Capt. Jim Klopfer Fishing Report for 01/29/2012

Fishing was steady, though not spectacular, before the front that passed through on Friday.  The deep flats from Big Pass north; Marker # 5, Radio Tower, Middlegrounds, Moorings, and Stephen's Pt., were the best spots.  Speckled trout and ladyfish were caught in decent numbers on gold D.O.A. jigs and live shrimp along with the occasional pompano and Spanish mackerel.

I fished on Saturday with fly angler Steve Dow from Boston, MA and his father-in-law Todd Stitzer.  Post front conditions (15-20 knot winds out of the NW and dirty water near the passes) dictated that we stay in Little Sarasota Bay.  We caught speckled trout to 16" and ladyfish on chartreuse/white Clouser Minnows and jigs at Spanish Pt. and Hidden Harbor.

Unseasonably warm weather has the water temperatures higher than normal.  Snook fishing in the creeks and rivers has been a tad slow, but bass and bream action has been quite good.  The Myakka River is producing bass to 3 pounds and bluegill to 10" on black Beetlespins, D.O.A. jerk baits, and Rapala X-Raps.

Capt. Ed Hurst's Fishing Report for 01/29/2012           

The extended weather report for the coming week looks great. More of the wonderful weather we had enjoyed most of our "winter" so far. Look for highs around 80 degrees all week. Might get a shower on Friday. The water temperature in Sarasota Bay is around 67 degrees. Fishing was pretty good last week. My clients caught trout, bluefish, mackerel. ladyfish and pompano using both spin and fly tackle. tackle.

Capt. Jack Ryan's Fishing Report for 01/29/2012

Capt. Jack Ryan of the Sea Dog had the pleasure of having Brad, Tim, and Doug Forde of CB's out on an offshore trip to 50 feet off New Pass. Weather was excellent and calm seas with fish hitting all day long. Our catches were 13 Gag Grouper to 28"(released of course) and a single Red Grouper to 20 1/2 ". Using live shrimp,cut frozen sardines and squid the guys hooked with Hogfish, Mangrove snapper and some nice Key West grunts.It was a great day on the water. If you get a chance to come aboard the Sea Dog .....Come on.... we are having a good time for all.

Capt. Bruce Burkhart's Fishing Report for 01/29/2012

Captain's Monthly Fishing Forecast

Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Forecast for January 2012

Weather will be a factor this month so fish smart, ahead of fronts or in windows of good weather between fronts, for the best action. You’ll find reds and trout in potholes or around deep docks on low tides in the morning. Snook should be in rivers, creeks, canals and around lighted docks and bridge fenders in the ICW at night. It may be worth taking a look in the coastal gulf for albies (little tunny), tripletail and more when the weather is good.

Trout season reopens in the south region this month and it is usually good in January following the 2-month closure. Cold weather will cause trout to congregate in potholes, channels, creeks and around deep docks. Fish CAL jigs or DOA shrimp slow, close to the bottom for the best action. Fly anglers should do well with weighted flies and sinking fly lines to get their flies into the strike zone. You’ll also find trout on deep grass flats this month where you can drift and cast ahead of your drift with a CAL jig or a weighted fly on a sink tip fly line to find them. Some of the biggest trout may be in potholes in skinny water where you may have an opportunity to sight fish for them. Use flies with weedguards that land gently or weedless rigged CAL shad tails and jerk worms when fishing shallow grass.

You’ll find reds in potholes or on drop offs along bars and edges of flats on negative low tides in the morning. You might also find reds around deep docks in the ICW when the tide is low. As the tide rises, they will move higher onto flats where you may find them along mangrove shorelines on sunny afternoons. I like 1/16-ounce CAL jigs with grub or shad tails when targeting reds in shallow water, although if the tide is very low or in thick grass you’ll need to weedless rig the plastic tails. I like either Mustad or Owner weedless hooks with a very light weight (1/16 ounce) molded onto the hook shank. You can work your bait right through thick grass with this rig and then let it drop into potholes. When fly fishing, I use lightly weighted flies with weed guards fished on a 12’ or longer floating fly line. I like north Sarasota Bay for reds and trout in January.

Snook season remains closed this month, so use tackle heavy enough to land them quickly and release them with as little handling as possible. You’ll find snook in rivers, creeks and canals in January. Fish deep spots, such as the outside bank of a bend, or docks in these areas. You’ll also find a lot of snook in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice. Fly fishing for snook at night can be very good, but strong fronts can shut things down for a few days. I like small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line. Spin anglers should do well with CAL jigs and shad tails or 4-1/2” jerk worms. Fish peak tidal flows for the best action.

You might find blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano or flounder on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. The techniques to locate them on deep grass flats are the same as for trout, drifting and casting ahead of the drift with CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and flies. The DOA Deadly Combo is very effective for multiple species when drifting deep grass flats. Adding sound to the DOA shrimp helps predators find it. Deep grass flats close to passes such as the Middleground, Radio Tower and Marina Jack flats and Stephens and Bishop Point are good areas because of a good tidal flow and a good mixture of sand and grass. In shallow water, look for flounder along the edge of bars and drop offs along the edges of shallow flats in the same areas where you might find reds and trout.

You might find albies (little tunny), blues, Spanish mackerel and tripletail in the coastal gulf depending on conditions. When it’s mild, there can be lots of action in the coastal gulf. You might find tripletail on crab trap floats when it’s warm with a southeast breeze. A DOA shrimp or a 1/16-ounce CAL jig with a shad tail should work well for them. Due to the way they camouflage themselves as flotsam, they will eat a lure or fly that is coming towards them. Look for surface activity to find albies, blues and Spanish mackerel and cast CAL jigs or flies to them. You might also find whiting and silver trout in the surf and in the coastal gulf where they can be caught by bouncing CAL jigs on the bottom.

Fishing can be challenging in January but if you can be flexible with when you fish, it can be very good. The best action will be when fronts are approaching or in windows of good weather between fronts. Following fronts, afternoons may fish better for a couple of days. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Capt. Jim Klopfer ’s Fishing Forecast for February 2012

February is the last month of winter here in Sarasota. There will be days when it feels like spring is in the air. But, weather patterns will still be unstable, and fishing will follow suit. Being flexible and understanding how weather affects fish behavior will be the key to angling success this month. On many mornings the tide will be very low, especially with a hard northeast wind following a cold front. Under these conditions, fishing the afternoon high tide is often a better choice. Also avoid the areas near the passes after a blow, the cold and dirty water is not conducive to success.

One species that anglers can count on most every trip in February is sheepshead. They bite better in cold, dirty water than most other species do. Also, redfish, black drum, and flounder will be caught on the same structure and using the same techniques that are effective for sheepies. Basically, any structure will attract sheepshead. From the rocks at the west end to the Siesta Drive Bridge on the east side, the north end of Siesta Key is a great area to fish. Deep water, docks, rocks, seawalls, and rip-rap will attract and hold fish. All of the bridges and docks in both Big Pass and New Pass may hold fish, as well as the docks and oyster bars south to Albee Rd.

The preferred rig is a #1 live bait hook with a 24” piece of 20 lb leader and just enough weight to hold bottom. Live and frozen shrimp, fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and oyster worms are the top baits. Shrimp are the easiest bait to obtain and work great. Sheepshead bite very lightly. Usually, it starts with several light “taps”. It is important not to move the bait at all, the fish will sense that something is wrong. Instead, wait for a steady pull, then reel fast and raise the rod tip sharply.

Casting jigs while drifting with the tide in the passes will be productive when the water is clear. A ¼ oz Cotee jig head with a gold grub tail is a very effective bait. Pompano, bluefish, ladyfish, and maybe an early-arriving Spanish mackerel will be the primary catches. Try the shallow bars and the deeper channels, keep moving until the fish are located, then concentrate drifts on that area.

The deeper grass flats all throughout the area will be productive for speckled trout this month. Incoming tides a couple hours before high tide are usually the best times to fish. Again, avoid the areas around the passes when dirty water is present. The area further south, from CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at Stickney Pt. to Marker #19 in Nokomis, stays protected, resulting in reliable February fishing. Cotee jigs, Rapala suspending plugs, gold spoons, and live shrimp under a popping cork are all effective baits. Pompano, jack crevelle, ladyfish, and bluefish all feed over the deep grass.

Snook will be found in creeks and residential canals, along with redfish, drum, flounder, sheepshead, and jacks. Rapala X-Raps, scented soft plastics, and live shrimp will all produce fished near structure in creeks and canals. A slow presentation will be more productive in the cooler water.

Extreme low tides offer opportunities for anglers who enjoy sight fishing for redfish. The area on the east side, north of Long Bar is very shallow with many small potholes, resulting in idea conditions to find tailing reds. The flats off of the Ringling Mansion and Buttonwood Harbor are also good spots to fish. Scented soft plastic baits, weedless gold spoons, and live shrimp are the preferred baits.

Tide Charts

Sarasota
Venice
Port Charlotte/ Boca Grande