Brian Nafzinger with a trout caught and released on a CAL jig with a Shad tail while fishing Sarasota Bay.
Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action on several trips in Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Tampa Bay and the coastal gulf recently. Fly anglers did well with tripletail in the coastal gulf.
Spin and fly fishing anglers fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me had some action catching and releasing trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies. A trip in Little Sarasota Bay produced snook and trout on CAL jigs with Shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
We also caught and released reds and snook in skinny water also on CAL jigs with Shad tails. Tripletail action was good in the coastal gulf.
Jeff Hanna, from Englewood, FL, with a 15-lb tripletail caught on a fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Mike Perez, from Sarasota and Jeff Hanna, from Englewood, fished a day with me and they both caught tripletail. Jeff’s tripletail was the largest tripletail ever on a fly on my boat, 15-lbs!
Denton Kent, from Sarasota, and Rick Guzewicz, from Longboat Key, fished the next day and both also caught and released tripletail. Rick’s 7-lb tripletail was his first on a fly! A trip later in the week was slower but in addition to a tripletail we also caught a small cobia on a fly.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, also had a good day fishing lower Tampa Bay with me. Keith caught and released several snook, a couple of good reds, some trout and a flounder on CAL jigs with Shad tails. Fishing hard often pays off!
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, with a snook caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail.
With stone crab traps in the water now, there is more structure to attract tripletail in the coastal gulf. Fishing mangrove shorelines for catch and release reds and snook in backcountry areas should also be a good option.
Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action from a variety of species including trout, blues and Spanish mackerel.
Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by industrial, agricultural and residential runoff, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!
Rick is the owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. He's a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He’s been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide here at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, the 2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year.
