Fishing conditions: Capt. Rick Grassett's Sarasota, FL Fishing Report for 9/23/2018 I didn't have any fly fishing trips during the past week, although red tide conditions have improved slightly. A smell and respiratory irritants returned for a few days when the wind shifted to the west, but wind is now back in an easterly pattern. The most recent action was when a fly angler fishing with me a couple of weeks ago, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing snook around dock lights in Sarasota on a trip during the past week. Randy Ritzenhaler, from TX, fished a predawn snook/flats trip with me on Wednesday. He had good action catching and releasing numerous snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly before daylight. He also had some action after daylight catching and releasing a couple of mangrove snapper on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. If you have any interest in learning to fly fish, I do private instruction as well as instructional fly fishing trips. We saw lots of life in the area that we fished, including mullet, batfish, birds and dolphins. Red tide in the Sarasota area has improved due to an east wind pattern that we've been in for a couple of weeks. There are some areas that are unaffected and fish may concentrate in those areas. Red tide is often patchy and can change from day to day and even tide to tide. The key to good fishing now is finding clean water that is unaffected by red tide. Red tide doesn't do well in fresh water, so areas where salinity is diluted such as creek and river mouths, may be a good option. Tight Lines, Capt. Rick Grassett FFI Certified Fly Casting Instructor Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide at CB's Saltwater Outfitters Orvis Outfitter of the Year-2011
Inshore temperature: 86 Degrees F
Offshore temperature: 85 Degrees F
Type of bait fish are feeding on: Glass minnows, pinfish, crabs and shrimp
Fish species: Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, flounder, tripletail, snook, redfish, tarpon & trout
Fishing season: Fall
Nearest airport: Sarasota, FL
Recommended fly fishing leader: 12 Foot Leader
Recommended fly fishing tippet: 16 Lb. Tippet
Best fly fishing rod: 9' 8 Weight Fly Rod
Best floating fly line: Redfish WF Fly Line
Best sinking fly line: Clear Sink Tip Fly Line
Sarasota Bay is a gem, nestled between Tampa Bay to the north and Charlotte Harbor to the south along Florida’s southwest coast. Due to 3 passes that flush the bay and no large tributaries flowing into it, the bay waters are normally very clean and clear. Its turquoise blue waters surrounding the passes may remind you of a Caribbean island and its fine white sand beaches are among the top rated beaches in the ...
Use floating lines and 12' or longer leaders for tarpon, reds, snook and trout and intermediate sink tip fly lines and weighted flies to fish deep grass flats for trout, blues and more. Fish the ICW at night for snook with intermediate sink tip fly lines and Grassett Snook Minnow flies or Shrimp Gurglers on a floating line.
Don't forget that snook and reds are now catch and release only from portions of Manatee County to Collier County. Full details including exact boundaries can be found at http://myfwc.com/media/4483041/eo18-38.pdf . This is a great time of year to beat the heat, by fishing dock lights before dawn, which is the coolest time of day. In addition to snook, you may also find juvenile tarpon, trout and reds in the lights as we head into fall. There should also be some tarpon action in areas of upper Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay.
