ishing Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum Sept. 24, 2012

Catch of the Week
Karen Grassett, from Sarasota, FL, caught and released this false albacore on a top water plug while fishing the coastal gulf off Sarasota with her husband, Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – Recreational bay scallop season closes on Sept. 25. Tampa’s largest and longest-running boat show will take place from September 21 through 29. Destin Seafood Festival will take place on Oct. 5 through 7. Rick Grassett Fishing recommends looking for diving terns and breaking fish to find them. Tarpon of all sizes should be another good option in upper Charlotte Harbor depending on conditions. Catch and release snook fishing before dawn and then moving to the flats for trout and reds in Sarasota Bay should also be good next week.

Fishing Updates

Tampa Boat Show

• Tampa’s largest and longest-running boat show is the best place to see and buy boats, gear and accessories! From fishing to cruising to family fun, there are boats for every lifestyle, activity and budget–see everything from luxury yachts to personal watercraft displayed on land and in the water at the Tampa Convention Center. Shop booths showcasing the latest in engines, marine electronics, accessories and fishing gear, too.
• Tampa Convention Center
• September 21, 2012 - September 30, 2012

Recreational bay scallop season closes Sept. 25

•  The 2012 recreational season for bay scallops, which was extended two weeks earlier this year, will close Tuesday, Sept. 25. The final day of harvesting is Sept. 24.
• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) extended the season temporarily in 2010 and 2011 to help alleviate economic hardships caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
• The season was extended permanently in June 2012. This extension will help increase business opportunities during a time of the year when other fisheries are closed and tourism has decreased.
• The 2012 season began July 1. Before the change, the season was set to end Sept. 11. Surveys will be conducted after the season closes to assess the scallop population.
• Bay scallops can be recreationally harvested in Gulf of Mexico state waters (shore to nine nautical miles) from the Pasco-Hernando County line northward to the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County.

Destin Seafood Festival October 5-7, 2012

• The "Heritage on the Harbor" event is bringing the festival back to its roots along the stretch of the Destin Harbor with no admission fee and no fencing. Fun for all ages, the event also kicks off the Destin Fishing Rodeo and features great seafood, local entertainment, children's activities, and a variety of arts and crafts vendors. 
• The festival will take place in Destin Harbor.

Weekly Fishing Report by Capt. Rick Grassett

Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, caught and released this nice false albacore on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly in Tampa Bay.

Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout and jacks in Sarasota Bay, false albacore (little tunny) and Spanish mackerel in the coastal Gulf off Sarasota and in Tampa Bay and jumped and landed tarpon in Charlotte Harbor canals during the past week.

I scouted the coastal gulf off Sarasota with my wife, Karen, on Sunday. We had fast action with false albacore to 10-pounds and Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms, top water plugs, Grassett Snook Minnow flies and fly poppers. Lots of sharks in the 30 to 40-pound class fed in mackerel schools, biting one of our fish in half at the side of the boat and blowing up on a fly popper!

Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, Fla., fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday and Wednesday. We waded several bars on both sides of Sarasota Bay and caught and released trout and a couple of snook on Clouser and Grassett Flats Minnow flies. We also caught and released a few jacks that were feeding in glass minnow schools on the same flies.

Tim Haywood, from Longmont, CO, fished Charlotte Harbor canals for juvenile tarpon with me on Tuesday. He had a great day, jumping 5 tarpon and landing 1, on a gold/black DOA TerrorEyz. The 15-pound fish was measured, DNA sampled and successfully released. Even though they’re small tarpon, they’re still big fish, mostly 10 to 30-pounders, on medium spinning tackle or an 8 or 9-weight fly rod!

I fished with Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, on Thursday. He purchased a new Yamaha 70-HP 4-stroke outboard for his Hell’s Bay flats skiff and needed to begin breaking it in, so what better way to do it than hunting for albies in the coastal gulf! We found a few Spanish mackerel widely scattered in the coastal gulf. However, there were schools of Spanish mackerel and albies feeding in bait schools near the mouth of Tampa Bay. We had good action catching and releasing several large albies in the 10 to 12-pound class on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

Fishing for false albacore, Spanish mackerel and more should be hot in the coastal gulf next week when sea conditions are good. Look for diving terns and breaking fish to find them. Tarpon of all sizes should be another good option in upper Charlotte Harbor depending on conditions. Catch and release snook fishing before dawn and then moving to the flats for trout and reds in Sarasota Bay should also be good next week.

Fishing Forecast 

To create a forecast specific to your zip code visit www.wunderground.com

A cold front across the northern waters this afternoon will move into the central waters tonight and south of the area by Monday night. High pressure will build in from the north in the wake of the front during the upcoming week...which will favor an increasing easterly wind flow over the Gulf waters with nighttime easterly surges and elevated seas expected daily through the period.

Monday

Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Monday night will bring northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2012/09/24Mon01:39 a.m.1.62L

2012/09/24Mon07:54 a.m.2.39H

2012/09/24Mon04:28 p.m.0.37L

2012/09/24Mon11:17 p.m.1.76H

Tuesday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Tuesday night will bring east winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2012/09/25Tue03:41 a.m.1.47L

2012/09/25Tue09:32 a.m.2.37H

2012/09/25Tue05:21 p.m.0.43L

2012/09/25Tue11:37 p.m.1.85H

Wednesday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Wednesday night will bring east winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2012/09/26Wed04:58 a.m.1.23L

2012/09/26Wed10:46 a.m.2.37H

2012/09/26Wed06:02 p.m.0.54L

2012/09/26Wed11:56 p.m.1.96H

Thursday

Northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms. Thursday night will bring east winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Isolated thunderstorms.

2012/09/27Thu05:54 a.m.0.98L

2012/09/27Thu11:45 a.m.2.34H

2012/09/27Thu06:35 p.m.0.68L

Friday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Scattered thunderstorms.

2012/09/28Fri12:14 a.m.2.07H

2012/09/28Fri06:40 a.m.0.75L

2012/09/28Fri12:34 p.m.2.28H

2012/09/28Fri07:02 p.m.0.83L

Solunar Forecast