Merab-Michal Favorite
CATCH OF THE WEEK
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Woody Boyce vacationed in the Sarasota area and caught and released this 4-pound bluefish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing a Sarasota Bay deep grass flat with Capt. Rick Grassett. |
Snook season reopened in Gulf waters on March 1. Our contributing captain, Rick Grassett, says tides will improve towards the end of next week as we approach a full moon. Fishing deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more should continue to be a good option. Look for reds and big trout on shallow flats or edges of bars in Sarasota Bay. You may also find tripletail or false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf when conditions are good there.
Fishing Update
Snook to reopen in Gulf state waters
- The recreational harvest season for one of Florida’s premier game fish, snook, reopened on March 1 in Florida’s Gulf of Mexico state and adjacent federal waters, including Everglades National Park and Monroe County. The season will remain open through April 30.
- In the Gulf, anglers may keep one snook per day that is not less than 28 or more than 33 inches total length, which is measured from the most forward point of the head with the mouth closed to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed while the fish is lying on its side. A snook permit is required to keep snook, along with a saltwater fishing license unless exempt from the license requirements. Only hook-and-line gear is allowed when targeting or harvesting snook.
- It is illegal to buy or sell snook.
Gulf reef fish workshops scheduled for March
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is hosting several public workshops in early March to gather public input on a proposal that would improve recreational reef fish data collection.
- The proposal would create a mandatory permit or registry system for Gulf of Mexico recreational anglers who target reef fish like red snapper, grouper, amberjack and gray triggerfish. This system will help researchers better define the number of offshore anglers and help them contact these anglers to gather additional data. Get your voice heard on this important topic by attending an in-person workshop or a phone conference.
Swordfish management pays off in expanded fishing opportunities effective Feb. 13
- Swordfish management is a success story. Overfished in the 1980s and ’90s, the swordfish stock has since been fully rebuilt, thanks to domestic and international conservation measures.
- Recently, NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Division created a new open-access commercial swordfish fishery in federal waters to provide additional commercial swordfish harvest opportunities using gears that minimize bycatch.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved several changes to state rules recently, many of which will allow fishermen who participate in this new commercial fishery to land and sell their catch in Florida. Recently adopted changes will go into effect Feb. 13.
- Several changes to state rules are also consistent with existing federal rules, including a change to the cleithrum-to-keel (see image below) minimum size limit for recreational and commercial swordfish harvest.
- For more information visit the website at http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2014/february/06/swordfish.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved changes at the February Commission meeting that will allow for-hire captain and crew to retain recreational bag limits of vermilion snapper, groupers and golden tilefish in state waters of the Atlantic (including all of Monroe County for grouper species and golden tilefish).
- This change will make state regulations consistent with Atlantic federal regulations and will go into effect as soon as possible.
- Similar changes to federal rules became effective Jan. 27. The federal rule was modified because it was not effectively limiting harvest of vermilion snapper and gag grouper as originally intended and it was causing confusion because captain and crew of for-hire vessels could keep recreational bag limits of some snapper and grouper species, but not others. Additional harvest of these species by captain and crew is expected to be negligible and not negatively impact fish stocks.
- To learn more about this change, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and click on “Commission Meetings.” To learn more about snapper and grouper recreational regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Overview” under the “Reef Fish” header.
Swordfish management pays off in expanded fishing opportunities effective Feb. 13
- Swordfish management is a success story. Overfished in the 1980s and ’90s, the swordfish stock has since been fully rebuilt, thanks to domestic and international conservation measures.
- Recently, NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Division created a new open-access commercial swordfish fishery in federal waters to provide additional commercial swordfish harvest opportunities using gears that minimize bycatch.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved several changes to state rules recently, many of which will allow fishermen who participate in this new commercial fishery to land and sell their catch in Florida. Recently adopted changes will go into effect Feb. 13.
- Several changes to state rules are also consistent with existing federal rules, including a change to the cleithrum-to-keel (see image below) minimum size limit for recreational and commercial swordfish harvest.
- For more information visit the website at myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2014/february/06/swordfish.
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 Spanish mackerel, pompano, trout and bluefish in Sarasota Bay on flies and CAL jigs with shad tails during the past week.
Venice winter resident, Chub Bortz and his guest, Woody Boyce, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday afternoon. We fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay where they had steady action catching and releasing Spanish mackerel and bluefish to 4-pounds, trout and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, waded several flats and bars on the west side of the bay with me on Tuesday. We caught and released several pompano and a nice trout on my Grassett Flats Minnow and Flats Bunny flies.
Burt Benjamin and Elyse Kuhn, from CT, fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay with me on Wednesday. It was slow, but they caught and released a couple of Spanish mackerel and several trout, jacks and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
A front pushed through on Thursday morning and a soaking rain lingered until evening. Friday was brisk with strong NW winds (20 to 25-mph), so we chose not to fish those days. Capt. Ed Hurst and I were the instructors for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday. In addition to fly casting, students were also schooled on leader construction and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The next class will be on March 29th. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Tides will improve towards the end of next week as we approach a full moon. Fishing deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more should continue to be a good option. Look for reds and big trout on shallow flats or edges of bars in Sarasota Bay. You may also find tripletail or false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf when conditions are good there.
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 will remain the dominant weather feature through Tuesday. A cold front will approach from the west Tuesday night and Wednesday and move through the area Wednesday night. Winds and seas are expected to increase Wednesday night through Thursday night behind the cold front ... possibly to advisory levels.
Monday
Northeast winds around 5 knots becoming northwest around 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Monday night will bring northwest winds around 10 knots becoming northeast around 5 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth.
2014/03/10 Mon 04:25 AM -0.09 L
2014/03/10 Mon 11:52 AM 1.19 H
2014/03/10 Mon 03:11 PM 1.09 L
2014/03/10 Mon 08:55 PM 1.68 H
Tuesday
East winds around 5 knots then becoming southwest around 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Tuesday night will bring southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers in the evening then a chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight.
2014/03/11 Tue 05:19 AM -0.12 L
2014/03/11 Tue 12:13 PM 1.27 H
2014/03/11 Tue 04:40 PM 0.99 L
2014/03/11 Tue 10:10 PM 1.71 H
Wednesday
Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning ... then a slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Wednesday night will bring west winds 10 to 15 knots then becoming northwest after midnight. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/03/12 Wed 06:02 AM -0.13 L
2014/03/12 Wed 12:32 PM 1.34 H
2014/03/12 Wed 05:38 PM 0.84 L
2014/03/12 Wed 11:07 PM 1.74 H
Thursday
North winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.Thursday nigh will bring north winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/03/13 Thu 06:37 AM -0.1 L
2014/03/13 Thu 12:49 PM 1.4 H
2014/03/13 Thu 06:21 PM 0.68 L
2014/03/13 Thu 11:53 PM 1.76 H
Friday
Northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.
2014/03/14 Fri 07:06 AM -0.04 L
2014/03/14 Fri 01:02 PM 1.47 H
2014/03/14 Fri 06:59 PM 0.51 L
Solunar Forecast
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