Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: July 28, 2014

CATCH OF THE WEEK

Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL, caught and released this Sarasota Bay red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett

BRADENTON – Red tide has been killing offshore sea life in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. A front will bring an increase in wind and seas during the first part of the week. Capt. Rick Grassett recommends looking for reds and big trout on shallow flats or edges of bars early during the the day. He says catch and release snook fishing should also be good in passes and around docks and bridges close to passes.

FISHING UPDATES

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.

 

Fly anglers fishing the coastal gulf in Sarasota with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continued to have action with tarpon, getting numerous shots and jumping several. Spin fishing anglers caught and released trout and blues in Sarasota Bay on DOA Lures during the past week.

 

Dean Hannemann, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Monday. He had numerous shots at tarpon, jumped 1 and battled it through several jumps before the fish chewed through the 80-lb bite tippet. If the fish is hooked with the leader wrapped around the “clipper” portion of the jaw, they can sometimes wear through it quickly. Wind blew strong out of the west on Wednesday and Thursday and conditions were not fishable in the coastal gulf for tarpon those days.

 

Jerry Poslusny and Bill Nesbitt, both from Rochester, NY, tarpon fished with me on Friday and Saturday. Following a couple of days of west wind and rough water, we were pleasantly surprised to find good conditions and lots of tarpon. They had numerous shots both days but Friday was their best day with 3 bites and a couple of hook ups. One of the last casts of the day resulted in a hook up with a large female gave us some great jumps and a smoking run. A great way to end the day!

           

Tim Graham, from Nokomis, FL and Aaron Way, from St. Petersburg, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sunday morning for a change of pace. We fished deep grass flats on the west side of the bay where they caught and released a few trout and blues on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

 

 Inshore you should find trout, blues and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Look for reds and big trout on shallow flats or edges of bars early in the day. Catch and release snook fishing should also be good 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

Atlantic high pressure continues over the eastern Gulf waters this afternoon. A frontal boundary will near the northern Gulf waters late Monday into Tuesday. There will be an increase in winds and waves as the frontal gradient tightens. cautionary conditions may be possible tomorrow afternoon for the northern coastal waters.

Monday

West winds 5 to 10 knots becoming 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Isolated thunderstorms. Monday night will bring west winds 10 to 15 knots diminishing to 5 to 10 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Isolated thunderstorms after midnight.

2014/07/28Mon02:58 AM1.61H

2014/07/28Mon08:01 AM1.07L

2014/07/28Mon01:45 PM2.41H

2014/07/28Mon09:27 PM0.23L

Tuesday

West winds 5 to 10 knots increasing to around 15 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Tuesday night will bring west winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms.

2014/07/29Tue03:14 AM1.69H

2014/07/29Tue08:43 AM0.99L

2014/07/29Tue02:22 PM2.33H

2014/07/29Tue09:53 PM0.32L

Wednesday

West winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Wednesday night will bring northwest winds around 10 knots diminishing to around 5 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms in the evening.

2014/07/30Wed03:34 AM1.79H

2014/07/30Wed09:29 AM0.92L

2014/07/30Wed03:02 PM2.21H

2014/07/30Wed10:20 PM0.43L

Thursday

Northwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon.

2014/07/31Thu04:00 AM1.91H

2014/07/31Thu10:18 AM0.85L

2014/07/31Thu03:47 PM2.06H

2014/07/31Thu10:49 PM0.56L