Action in the coastal gulf with false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should explode during November! You may also find blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano mixed with trout on deep grass flats this month. You should also find larger trout in skinny water along with reds. Snook will stage around bars and on shallow flats as they make their move towards winter areas.
Snook and reds remain closed to harvest south of State Rd 64 in Manatee County on the west coast of Florida, south to the south bank of Gordon Pass in Collier County. Reds and snook are catch and release only in that zone until May 31, 2022. Spotted Seatrout has reopened in that zone with a 3 fish per person, bag limit and a 6 fish boat limit. Trout must be from 15 to 19 inches with one allowed per vessel over 19 inches. Full regulations and details can be viewed at www.myfwc.com
Denton Kent, from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing tripletail on flies while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett in a previous November.
Mike Perez, from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing false albacore (little tunny) on flies while fishing with me in a previous November.
Action in the coastal gulf with false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should explode during November! You may also find blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano mixed with trout on deep grass flats this month. You should also find larger trout in skinny water along with reds. Snook will stage around bars and on shallow flats as they make their move towards winter areas.
Snook and reds remain closed to harvest south of State Rd 64 in Manatee County on the west coast of Florida, south to the south bank of Gordon Pass in Collier County. Reds and snook are catch and release only in that zone until May 31, 2022. Spotted Seatrout has reopened in that zone with a 3 fish per person, bag limit and a 6 fish boat limit. Trout must be from 15 to 19 inches with one allowed per vessel over 19 inches. Full regulations and details can be viewed at www.myfwc.com
Marshall Dinerman, from Lido, fished a deep flat to catch and release this pompano in shallow water on a CAL jig with a shad tail fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett in a previous November.
Mike Perez, from Sarasota, caught and released this snook in shallow water, both on a CAL jig with a shad tail, while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett in a previous November.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), Spanish and king mackerel, blues, tripletail or cobia. Look for Spanish mackerel, blues or false albacore feeding on the surface to find them. Diving terns or terns hovering just above the surface of the water and moving fast will give their presence away if they aren’t on top. Fly anglers should score with small white flies, Ultra Hair Closures, poppers or Crease flies. Look for tripletail around crab trap floats. I’ve done well on tripletail with my Grassett Flats Minnow and shrimp fly patterns. A weed guard is important to help prevent snagging the crab trap line. Cobia may also be found around crab trap floats, swimming on the surface or over structure. They will require 9 or 10-weight fly tackle. Fly anglers should score on cobia with wide profile baitfish patterns such as Deceivers or Tarpon Bunnies.
I will be the instructor for CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Sat, Nov 6. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basic fly casting principles, improving casting skills and correcting faults. I will also cover saltwater fly fishing techniques, leader construction and fly selection. Face masks are required to participate. Cost is $225 per person and includes the use of Orvis fly tackle, a workbook and lunch. Optional instructional guided fly fishing trips are also available for an additional fee. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or email us at info@cbsoutfitters.com to make your reservations.
This a great month for fishing the flats or the coastal gulf. Since the action in the coastal gulf is seasonal and will slow when it gets cold, I like to fish there when conditions are good. However, if conditions aren’t good, there should be plenty of action with a variety of fish on shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by agricultural, industrial and residential runoff and discharges, 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.
Action in the coastal gulf with false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel, blues and more should explode during November! You may also find blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano mixed with trout on deep grass flats this month. You should also find larger trout in skinny water along with reds. Snook will stage around bars and on shallow flats as they make their move towards winter areas.
Denton Kent, from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing tripletail on flies while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett in a previous November.
There should be good action in the coastal gulf with false albacore (little tunny), Spanish and king mackerel, blues, tripletail or cobia. Look for Spanish mackerel, blues or false albacore feeding on the surface to find them. Diving terns or terns hovering just above the surface of the water and moving fast will give their presence away if they aren’t on top. Fly anglers should score with small white flies, Ultra Hair Closures, poppers or Crease flies. Look for tripletail around crab trap floats. I’ve done well on tripletail with my Grassett Flats Minnow and shrimp fly patterns. A weed guard is important to help prevent snagging the crab trap line. Cobia may also be found around crab trap floats, swimming on the surface or over structure. They will require 9 or 10-weight fly tackle. Fly anglers should score on cobia with wide profile baitfish patterns such as Deceivers or Tarpon Bunnies.
Mike Perez, from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing false albacore (little tunny) on flies while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett in a previous November.
I will be the instructor for CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Sat, Nov 6. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basic fly casting principles, improving casting skills and correcting faults. I will also cover saltwater fly fishing techniques, leader construction and fly selection. Face masks are required to participate. Cost is $225 per person and includes the use of Orvis fly tackle, a workbook and lunch. Optional instructional guided fly fishing trips are also available for an additional fee. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or email us at info@cbsoutfitters.com to make your reservations.
This a great month for fishing the flats or the coastal gulf. Since the action in the coastal gulf is seasonal and will slow when it gets cold, I like to fish there when conditions are good. However, if conditions aren’t good, there should be plenty of action with a variety of fish on shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by agricultural, industrial and residential runoff and discharges, 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.
