Improved weather offered opportunities to catch some fish

It was pretty much a messed-up week weather-wise.

I couldn't put together any trips at the start of the week due to the inclement weather.

Thankfully, the weather pattern broke on Friday and the Janzen family from Minnesota enjoyed some pretty good action on a rare dry morning excursion. They netted up a bunch of mixed baits and it produced a mixed bag of redfish to 24 inches, trout to 23 inches, mangrove snapper up to 17 inches, ladyfish, grouper and flounder.

Most of the action was in North Sarasota Bay, fishing the mangrove shorelines for the redfish, the open grass flats in 6 feet of water for the trout and a sunken boat in 8 feet of water for the grouper and snapper.

One of the advantages from the heavy rain and wind for most of the week is that it moderated the water temperatures, which had climbed close to the 90-degree mark during the June heat wave down to around 78 to 80 degrees, and lowered the salinity levels in most backwater areas, which redfish really like. The freshwater runoff also pushed a lot of trout out of canals and creeks to the open bay water, where the salinity is higher.

Tarpon fishing really took a hit with the persistent westerly winds and rough conditions along the beaches.

Good luck and good fishing. Be careful out there!

Capt. "Zach" Zacharias

(941) 795-5026

E-mail: zachap@aol.com

Docked on Palma Sola Bay at Parrot Cove Marina/Sunny Shores

115th Street West and 36th Avenue, Cortez, FL 34215