Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: March 25, 2013

Catch of the Week
Ken McElheny, from Ft. Myers, Fla., caught and released this slot red on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing skinny water in Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – Bradenton's own DeSoto Heritage Seafood festival which will be held downtown from April 5-7. Tides are good next week as we approach a full moon. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice should be a good option later in the week. Look for reds and big trout in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or on shallow flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. There should also be good action with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.

DeSoto Heritage Seafood Festival April 5-7

• Old Main Street, downtown 
• Bradenton, Florida
• Focus: The 73rd Annual Desoto Heritage Seafood Festival is a major attraction off the Manatee River with fresh seafood, artisans, live entertainment, and arts and crafts.

Red tide bloom affecting manatees along southwest Florida coast

• A red-tide event in southwest Florida has claimed 174 manatees so far this year. Although results are preliminary, this is the highest number of red-tide-related deaths in a single calendar year on record.
• State and federal scientists are monitoring and responding to manatees affected by the ongoing red tide bloom along the southwest Florida coast.
• To help with these efforts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) ask the public to be on the lookout for manatees affected by red tide. Signs that a manatee is affected by red tide include a lack of coordination and stability in the water, muscle twitches or seizures and difficulty lifting its head to breathe.
• With help from citizens in the area, the FWC and partners have rescued 12 manatees suffering from the effects of red tide so far this year. The public is asked to report manatees showing the effects of red tide, and any other distressed or dead manatees, to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
• State and federal scientists are collecting and analyzing data aimed at better understanding the long-term impacts of this ongoing event on the manatee population and the impacts of other events including extreme cold snaps from 2009-2011. Manatees are listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
• Decades of conservation efforts by many partners have led to population increases, as shown in population models. The growth of the population, and the many conservation measures implemented by the state of Florida, led the Service to begin work on a proposed rule that would reclassify the manatee from Endangered to Threatened, which reflects the overall improved status.  

Headed to the beach? Help biologists monitor spawning horseshoe crabs

• A ritual dating back millions of years takes place again this spring on Florida beaches. Spring marks horseshoe crabs’ mating season, and biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) want the public’s help identifying spawning sites.
• Beachgoers will likely have the best luck spotting mating horseshoe crabs around high tide, just before, during or after a new or full moon. The conditions around the new moon tonight and the full moon on March 27 will create ideal opportunities to view the spawning behavior of horseshoe crabs.
• Mating crabs “pair up,” with the smaller male on top of the larger female. Other male crabs may also be present around the couple. Beachgoers lucky enough to spot horseshoe crabs are asked to note how many they see and whether the horseshoe crabs are mating. If possible, the observer should also count how many horseshoe crabs are mating adults and how many are juveniles (4 inches wide or smaller).
• In addition, biologists ask observers to provide the date, time, location, habitat type and environmental conditions – such as tides and moon phase – when a sighting occurs.
• The FWC asks the public to report sightings through one of several options. Go to MyFWC.com/Contact and click on the “Submit a Horseshoe Crab Survey” link, then “Florida Horseshoe Crab Spawning Beach Survey.” You can also report findings via email at horseshoe@MyFWC.com or by phone at 866-252-9326.

Tony Merlis, from NH, with a nice Spanish mackerel caught and released on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett

Weekly Fishing Report by 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, flounder, redfish and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay on lures and flies during the past week.

I participated in fishing a large group of anglers organized by CB’s Saltwater Outfitters out of the Sarasota Hyatt on Tuesday afternoon. Vaughn Beasley, from Jacksonville, FL, and John Kelly and his daughter, Laura Kelly, both from MD, fished Sarasota Bay with me that afternoon. We fished the west side of the bay from the Middleground flat to Whale Key where they caught and released about a dozen trout to 19 inches and a Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.

Wednesday’s trip was cancelled due to rain and wind that morning. We waited on it for more than an hour at the boat ramp, but conditions didn’t improve. Mike Perez, from Sarasota, Fla., and, Ken McElheny, from Ft. Myers, Fla. fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday afternoon. They had steady action with trout and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats at Stephens Point and near Whale Key on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We also spent some time in shallow water hunting reds where they caught and released a red and a flounder on a CAL jig with a shad tail near Long Bar.

Anna Maria Island and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay. They caught and released trout and several nice Spanish mackerel, including a four-pounder on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on sink tip fly lines.

My niece, Hannah Mumford, and her friend, Lindsay Hardt, both from DE, visited Sarasota for spring break and fished Sarasota Bay with my wife, Karen, and me on Saturday. They caught and released trout and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails at Stephens Point.

Tides are good next week as we approach a full moon. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice should be a good option later in the week. Look for reds and big trout in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or on shallow flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. There should also be good action with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. 

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

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

Fishing Forecast 

A cold front will sweep southward through the waters tonight. High pressure will build back into the region on Monday...and will remain the dominant weather feature through the end of next week.

Monday

Northwest winds 15 to 20 knots. Bay and inland waters choppy. Monday night will bring northwest winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2013/03/25Mon06:52 a.m.0.11L

2013/03/25Mon12:34 p.m.1.64H

2013/03/25Mon07:01 p.m.0.32L

Tuesday

Northwest winds 10 to 15 knots increasing to around 20 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters choppy. Tuesday night will bring north winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2013/03/26Tue12:41 a.m.1.79H

2013/03/26Tue07:20 a.m.0.23L

2013/03/26Tue12:51 p.m.1.79H

2013/03/26Tue07:41 p.m.0.1L

Wednesday

North winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Wednesday night will bring north winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2013/03/27Wed01:26 a.m.1.75H

2013/03/27Wed07:46 a.m.0.37L

2013/03/27Wed01:11 p.m.1.96H

2013/03/27Wed08:22 p.m.-0.09L

Thursday

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

2013/03/28Thu02:13 a.m.1.66H

2013/03/28Thu08:11 a.m.0.52L

2013/03/28Thu01:37 p.m.2.12H

2013/03/28Thu09:07 p.m.-0.24L

Friday

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

2013/03/29Fri03:03 a.m.1.53H

2013/03/29Fri08:36 a.m.0.67L

2013/03/29Fri02:07 p.m.2.26H

2013/03/29Fri09:57 p.m.-0.32L

Solunar Forecast

Merab is a writer at the Bradenton Times. She can be reached at merab.favorite@thebradentontimes.com