Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: Sept. 15, 2014

CATCH OF THE WEEK

Bill Rhodes, from Hernando Beach, Fla., caught and released this false albacore (little tunny) on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing the coastal gulf off Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – Law makers have prohibited lionfish aquaculture in Florida. The changes will go into effect Dec. 1. More than 1,000 largemouth bass exceeding eight pounds were documented and released in Florida in less than two years. Weather Underground is predicting the arrival of a cold front Tuesday afternoon, however wind and seas will decrease throughout the week as the front settles over Florida. 

FISHING UPDATES

• FWC furthers lionfish control measures, prohibits lionfish aquaculture
  At a Sept. 10 meeting in Kissimmee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) acted to prohibit lionfish aquaculture.
• Lionfish are an invasive species that have a negative impact on native fish and habitat.
• The changes will go into effect by Dec. 1. Updates will be available at MyFWC.com/Lionfish.
• Management changes were developed in coordination with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) 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. 
• A scientific research exception will allow permitted research institutions to breed and cultivate lionfish for the purposes of researching population control and impact mitigation.

• • Limited harvest starts Sept. 1 for snook, a premier Florida fish
    The recreational harvest season for Florida’s premier game fish, snook, opens Sept. 1 statewide. Unique to the region, snook are one of the many reasons Florida is the Fishing Capital of the World. While the fishery is already more than 90 percent catch-and-release, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages anglers to continue to use moderation when determining whether or not to take a snook home. Gulf snook populations were negatively impacted by a 2010 cold kill.
  • Gulf snook numbers currently exceed FWC management goals but are still rebuilding to pre-cold-kill levels, which is one of the reasons why it is important to handle fish with care in this region and use moderation when determining whether or not to harvest one. When releasing a snook, proper handling methods can help ensure the species’ abundance for anglers today and generations to come. To learn more about catch-and-release and the best way to handle a fish, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater” then “Recreational Regulations.”
•  
  • 1,000-plus TrophyCatch largemouth bass swim free
• • Considered by many to be a once in a lifetime dream catch, well over 1,000 largemouth bass exceeding 8 pounds have been caught, documented and released in Florida in less than two years. Want to know where and see photos? Simply go to TrophyCatchFlorida.com and select the “Gallery of Catches” or you can pick “Search Catches” to narrow down your results.

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 some action catching and releasing trout on DOA lures, top water plugs and flies in Sarasota Bay during the past week.

It was breezy on Friday as a tropical system moved across south Florida when Greg Stepanski, from Tampa, FL and Tom Frankfurth, from Terra Verde, Fla., fished Sarasota Bay with me. We fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay where they caught and released trout to 18 inches on DOA Deadly Combos, CAL jigs with shad tails, top water plugs and flies.

I spent some time at the DOA Fishing Lures booth at the Florida Sportsman Fishing Show in Tampa on Saturday. The newest bait from DOA is the 4 inch CAL shad tail and it should be a hit, especially when larger profile baits are around. The lure, which can be rigged on a long shank CAL jig head or on a weedless hook, has an amazing wiggle and vibration!

You should find trout, blues, mangrove snapper and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Look for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find them. You may find reds schooling on edges of bars or shallow grass flats when the tide is low. Snook fishing should also be good around lighted docks and bridges at night or on shallow flats early in the day.

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 ridge of high pressure north of the waters will begin to weaken and slip south into the coastal waters Monday and Tuesday. A weak cold front will approach the northeast Gulf Tuesday night then move very slowly southward through the waters Wednesday and Thursday. Seas may be as high as 3 feet well offshore Monday, but the overall trend will be for decreasing winds and seas over the next couple of days as the ridge settles in over Florida. The only hazards expected during the period will be higher winds and seas in the vicinity of thunderstorms.

Monday
Southeast winds around 5 knots then becoming south around 5 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Monday night will bring west winds around 5 knots then becoming southwest after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms.
2014/09/15 Mon 04:48 AM 2.39 H
2014/09/15 Mon 01:30 PM 0.53 L
2014/09/15 Mon 08:40 PM 1.61 H
2014/09/15 Mon 11:47 PM 1.52 L

Tuesday
Southwest winds around 5 knots then becoming west around 5 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters smooth. Isolated thunderstorms in the morning ... then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Tuesday night will bring north winds around 5 knots then becoming west after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms.
2014/09/16 Tue 05:52 AM 2.3 H
2014/09/16 Tue 02:48 PM 0.56 L
2014/09/16 Tue 10:11 PM 1.67 H

Wednesday
West winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms in the morning ... then numerous thunderstorms in the afternoon. Wednesday night will bring southwest winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Numerous thunderstorms in the evening ... then scattered thunderstorms after midnight.
2014/09/17 Wed 01:22 AM 1.57 L
2014/09/17 Wed 07:20 AM 2.22 H
2014/09/17 Wed 03:58 PM 0.55 L
2014/09/17 Wed 10:58 PM 1.75 H

Thursday
West winds around 5 knots then becoming northwest in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms. Thursday night will bring north winds around 5 knots then becoming east after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms.
2014/09/18 Thu 03:09 AM 1.53 L
2014/09/18 Thu 08:54 AM 2.2 H
2014/09/18 Thu 04:56 PM 0.53 L
2014/09/18 Thu 11:29 PM 1.82 H

Friday
Northeast winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms.
2014/09/19 Fri 04:27 AM 1.4 L
2014/09/19 Fri 10:07 AM 2.24 H
2014/09/19 Fri 05:41 PM 0.54 L
2014/09/19 Fri 11:54 PM 1.88 H

Solunar Forecast