Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: Jan. 21, 2013

Catch of the Week
This was the first catch and relase of the year for Maggie and Will Tharp. Will, 2, looks satisfied with the size, but Maggie said she wants a bigger one next time.

BRADENTON – Take a moonlit bike ride in Myakka State Park or spend the weekend at the Goodland Fla. mullet festival. Capt. Rick Grassett recommends searching for reds on shallow flats on sunny afternoons and trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. He says to also look for reds around docks, in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low. Catch and release snook fishing in the ICW at night should also be a good option.

Fishing Updates

Myakka State Park Moonlit Bike Ride Jan. 23

• Embark on a sunset bike ride followed by a full moon on Jan. 23, Feb. 24 or March 24. Bring your bike for a 10 mile round trip ride starting at the ranger station and continuing to the birdwalk on the Upper Myakka Lake, where there will be a fire, warm drinks and a snack. On the return, participants will stop at the canopy walkway and take a look at the moon from above the treetops. Helmets are recommended; lights are required. There are limited spaces so reservations are required. Call 941-373-7839, $10 per person.

Mullet Festival Jan. 25-27

• Come on down to Stan's Idle Hour bar (221 W. Goodland Drive, Goodland Fla.) Enjoy mullet and lots of other fresh seafood with good eats from a variety of food vendors. There will also be arts and crafts and live music and, of course, the annual Buzzard Lope dance contest (the strange dance that buzzards do over their roadkill), culminating with the crowning of the Buzzard Lope Queen. Admission is free, call 239-394-3041 or go to www.stansidlehour.net for more information. 

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Fly Fishing Day Feb. 9

•  CB’s Saltwater Outfitters (1249 Stickney Point Road in Siesta Key) will hold a day of free fly fishing activities on Saturday, Feb 9th from  10 a.m.-3 p.m. Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guides will be on hand for fly casting instruction, Walt Plasson will demonstrate fly tying and there will be a raffle for all participants. Capt. Rick Grassett will do a seminar on saltwater fly fishing in our area at 10:30 a.m. There will also be a fly casting competition at 1 p.m. with a $100 CB’s gift certificate for the winner. Attendees will receive a 20 percent discount coupon (excluding sale items) and a $20 discount on future Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing schools. Stop by and see the latest fly fishing products from Orvis, Lamson and Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO). Call (941) 349-4400 for more information.

Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta Feb. 15-17

•  The Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta series opens its 2013 season Feb. 15-17, at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club near downtown St. Petersburg, Fla ( 11 Central Ave.). More than 1,000 sailors will hit the water for three days of competitive sailboat racing in conjunction with the largest and most popular sailboat racing series in North America.  
• Top sailors from around the world will compete against local skippers for the overall prize; a trip to the British Virgin Islands to race in the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Championship Regatta.
• Races will be held on Tampa Bay, east of the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier. Boats will be launched from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
• Private boats for spectators allowed, limited viewing is available – best seen from the St. Pete Municipal Pier. There is no charge to view the races.
• Visit www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas for more information.

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School Feb. 16

•  CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, Orvis Outfitter of the Year for 2011 (1249 Stickney Point Road, Siesta Key) will hold an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Feb. The schools will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor, Capt. Rick Grassett, will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the schools, which will run from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters.com to make reservations.

 Weekly Fishing Report by Capt. Rick Grassett

Roy Katz, from Greenville, S.C., caught this nice trout on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing a Sarasota Bay deep grass flat 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, blues, flounder and snook in Sarasota Bay on lures and flies during the past week.

Marshall Dinerman, from Atlanta, Ga., and Roy Katz, from Greenville, S.C., fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sunday. They had steady action with trout to 19 inches, several Spanish mackerel to more than three pounds, a flounder and a snook along the west side of the bay from Stephens Point to Long Bar on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.

Cam Dilley, from Tampa, FL, and Steve Ritchie, from Bradenton, Fla., fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released several blues to three pounds and trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fishing deep grass near Buttonwood Harbor.

Sarasota winter resident, Tom Lamb, and Diane Muhlfeld and Roy Glah, also from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon. They caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel to three pounds, bluefish and a flounder on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails along the west side of the bay from the Middleground flat to near Buttonwood Harbor.

Chris Lewington, from the U.K., fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. We started the day by fishing docks in Roberts Bay where he caught and released 4 snook to 24 inches and a black drum on CAL jigs with shad tails. With a fast approaching front, we moved to deep grass flats along the west side of the bay from the Middleground flat to Bishop Point where Chris caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel to four pounds and bluefish on CAL jigs with grubs.

Friday was cool and windy, so we bumped that trip back to Saturday which turned out to be a good move. Marshall Dinerman, his son Michael Dinerman and son-in-law, Alex Medeiros, from Atlanta, GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday afternoon. They had steady action with trout, including several in the slot, and a Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

You might find reds on shallow flats on sunny afternoons and trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Also look for reds around docks, in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low. Catch and release snook fishing in the ICW at night should also be a good.

 
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
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Fishing Forecast 

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

High pressure will remain north of the waters tonight then slide east as a cold front moves into the waters Monday... exiting by early Tuesday. Strong high pressure will build north of the waters Tuesday then move south to the northern Gulf Coast by late Wednesday. The high pressure will settle over North Florida on Thursday.

Monday

Northeast winds around 10 knots then becoming north in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Monday night will bring north winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2013/01/14Mon01:21 a.m.1.99H

2013/01/14Mon09:06 a.m.-0.44L

2013/01/14Mon03:08 p.m.1.28H

2013/01/14Mon08:42 p.m.0.52L

Tuesday

North winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Tuesday night will bring northeast winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2013/01/15Tue02:11 a.m.1.74H

2013/01/15Tue09:38 a.m.-0.22L

2013/01/15Tue03:36 p.m.1.4H

2013/01/15Tue09:46 p.m.0.43L

Wednesday

Northeast winds around 15 knots then becoming north 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.

2013/01/16Wed03:05 a.m.1.45H

2013/01/16Wed10:09 a.m.0.01L

2013/01/16Wed04:07 p.m.1.51H

2013/01/16Wed10:56 p.m.0.34L

Thursday

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

2013/01/17Thu04:09 a.m.1.17H

2013/01/17Thu10:39 a.m.0.23L

2013/01/17Thu04:42 p.m.1.6H

Friday

Southeast winds around 10 knots then becoming southwest in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers.

2013/01/18Fri12:12 a.m.0.23L

2013/01/18Fri05:33 a.m.0.94H

2013/01/18Fri11:11 a.m.0.43L

2013/01/18Fri05:22 p.m.1.67H

Solunar Forecast