the exhaustive effort put in by rescuers last week,” said Dr. Allen Foley, FWC sea turtle biologist. “Our staff, partners and volunteers spent many hours braving cold conditions to search for and rescue these cold-stunned turtles.”
The sea turtles were rescued between Jan. 7 and Jan. 9, when water temperatures dipped below 50 degrees, causing cold-stunning. Cold-stunned turtles may float listlessly in the water or wash ashore, largely unable to move. In this state, they are susceptible to further effects from the weather, and to attacks by gulls that often involve eye injuries. Many of these turtles would die without human intervention.

FWC busy responding to manatee deaths

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has stepped up efforts to respond to manatees in distress and determine the cause of death when possible. During 2013, a preliminary total of 829 manatee deaths were documented.
Marine mammal staff from across the state and law enforcement responded to manatees suffering from the effects of red tide in southwest Florida from January through May. Florida red tide, which releases a toxin that affects manatees’ nervous systems, caused the deaths of a record 276 manatees during that period.

New FWC buoy in Tampa Bay to aid water quality, harmful algal bloom monitoring

A new buoy deployed this month by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in Old Tampa Bay collects continuous water quality information to help researchers learn more about conditions that trigger harmful algal blooms.

Weekly Fishing Report by Capt. Rick Grassett

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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, blues and trout in Sarasota Bay, trout, flounder and redfish in the Terra Ceia Bay area on CAL jigs with shad tails and snook at night on flies in the ICW near Venice during the past week.

Keith McClintock and Victor Feldman, both from IL, fished the area from Palma Sola Bay to Terra Ceia Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released numerous trout, a couple of flounder and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails, fishing potholes in the morning and shallow grass flats in the afternoon.

Dean Fields, from IN, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice on Tuesday night. A front passed through that day and we had a cool northwest wind that evening but snook were aggressive. Dean caught and released more than 20 snook and several jacks, ladyfish and trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Despite an incoming tide that was slowed by the northwest wind, the snook bite was steady.

Cold air pushed in by a strong NW wind caused us to cancel Thursdays’ fly fishing trip. A full moon, high pressure and a sharp drop in water temperature made for some tough conditions. However, by Friday when Marshall Dinerman, his son Michael Dinerman and son-in-law, Alex Medeiros, from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me, it was sunny and had warmed into the mid 60’s. We fished the west side of the bay and despite water in the high 50’s, we were pleasantly surprised to find Spanish mackerel feeding on the surface. They caught and released numerous Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds, blues to 2-pounds and a couple of trout on DOA Deadly Combos and top water plugs.

I was the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday. Students learned the basic fly cast, shooting line and roll casting. Topics covered also included leader construction, knots and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The next school will be on Feb 15. Cost for the one day school, which runs from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, is $150 and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a textbook and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.

Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should continue to be a good option. Catch and released night snook action in the ICW should also be good option during warm ups as long as water temperatures don’t dip below 60 degrees.

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

Westerly flow will persist behind a weak surface boundary. With a weak area of high pressure establishing over the area, winds and seas will subside for the beginning of the week. The next cold front is forecast to shift through the area by Tuesday night with stronger northwest winds and building seas developing behind the front.

Monday

Northwest winds around 5 knots becoming west around 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Monday night will bring west winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2014/01/20Mon02:07 AM1.61H

2014/01/20Mon09:28 AM-0.15L

2014/01/20Mon03:19 PM1.45H

2014/01/20Mon09:42 PM0.39L

Tuesday

West winds 5 to 10 knots increasing to around 15 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of rain in the morning, then a chance of rain in the afternoon. Tuesday night will bring north winds 15 to 20 knots. Bay and inland waters choppy.

2014/01/21Tue02:55 AM1.43H

2014/01/21Tue09:58 AM0.0L

2014/01/21Tue03:51 PM1.55H

2014/01/21Tue10:43 PM0.3L

Wednesday

North winds 10 to 15 knots diminishing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Wednesday night will bring northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2014/01/22Wed03:53 AM1.22H

2014/01/22Wed10:31 AM0.18L

2014/01/22Wed04:28 PM1.64H

2014/01/22Wed11:54 PM0.2L

Thursday

Northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Thursday night will bring north winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2014/01/23Thu05:08 AM1.01H

2014/01/23Thu11:07 AM0.37L

2014/01/23Thu05:11 PM1.73H

Friday

North winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2014/01/24Fri01:14 AM0.05L

2014/01/24Fri06:53 AM0.86H

2014/01/24Fri11:47 AM0.56L

2014/01/24Fri06:01 PM1.81H

Solunar Forecast