ishing Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: June 1, 2015

Posted Friday, August 28, 2015 12:00 am

Merab-Michal Favorite

CATCH OF THE WEEK

Stephen Liska, of Naples, battles a tarpon that he caught and released on a live crab while fishing the coastal Gulf near Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett

BRADENTON — Red snapper season is open, but amberjack season is now closed. An area of low pressure could bring cautionary conditions later in the week. Our contributing captain Rick Grassett shares his views about tarpon fishing etiquette. Conservation-based oyster harvest changes in Apalachicola will continue through the summer.

Amberjack closes June 1 in Gulf state waters
The recreational harvest of greater amberjack in Gulf of Mexico state waters closes June 1 and will remain closed through July 31, reopening Aug. 1.

Seasonal harvest closures help conserve Florida’s valuable greater amberjack populations and improve these fisheries for the future.

Conservation-based oyster harvest changes to continue through summer season in Apalachicola Bay
Last fall, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) implemented several conservation measures in an effort to help the Apalachicola Bay oyster population recover from the effects of low river flow. Apalachicola Bay oyster populations have significantly declined in recent years due to lack of sufficient fresh water flows in the Apalachicola River. Many of the changes implemented last fall for the winter harvest season (Sept. 1-May 31) will continue during the summer season (June 1-Aug. 31) in Apalachicola Bay, including all waters of Indian Lagoon in Gulf County.

The FWC will continue to assess the health of the bay to make sure this critical natural resource is protected.

Changes effective June 1 include:

Closing commercial and recreational harvest of oysters in the area commonly known as East Hole.
Lowering the daily commercial harvest and possession limit from 20 to five bags of oysters in the shell per person (each bag is equivalent to 60 pounds or two 5-gallon buckets).
Lowering the daily recreational harvest per person, vessel and possession limit all to 5 gallons of oysters in the shell (previously two bags per day; a bag is equivalent to 60 pounds or two 5-gallon buckets).
Closing commercial and recreational oyster harvest on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from June 1 through July 16.
Closing commercial and recreational harvest on Saturdays and Sundays from July 20 through Aug. 28.

All other harvest regulations remain in effect.

Gulf state recreational red snapper season opens Memorial Day weekend
The recreational red snapper season for Gulf state waters opens to harvest Memorial Day weekend. Red snapper is a popular species that has a strong economic impact for many coastal communities throughout Florida.

The 2015 season will start the Saturday before Memorial Day (May 23) and run through July 12, closing July 13. This season will resume for all of Labor Day weekend (Sept. 5-7) and finish with Saturdays and Sundays throughout the rest of September and all of October, with the last day of harvest being Sunday, Nov. 1. State waters in the Gulf are from shore to 9 nautical miles. This results in a 70-day recreational red snapper season in Gulf state waters.

In Gulf federal waters this year, anglers fishing from private boats and anglers fishing from federally permitted for-hire vessels will have different season lengths. Federal waters will open June 1 for both groups and will remain open through June 10, closing June 11, for anglers fishing from private boats. For federally permitted for-hire vessels, the season will remain open through July 14, closing July 15. Federal waters in the Gulf start at 9 nautical miles and extend out to about 200 nautical miles.

Red grouper bag limit changes to 2 in Gulf state and federal waters

The red grouper recreational bag limit changed from four to two fish per person in Gulf of Mexico state and federal waters, excluding Monroe County, on May 7.

This change was approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at its November 2014 meeting.

The Commission hopes that this change will allow for a longer recreational red grouper season in federal waters, which closed early in 2014 because the recreational catch limit was exceeded in 2013. The two-fish bag limit was initially requested by Florida anglers and for-hire captains to help maximize fishing opportunities for red grouper, especially during late fall.

To learn more about red grouper catches, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Gulf Grouper.”

WEEKLY FISHING REPORT BY 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, jumping and catching and releasing tarpon on live crabs and a variety of baitfish in the coastal gulf in Sarasota during the past week. Large schools of tarpon were plentiful most days giving anglers lots of action.

I had a group of anglers tarpon fishing with me all week, along with Capt. Andy Cotton and Capt. Jack Hartman. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, Ill. was joined by Jack McCulloch, from Lakewood Ranch for a day early in the week and Stephen Liska, from Naples, Fla. for a couple of days later in the week on my boat. The group had good action with multiple hookups, jumped fish and several fish caught and released. Conditions were great with an east wind pattern, good sunlight and fishing got better as the week progressed. Everyone finished strong on Friday with multiple jumped and landed fish. A great week!

With tarpon fishing in full swing, it’s a good time to talk about etiquette. When I started doing this almost 30 years ago, anglers hunted for and found their own schools of tarpon. You never fished a school of tarpon that another angler was fishing unless invited in and if they were fly fishing, not at all. We leap-frogged schools of tarpon with everyone getting their shots and if it was a slow moving school, we yielded to the angler already working the school.

In addition to those principles, here are a few other rules that I follow. When fishing in shallow water, usually 6 feet or less, I don’t run an outboard at all unless going to or leaving a spot or following a hooked fish. Tarpon are extremely sensitive to outboard and even trolling motor noise in shallow water. I may use a trolling motor sparingly, usually only as an assist to a push pole and never within a couple of hundred feet of tarpon. Give other anglers 200-yards or more in a “lane” where tarpon may be traveling, keeping in mind that tarpon may be traveling both south and north. The most productive technique in shallow water is usually to anchor, be quiet and adjust your spot if necessary.

When fishing deeper water, 10-25 feet, here’s how I operate. I don’t get between other anglers and the tarpon they are working. Give other anglers 200-yards or more of space when picking a spot to intercept tarpon. Don’t run an outboard within a hundred yards or more of tarpon, especially if other anglers are working them (a four-stroke outboard is no substitute for an electric trolling motor) and lastly, if a school of tarpon is moving slowly enough that another angler is moving at the same speed with them, I stay off them until the tarpon school moves past them. If everyone treats other anglers with the same respect that they would expect, everyone will have an enjoyable experience and a fair chance at catching a tarpon.

Tarpon fishing in the coastal Gulf should be a good option early next week as we head towards a full moon on Tuesday. Look for reds, snook and big trout mixed with mullet schools on shallow flats and edges of bars. Catch and release sight fishing for snook in the surf with flies or DOA Lures should also be a good option. You may also find trout, Spanish mackerel, blues or pompano on deep grass flats, particularly close to passes.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett
IFFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
www.snookfinaddict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.us
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
(941) 923-7799

Fishing Forecast

An area of high pressure will arrive midweek with a southeast to southerly flow and slight seas expected with an onshore breeze developing each afternoon. During the later part of the week an area of low pressure is expected to bring severe weather.

Monday
Southeast winds around 10 knots then becoming southwest in the afternoon. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms. Monday night will bring west winds around 10 knots in the evening then becoming south around 5 knots after midnight. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms.
2015/06/01 Mon 01:41 AM 1.42 H
2015/06/01 Mon 06:04 AM 1.07 L
2015/06/01 Mon 11:50 AM 2.42 H
2015/06/01 Mon 08:03 PM -0.17 L

Tuesday
South winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Tuesday night will bring south winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms.
2015/06/02 Tue 02:26 AM 1.41 H
2015/06/02 Tue 06:32 AM 1.12 L
2015/06/02 Tue 12:21 PM 2.52 H
2015/06/02 Tue 08:41 PM -0.27 L

Wednesday
South winds around 10 knots diminishing to around 5 knots in the afternoon. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in the morning .. then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Wednesday night will bring southeast winds around 5 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered thunderstorms in the evening ... then scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms after midnight.
2015/06/03 Wed 03:09 AM 1.39 H
2015/06/03 Wed 07:02 AM 1.15 L
2015/06/03 Wed 12:57 PM 2.59 H
2015/06/03 Wed 09:22 PM -0.32 L

Thursday
Northeast winds around 5 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Bay and inland waters smooth. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms. Thursday night will bring northeast winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 feet. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms in the evening ... then scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms after midnight.
2015/06/04 Thu 03:52 AM 1.38 H
2015/06/04 Thu 07:38 AM 1.17 L
2015/06/04 Thu 01:37 PM 2.62 H
2015/06/04 Thu 10:05 PM -0.33 L

Friday
Northeast winds around 10 knots. Seas 2 feet. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms.
2015/06/05 Fri 04:39 AM 1.39 H
2015/06/05 Fri 08:22 AM 1.19 L
2015/06/05 Fri 02:22 PM 2.58 H
2015/06/05 Fri 10:51 PM -0.29 L

Solunar Forecast