Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: Nov. 24, 2014

CATCH OF THE WEEK

Bill Todd, from MA, had fast action catching and releasing snook on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing thethe ICW near Venice at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – NOAA is predicting cautionary conditions warranting small craft advisory conditions for most of the week. Our contributing captain says Tripletail, Spanish mackerel and false albacore in the coastal gulf should be a good option now depending on conditions. He said anglers should look for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find albies and mackerel.

• Next lionfish-control step prevents lionfish breeding, effective Nov. 26
  The breeding of lionfish will be prohibited starting Nov. 26. This change is one of the many steps the state has taken recently to help control the lionfish population. Lionfish are an invasive species that have a negative impact on native fish and habitat.
• These changes were developed in coordination with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and include:
• Prohibiting the harvest and possession of lionfish eggs and larvae for any purpose other than destruction;
• Prohibiting the intentional breeding of lionfish in captivity.

• Manatee Awareness Month
• November is manatee awareness month.
• Watch this fun video as Florida kids talk about Florida Manatees. Viewers are encouraged to share the video on social media sites to spread the word. Manatees are very unique creatures, found only in this part of the country. How would you describe these gentle giants to someone that has never seen one before?

• Cownose stingrays migrating by the thousands!
  Every spring and fall, people the world over have photographed flocks of migrating birds and waterfowl. But for some reason, migrating schools of “golden” rays swimming back and forth across the Gulf of Mexico are so seldom photographed that one woman’s pictures pop up multiple times when searching for information or glimpses of the natural spectacle.
• Actually called cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus), these stingrays migrate between western Florida and the Yucatan by the hundreds or thousands, heading northeast to western Florida in the spring and southwest to Mexico and the Caribbean in the fall.

FWC, partners unlock some mysteries behind red tide in 5-year study

• Last month, researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) published new findings on Florida’s red tide organism, Karenia brevis, in a special issue of the scientific journal Harmful Algae. This publication is the culmination of an unprecedented collaboration on red tide research in the Gulf of Mexico led by the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
  From this work, researchers unveiled that Karenia brevis uses a variety of nutrients from different sources, including offshore blooms of another algae species, Trichodesmium, as well as decaying fish that die during blooms. Researchers quantified the relative roles of these nutrient sources in affecting blooms.

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.

An angler fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had great action catching and releasing snook at night in the ICW near Venice on flies during the past week.

Bill Todd, from MA, fished several trips with me. We fished the ICW near Venice on Wednesday evening and it was on fire! With the water temperature in the mid 60’s that evening and a strong tide, snook went on a glass minnow binge. He had fast action catching and releasing snook to 25 inches on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

He also caught and released a few trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on a sink tip fly line over deep grass in north Sarasota Bay. We hunted albies and tripletail in the coastal gulf and reds in skinny water, but conditions were tough with clouds, wind and cold water. Water temperature plummeted to 57 degrees in the shallows by Friday morning, a drop of more than 10 degrees over a few days.

Night snook fishing in the ICW is a good option now. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action. Trout, blues, flounder and more should also be good options on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Look for reds and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats. Tripletail and false albacore in the coastal gulf should also be a good option depending on conditions. Look for tripletail on crab trap buoys and search for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find albies.

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

An area of low pressure and warm front will continue to produce gusty south southeast wind and rough seas in the Gulf causing small craft conditions that will continue through Monday. An approaching cold front will shift winds north and again increase the advisory level on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Monday
South winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers in the morning, then a chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Monday night will bring south winds around 10 knots diminishing to around 5 knots after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers in the evening...then a chance of showers after midnight.
2014/11/24 Mon 12:05 AM 2.54 H
2014/11/24 Mon 08:29 AM -0.41 L
2014/11/24 Mon 03:06 PM 1.42 H
2014/11/24 Mon 06:59 PM 1.18 L

Tuesday
East winds 5 to 10 knots then becoming north around 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Showers and isolated thunderstorms. Tuesday night will bring north winds 10 to 15 knots increasing to around 20 knots after midnight. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Bay and inland waters choppy. Showers.
2014/11/25 Tue 12:48 AM 2.52 H
2014/11/25 Tue 09:17 AM -0.38 L
2014/11/25 Tue 03:58 PM 1.39 H
2014/11/25 Tue 07:47 PM 1.19 L

Wednesday
North winds 20 to 25 knots diminishing to around 20 knots in the afternoon. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Bay and inland waters rough. Showers likely and isolated thunderstorms. Wednesday night will bring north winds around 20 knots diminishing to 10 to 15 knots after midnight. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Bay and inland waters choppy.
2014/11/26 Wed 01:36 AM 2.41 H
2014/11/26 Wed 10:08 AM -0.29 L
2014/11/26 Wed 04:53 PM 1.4 H
2014/11/26 Wed 08:52 PM 1.19 L

Thursday
North winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Thursday night will bring northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/11/27 Thu 02:33 AM 2.23 H
2014/11/27 Thu 11:03 AM -0.15 L
2014/11/27 Thu 05:46 PM 1.46 H
2014/11/27 Thu 10:22 PM 1.16 L

Friday
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/11/28 Fri 03:43 AM 1.97 H
2014/11/28 Fri 11:59 AM 0.03 L
2014/11/28 Fri 06:34 PM 1.55 H

Solunar Forecast