Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: November 10, 2013

CATCH OF THE WEEK

There was plenty of action with false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf last week. Bill Moore from Libertyville, Ill., caught and released his on a top water plug.

BRADENTON – NOAA is predicting sunny, cool weather next this week with winds ranging from 10 to 15 knots. 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.

• 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 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.

• Stone crab season opens Oct. 15 in state, federal waters
  Florida’s recreational and commercial stone crab claw harvest season opens Oct. 15 in state and federal waters. To ensure this valuable resource is available for generations to come, take care when removing crab claws, and follow all protective management guidelines for stone crab harvest.
• To be harvested, stone crab claws must be at least 2¾ inches in length when measured from the elbow to the tip of the lower immovable portion of the claw (see illustration). View a video on how to properly remove the claw, and increase the likelihood of survival of the released crab.

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.

Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had action catching and releasing false albacore (little tunny) in the coastal gulf and trout in Sarasota Bay on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos and top water plugs during the past week.

Bill Moore, from Libertyville, Ill., caught and released a large false albacore on a top water plug in the coastal gulf while fishing with me on Tuesday. He also had good action catching and releasing numerous trout near Stephens Point in Sarasota Bay on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Sarasota winter resident, Mike Perez, fly fished in the coastal gulf with me on Wednesday and also had some action with albies.

Steve Ruffoni, from Cal., fly fished the coastal gulf with me on Friday. With a front passing through on Thursday evening and a forecast for NW wind, I didn’t think fishing there would be an option. We were pleasantly surprised to find a northeast wind and fishable conditions in the gulf. Bait was widely scattered and a big swell made it tough to get on the fish but we kept working at it until he caught and released his first albie on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly!

Tripletail, Spanish mackerel and false albacore in the coastal gulf should be a good option now depending on conditions. Look for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find albies and mackerel. Trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, flounder and more should be good options on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Also, look for reds and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats.

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

A low pressure is developing off the Florida east coast and will move off the eastern seaboard on Monday. A north wind will move over the coastal waters mid-week, just in time for another cold front to move in.

Monday
North winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Monday night will bring north winds 10 to 15 knots diminishing to 5 to 10 knots after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/11/10 Mon 12:57 AM 2.48 H
2014/11/10 Mon 09:25 AM -0.08 L
2014/11/10 Mon 04:10 PM 1.5 H
2014/11/10 Mon 07:56 PM 1.32 L

Tuesday
North winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 feet. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Tuesday night will bring north winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters a light chop.
2014/11/11 Tue 01:37 AM 2.35 H
2014/11/11 Tue 10:11 AM 0.02 L
2014/11/11 Tue 05:07 PM 1.5 H
2014/11/11 Tue 08:49 PM 1.35 L

Wednesday
North winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Wednesday night will bring north winds 10 to 15 knots diminishing to 5 to 10 knots after midnight. Seas 2 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/11/12 Wed 02:23 AM 2.18 H
2014/11/12 Wed 11:01 AM 0.14 L
2014/11/12 Wed 06:04 PM 1.54 H
2014/11/12 Wed 10:08 PM 1.36 L

Thursday
North winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Thursday night will bring north winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/11/13 Thu 03:19 AM 1.97 H
2014/11/13 Thu 11:55 AM 0.27 L
2014/11/13 Thu 06:55 PM 1.61 H
2014/11/13 Thu 11:51 PM 1.31 L

Friday
North winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 feet. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.
2014/11/14 Fri 04:37 AM 1.77 H
2014/11/14 Fri 12:50 PM 0.38 L
2014/11/14 Fri 07:36 PM 1.69 H

Solunar Forecast