CATCH OF THE WEEK |
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Jerry Roth, from the Orlando, Fla. area, caught and released this over slot, 9.5-pound red, on a weedless-rigged CAL shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett. |
BRADENTON – The full moon on Monday will bring some of the best fishing of the month! Snook season opened statewide. Weather Underground offshore afternoon showers and thunderstorms. FWC researchers have reported that transplanted, nursery-raised corral has spawning for the fist time off of Marathon Key. Researchers are seeking tarpon data from Florida anglers by way of a "finger print," or DNA sample, taken from the tarpon during the catch.
FISHING UPDATES
Nonnative fish provide exotic fishing alternatives; most have no bag limits!
FWC tarpon researchers seek data from north Florida anglers
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, had good action catching and releasing trout, blues and jacks on DOA lures, top water plugs and flies in Sarasota Bay during the past week.
Since I was away most of August, I needed to get back on the water in Sarasota before a trip on Saturday. Steve Traves, owner of Anna Maria Island Outfitters and Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. We had some action catching and releasing trout and blues on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails on deep grass flats on both sides of the bay.
Pete Pedersen and his son Bill, from MA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. We fished some of the same areas and had good action catching and releasing blues and trout on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos, top water plugs and flies. Bill also caught and released a couple of trout on my Grassett Flats Bunny fly, his first saltwater fish on a fly! I often use a “popper/dropper” rig when fly fishing on deep grass flats this time of year. The principle is the same as the DOA Deadly Combo, with the popper making noise and a smaller lightly weighted fly fluttering along 3’ behind it.
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. Reds are schooling on flats of Sarasota Bay. They may stage on edges of bars or shallow grass flats when the tide is low. Look for wakes or patches of nervous water when it is calm or slick spots when there is a chop to find schools.
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 tropical disturbance in the Bahamas will move across South Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico through the weekend. Stronger winds and greater chances of thunderstorms will be farther south. The National Hurricane Center has a 30 percent chance of cyclone formation in the next five days.
Thursday
Southeast winds around 5 knots then becoming southwest around 5 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Thursday night will bring north winds around 5 knots then becoming east around 5 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth. Isolated thunderstorms in the evening.
2014/09/11 Thu 2:16 a.m. 2.31 H
2014/09/11 Thu 9:21 a.m. 0.41 L
2014/09/11 Thu 3:20 p.m. 2.19 H
2014/09/11 Thu 9:25 p.m. 1.02 L
Friday
Northeast winds around 5 knots increasing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms in the morning...then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Friday night
will bring east winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms in the evening.
2014/09/12 Fri 2:46 a.m. 2.42 H
2014/09/12 Fri 10:14 a.m. 0.38 L
2014/09/12 Fri 4:16 p.m. 1.97 H
2014/09/12 Fri 9:53 p.m. 1.18 L
Saturday
East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Saturday night will bring east winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms in the evening.
2014/09/13 Sat 3:20 a.m. 2.47 H
2014/09/13 Sat 11:11 a.m, 0.41 L
2014/09/13 Sat 5:21 p.m. 1.77 H
2014/09/13 Sat 10:22 p.m. 1.31 L
Sunday
Southeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Sunday night will bring southeast winds around 5 knots. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms in the evening.
2014/09/14 Sun 4:00 a.m. 2.46 H
2014/09/14 Sun 12:16 p.m. 0.47 L
2014/09/14 Sun 6:46 p.m. 1.64 H
2014/09/14 Sun 10:57 p.m 1.42 L
Solunar Forecast