Capt. Andy Cotton’s Weekly Fishing Report
We had more of the same from last week, the action in Sarasota Bay remains good on the deep grass flats.
More of the same from last week, the action in Sarasota Bay is still good on the deep grass flats with spotted seatrout, jacks, mackerel and bluefish using deep clouser minnow patterns and DOA CAL shad tails rigged on 1/4 ounce jig heads bounced slowly off the bottom.
The sight fishing on the shallow flats along mangrove shorelines and oyster beds from Terra Ceia to Placida for redfish and larger seatrout has been productive using crustacean patterns like Kwan’s, Grassett’s flats minnow and redfish crack fly patterns.
Spin anglers fishing with me in these same areas are using DOA jerk baits in the gold/glow rigged on a chartreuse 1/8th ounce jig head or gold or black spoons depending on water clarity.
Capt. Andy loves fly fishing and light spinning tackle with artificial lures. He fishes out of an Action Craft 1720 flats skiff rigged with the latest electronics and outfitted with Orvis fly equipment and Shimano spinning tackle. Andy is the owner of O'Fish All Guide Service.
Capt. Andy Cotton’s Weekly Fishing Report
Dave from Colorado with a nice looking backcountry redfish caught on a fly.
Fly and spin fishing anglers fishing with me out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key are having good success sight fishing the shallow flats along mangrove shorelines and oyster bars for redfish from lower Tampa bay to Charlotte harbor.
Fly anglers are sight fishing or blind casting these areas using redfish crack fly patterns. Spin anglers are scoring with DOA jerk baits rigged weedless or on an 1/8th oz jig head in copper crush color #321 and gold or white spoons.
The deeper grass flats are holding spotted seatrout, mackerel, bluefish and pompano use deep clouser minnow patterns on fly and DOA shad tails on 1/4 ounce jig heads fished close to the bottom during cooler days.
Capt. Andy loves fly fishing and light spinning tackle with artificial lures. He fishes out of an Action Craft 1720 flats skiff rigged with the latest electronics and outfitted with Orvis fly equipment and Shimano spinning tackle. Andy is the owner of O'Fish All Guide Service.
Capt. Brian Boehm’s Weekly Fishing Report
The commotion these fish make feeding is a sight.
Flats fishing in the inshore waters around CB’s Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota, FL continues to provide exciting action for anglers fishing on charters with Quiet Waters Fishing.
We connected with some large jack crevalle while throwing plugs on the flats on a recent trip.
Jacks have been moving down the ICW and spilling out onto flats where they ravage mullet and other small forage fish. These fish are powerful and fast and the commotion they make while feeding is quite a sight to see.
When they hang around for a bit, you have the opportunity for multiple hookups on light tackle.
Snook
Snook fishing has been best at night on dock lights and in the day up our brackish rivers. Dock lights continue to be a great place to catch snook right now. Anglers willing to go out after dark in search of these fish are being rewarded with snook of all sizes. This is the time of year when a fly rod can really out fish traditional tackle on dock lights. We’re still doing well with snook using gurglers in the back country. The few snook we encountered on the flats were caught on jigs with paddle tails.
Redfish
Redfish of all sizes continue to be plentiful in the waters around Sarasota, FL. We found them in a variety of locations over the last week. Broken edges of mangrove islands, sandbars, and potholes all held fish. Getting skinny in our brackish rivers is not a bad option either. Mirrolure lil johns and paddle tails on jig heads were better options than spoons over the last week. Redfish remained on dock lights and are best observed either vacuuming the bottom or charging through the lights. They are normally willing eaters on dock lights.
Redfish of all sizes continue to be plentiful in the waters around Sarasota.
We’re catching Seatrout on the Mirrolure Mirrodine XL.
Seatrout
We’re still catching Seatrout on the Mirrolure Mirrodine XL, but paddle tails on jig heads produced higher numbers. The Mirrodine XL seems to work best on bigger fish, it does a great job of triggering larger seatrout to come off the bottom too eat. If you’re into numbers, then go with soft plastics and fish the deeper grass. We found areas of deep grass holding good numbers of class-size seatrout. If you’re working to find big seatrout, then go with an XL or a soft plastic profile that offers a larger meal. The pattern on larger seatrout changed during the warm up and they were more difficult to find. The fresh cold front, currently ripping through our area, should put larger seatrout into more predictable patterns.
Looking Ahead
This cold front should send fish back into winter patterns. Delaying fishing departure times until later in the morning can make a significant difference. Waiting for the sun to get a bit higher in the sky gives the shallow water more time to warm up and for the fish to become more active. Deeper canals should provide some decent action on cold mornings. Shallow water with dark bottom will warm quickly on cold mornings and some areas will be holding fish. Redfish and seatrout will be less impacted by the cold than snook.
Brian, owns and operates Quiet Waters Fishing LLC and runs his trips out of a 17’ Maverick Mirage. He covers water as far north as Tampa Bay and south to the Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande area. His favorite trips to offer are: back country, shallow flats, night tarpon, & night dock light snook trips.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Weekly Fishing Report
Tyler Horiuchi with a Spanish mackerel caught and released on a fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Anglers fishing with me recently, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats and reds in skinny water. Fly anglers fishing deep flats with me scored with trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel and snook in the ICW at night. Spin fishing anglers also had some action on deep flats and with reds in shallow water on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails.
Todd Horiuchi and sons Ashton and Tyler, from Sarasota, fished deep grass flats with me and had good action catching and releasing trout, Spanish mackerel and blues on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. Bill Poxon, from Sarasota and Walt Poxon, from MI, also had some action with trout on another trip with me.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL and Brian Nafzinger, from Rehoboth, DE, each had great action on different trips catching and releasing numerous reds to 28” on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs in skinny water. Rich Hilser, from NC, fished dock lights with me at night and had some action catching and releasing snook and a bonus red on a fly.
Keith McClintock had some good action catching and releasing numerous reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails on a couple of different trips with Capt. Rick.
I was the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday, Jan 18. I had a full class of enthusiastic students that received instruction in fly casting and saltwater fly fishing techniques.
Future schools will be held on Feb 8 and 22 and Mar 14, 2020. Cost for the 6-hr class is $195 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, workbook and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook should be a good option now. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, 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!
Todd Horiuchi with a bluefish caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing with Capt. Rick.
Brian Nafzinger, from Rehoboth, DE, had good action catching and releasing numerous reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails on a couple of different trips with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Rich Hilser, from NC, with a snook caught and released on a fly while fishing dock lights at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.
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.
Capt. Brandon Naeve’s Weekly Fishing Report
This little man was all smiles on the water this past week with Capt Brandon Naeve.
We seem to be ladyfish crazy as the new year 2020 gets off to a great start. Many of the half day guided trips out of CB’s Outfitters have produced close to one hundred fish in just four hours. Of course you can’t eat them but they’re certainly tons of fun for the kids.
Mixed in with all these fish are some bluefish, trout, lizardfish, and every kids favorite the porcupine puffer. Grab your kids and book a trip while the weather is as beautiful as it’s been this time of year.
Please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!
I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.
Capt. Brian Boehm’s Weekly Fishing Report
Flats fishing in the inshore waters around CB’s Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota, FL continues to provide exciting action for anglers fishing on charters with Quiet Waters Fishing. We found good numbers of redfish and seatrout in all sizes over the last few weeks. Snook fishing remains steady with the best action still coming at night on dock lights.
Night fishing around dock lights is probably your best bet this time of year if you’re focused on catching snook.
Snook
Snook have been active in waters around Sarasota, FL and can be found in a variety of locations this time of year. Brackish rivers and creeks have been a great place to find them. Fly fishing anglers did well fishing gurglers the first few hours of the morning.
Focusing on points and keeping an eye out for obvious signs of feeding snook helps ensure that you’re in the right spot. We are still catching fish on the flats. Using Mirrolure Mirrodine XLs and paddle tails on jig heads around sandbars with good tidal flow. Fishing on flats with the presence of bait or mullet has been a good place to find them.
Fishing at night around dock lights is probably your best bet this time of year if you’re focused on catching snook.
Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay yielded a good number of redfish.
Redfish
Sarasota Bay has really perked up and we are seeing more and more redfish. Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay also yielded a good number of redfish. The best bait for redfish continues to be the Aqua Dream ADL series spoon and paddle tails on jig heads.
We are still seeing larger redfish in brackish rivers and creeks in very shallow water. A rising tide on a cold morning around mudflats is a great place to look for redfish on the flats and in brackish rivers like the Manatee and Myakka.
If you’re fly fishing, then adhering to the winter time motto ‘brown and down’ will put the odds in your favor. In clear water situations, reducing your leader to 15 pound test can really help with wary redfish.
We found good numbers of seatrout in all sizes.
Seatrout
Seatrout of all sizes have provided steady action in waters around Sarasota. We found good action on larger healthy sized seatrout using paddle tails and the Mirrolure Mirrodine XL. There are gator trout around and we moved a big one last week. Although we could not get a hook in the fish, it’s still a really positive sign for the fishery.
If you’re an angler that needs more regular action, then you can find that over deeper grass with class-size seatrout. Once you find a pocket of these fish, the action can be steady. A ¼ ounce jig and paddle tail will do the trick on these fish.
Seatrout are providing steady action in the waters surrounding Sarasota.
Looking Ahead
We’re heading towards an extended warm up and that will likely have fish on the move. Anglers fishing in Sarasota in the next few weeks may find it necessary to move around more to find fish. Other winter trends should continue to point anglers towards fish.
Negative low tides in the morning should still concentrate fish in holes, troughs, and deeper basins. River fishing should continue to provide good action for snook and redfish.
Dock light fishing can be outstanding this time of year. With smaller bait around dock lights, fly fishing anglers will have the advantage over their spin fishing brethren.
If you’re interested in a charter, you can contact me by phone, email, or through my website. Good luck out there. We’ll see you on the water soon!
Brian, owns and operates Quiet Waters Fishing LLC and runs his trips out of a 17’ Maverick Mirage. He covers water as far north as Tampa Bay and south to the Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande area. His favorite trips to offer are: back country, shallow flats, night tarpon, & night dock light snook trips.
Capt. Kelly Kurtz’s Weekly Fishing Report
That is one good looking Redfish caught and released this past week in Sarasota Bay.
The fishing over the holidays was very good, with water temps in the mid 60’s. Fishing the passes with live bait produced sea bass, snapper, jacks, and a good run of pompano. The sheepshead are also moving inshore and should produce some good action this winter.
On several calm days I finished off the trip running the crab buoys which produced several tripletail up to 26 inches. We also fished some flats and backwater oyster bars, catching and releasing trout, jacks and redfish. The water quality is good and Sarasota Bay is recovering.
I’d like to stress the importance of catching and releasing until the fish in our bay recover.
Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's passionate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both artificial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.
Capt. Bruce Burkhart’s Weekly Fishing Report
Trout have been on fire with days we have caught 40-50 and some have hit the 18-19 inch mark.
Anglers fishing aboard the CASUAL LIES out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters had some good fishing the last few weeks. The Silver and the Greenback colors of the CAL jigs have been the best bait. We have been fishing a grass bottom with 6 to 8 feet of water.
Trout have been on fire with days we have caught 40 to 50 and some have hit the 18 to 19 inch mark. Bluefish, Mackerel, Black Sea Bass, Grouper,Jacks and Ladyfish round out an 80 to 100 fish trip. Pompano have been around the bay and passes. Flutter jigs fished down on the bottom are producing some nice Pompano.
Bruce is a Florida native and has lived in Sarasota for thirty years. Capt. Bruce grew up on the east coast of Florida and started fishing with his dad when he was about six years old. Fishing has been a lifetime passion of his and in 2001 he obtained his U.S.C.G. Captain’s license.
Capt. Tom Reutter’s Weekly Fishing Report
We caught ladyfish and trout on almost every cast.
Over the holidays the fishing was spectacular after the weather finally decided to cooperate. I took a lot of groups fishing the first part of the morning with live shrimp catching keeper sheepshead, pompano, and some undersized redfish and snook.
We then moved on to the bays off of the ICW and caught ladyfish and trout on almost every cast using an 1/8 oz jig head with a Lil’ John tail by mirrolure.
I also fished Sarasota Bay on a couple of those really windy days and found some groups of keeper-sized trout that were a lot of fun to catch and release.
It’s great to see the bay coming back to life after the red tide we suffered through in 2018.
Nothing brings me greater joy than seeing customers catch their first fish on my boat. My style of fishing is knowing and going where the fish are. I do it all. Inshore, Offshore, Spinning, Bottom, Fly, Day, Night, anything. I want to make your days with me memorable and will do whatever it takes.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Weekly Fishing Report
Matt Schenk, from CO, had great action with a variety of species including blues while fly fishing deep grass flats with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Anglers fishing with me recently, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano on deep grass flats, reds in skinny water and snook and blues at night. Fly anglers fishing deep flats with me scored with trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and pompano and snook and blues in the ICW at night. Spin fishing anglers also had good action on deep flats and catching and releasing reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails in shallow water.
Fly anglers Alan Sugar and Ray Hutchinson, from MI, had good action catching and releasing trout and Ray caught and released his first pompano on a fly. Dave and Shara King and family, of King Outfitters in Dillon, MT fished a couple of trips with me. Dave is an outfitter/guide in Montana whom I’ve fished with for many years, so it was good to show them our fishery.
The whole family got in on the action on a rainy, windy day on one of the trips and Dave and Shara had great action catching and releasing nice snook and bluefish on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly on a night trip.
Marshall Dinerman, from Lido Key, and his son-in-law, Alex, fished with me and Marshall caught and released a couple of nice reds including an over slot fish! Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished a couple of days with family members and they did very well catching and releasing numerous reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. Matt Schenk and Dylan Lewis, both from CO, had fast action catching and releasing blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and trout on Clouser flies on another trip.
Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook should be a good option now. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, 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!
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Steve McClintock, from Pittsburgh, had great action catching and releasing reds on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs while fishing shallow water with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Dylan Lewis, from CO, had great action with a variety of species including pompano and blues while fly fishing deep grass flats with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Dave King, from Dillon, MT, with a nice snook he caught and released on a fly while fishing at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Marshall Dinerman, from Lido Key, with an over-slot red caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing shallow water with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Shara King, from Dillon, MT, with a nice snook caught and released on a fly while fishing at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.
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.
Capt. R.C. Gilliland’s Weekly Fishing Report
Mark Templeton and Ashley with a couple nice redfish.
Fishing in our area has been pretty good the last couple of weeks, despite the weather’s best attempts of making it difficult.
Inshore fishing has been producing trout, mackerel, and bluefish on the deeper grass flats throughout the bay. Mixed in with those we have been finding pompano as well, if you can be patient with all the pinfish and ladyfish getting in the way.
Dock fishing in the bay has also been decent if you can find the right docks, which are holding redfish, black drum, and sheepshead.
Nearshore fishing has been good as well (when the wind cooperates). Tripletail remain in the area, but are not as prevalent as they were a month ago due to being heavily fished. The reefs have been producing good amounts of snapper, grouper, and even some hogfish.
Hopefully January yields calmer seas and lighter winds for all of us!
I'm very laid back and easy going. I love fishing, hunting, and just about anything outdoors. I'm a licensed Charter boat Captain who likes having a good time and hates drama. I have a wide variety of friends and get along with just about anyone. Did I mention I love to fish?
Capt. Kelly Stilwell’s Weekly Fishing Report
Pete Taurus with a nice pompano he hooked while Flyfishing with Capt. Kelly Stilwell.
Anglers have had a great week aboard the ‘Tide Tuit’. The pompano bite has been as good as I can remember with lots of fish up to 3 pounds in Big Sarasota Bay.
Little Sarasota Bay has been great for catch and release fishing with lots of big ladyfish as well as some nice spotted seatrout. Flyfisher Pete Taurus and his daughter Jamie had a great day Saturday catching pompano on flies and trout on jigs in Big Sarasota Bay.
There were also plenty of other fish to keep the action hot on our day out on the water.
Jamie Taurus had a blast fishing Sarasota Bay with her dad Pete.
Kelly has lived and fished in this area for over 30 years. His specialties are artificial bait, fly fishing, tarpon, and live bait fishing in Sarasota Bay and the nearshore Gulf. He's an Orvis Endorsed Guide and currently runs a 2400 Ranger Bay boat which accommodates five.
Capt. Jeffri Durrance’s Weekly Fishing Report
That’s a nice looking Redfish young Ben Lam caught.
As 2019 comes to an end the fishing has been great. We’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year from all of us aboard the Lets Get Em’. We hope you have a great and prosperous new year. Anglers are catching a variety of fish including snook, black drum, redfish, speckled trout, ladyfish, pompano, sheephead, jack crevalle and mangrove snapper.
One of the top catches this week was nine year old Ben Lam catching a beautiful 26 inch redfish. Bait used included live shrimp, CAL and buck-tailed jigs. Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!
Jeffri is a fourth generation native Floridian who grew up in Bowling Green, Florida, located in Hardee County. While growing up on a cattle and citrus operation Jeffri fished many creeks and lakes in the central Florida area as well as the Peace River.
Capt. Chuck Cress’s Weekly Fishing Report
Michael, who hails from the Chicago area, shows off a nice looking Redfish caught in Sarasota Bay.
Last year at this time Sarasota Bay was hurting from the red tide. It’s unbelievable the turnaround in the quality of the Fish and bait that we now have back in our bay. I had a charter out of CB’S on Siesta Key with Michael, Diana, his wife, and their daughter Jenny who hailed from the Chicago area.
Our four hour charter produced numerous fish with each family member catching and releasing some nice sized redfish, trout, jacks and ladyfish. The bait of choice were jigs with gulp and live shrimp under a popping cork.
Talking to some of the other captains at the dock I heard there are plenty of pompano in the bay as well.
Fishing has been a lifetime passion for me. Depending on the skill level of my clients what I like to do is put them on big fish using artificial lures. I like to educating and passing on my knowledge of local history and the many sights the area has to offer while we are on the water.
Capt. Brandon Naeve’s Weekly Fishing Report
When a fish whispers something in your ear listen!
I’m not sure these fish swimming around in the intercoastal waters surrounding Sarasota know it’s Christmas but they certainly are showering us with a lot of presents!
Fishing is off the hook right now. There are tons of ladyfish, Jacks, trout, and more out there just waiting for someone to drop a line in their vicinity.
Why not grab your kids and head down to CB’s Outfitters and book a trip during these Christmas Holidays and put a smile on your kids face. Presents come and go but memories are forever!
Some people take their fishing very seriously no matter what the age.
If anybody ask I’ve ‘Gone Fishin’ with Capt. Naeve.
I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Weekly Fishing Report
Kyle Ruffing from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing reds on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Anglers fishing Little Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with reds and snook recently. Spin fishing anglers had some action catching and releasing reds and snook in skinny water and around docks on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. A fly angler fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me scored with trout and bluefish on Clouser flies.
Brian Nafzinger, from Rehoboth, DE, caught and released a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails on a recent trip in Little Sarasota Bay with me. Jon Yenari and Kyle Ruffing, from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing several snook and a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails on a trip in Tampa Bay with me.
Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook should be a good option now. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, 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!
Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing snook and reds on CAL jigs with shad tails while fishing Tampa Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Brian Nafzinger, from Rehoboth, DE, with a red caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
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.
Capt. Jeffri Durrance’s Weekly Fishing Report
Morgan Cox of Kansas City was pretty excited after catching her first snook.
Cooler water has really helped the bite as fish cooperate around Sarasota Bay. Anglers are catching a variety of species with snook, black drum, redfish, speckled trout, ladyfish, jack crevalle and mangrove snapper on the hook.
Matt Salk of Kansas City got his first snook, so did his girlfriend Morgan Cox. As to whose snook was largest I’d have no comment in print, but between you and me… it was Morgan’s. The bait used for the fish caught was live shrimp, CAL jigs and bucktailed jigs. Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can… be sure to save some for seed!
Jeffri is a fourth generation native Floridian who grew up in Bowling Green, Florida, located in Hardee County. While growing up on a cattle and citrus operation Jeffri fished many creeks and lakes in the central Florida area as well as the Peace River.
Capt. Brian Boehm’s Weekly Fishing Report
Capt. Brian Boehm with a nice looking snook.
Inshore anglers on recent fishing charters with Quiet Waters out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters had good success fishing the flats and dock lights for snook, redfish, seatrout, and other inshore species. Snook and redfish provided good action on trips into brackish rivers where some gamefish move during our winter months. Based out of Sarasota, FL, Quiet Water trips are run as far north as lower Tampa Bay and as far south as Charlotte Harbor.
Cold fronts began moving through our area on a regular basis over the last month. The fronts bring with them a blast of cold air from the north and strong winds. On days when fronts moved through, waiting for the water to warm, or waiting until evening to fish dock lights is a wise choice. Fly fishing anglers who fished dock lights on days when fronts moved through, were rewarded with great sight fishing opportunities in wind protected areas.
We found snook everywhere on recent trips.
They found good action on snook, redfish, and even tripletail. Schools of jack crevalle were busy hunting bait on the flats and up the rivers. Large jacks are a great fish for testing the drag on your reel.
We found snook everywhere on recent trips. There are still plenty of snook on the flats. Negative low tides can really congregate a lot of snook into small areas on the flats. Finding these holes can be very rewarding. On higher tides, fishing mangrove shorelines where glass minnows and shrimp were present was effective.
Anglers did well fly fishing for snook on dock lights using glass minnow pattern flies, the JT clouser, and a variation of Lefty’s chum fly. In brackish rivers, their normal winter haunts, snook were caught using the Aqua Dream ADL series spoon and topwater plugs. Points and in shallow coves near creek mouths were the best places to locate them.
Targeting larger seatrout on the flats is a worthy pursuit.
Targeting larger seatrout on the flats is a worthy pursuit. Once seatrout approach the 20″ mark in our area, they begin to behave like a different fish. Inshore anglers fishing the shallow flats found a few this month. Soft plastics like paddle tails on 1/8 oz. jigheads and suspending plugs were effective at targeting larger trout over the last month. For class size seatrout, the deeper grass in Sarasota Bay is beginning to show better production.
Additionally, there are stretches of grass in Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay that are yielding these class-size seatrout. The same goes for lower Tampa Bay. Drifting slowly over these areas and jigging soft plastics near the bottom produced fair action, but you will have to work through ladyfish, mackeral, and other species to get to the trout.
This is a great time of year to find redfish in our area
This is a great time of year to find redfish in our area. They’re all over the flats right now. We found a few dock lights in Sarasota, loaded with redfish. We’re also seeing plenty of redfish in brackish rivers and creeks.
For shallow water redfish, it’s going to be hard to find a better producer than the Aqua Dream ADL series spoon. You can cover water quickly and it really flips the switch for redfish. Once the switch is flipped, they’ll do just about anything to get the spoon.
Fly fishing anglers excelled fishing for redfish on dock lights using the JT clouser. In brackish rivers, redfish were spread out cruising and working mud bottomed coves. Spoons, plugs, and soft plastics were all good baits to use on these fish.
Negative low tides in the morning should continue to congregate fish on the flats. Finding fish in our brackish rivers should be a good bet. Redfish and snook have provided the best action in brackish rivers to date. We are also hooking up with jack crevalles and we are seeing good size fish in large schools moving around in the rivers. Areas in Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, and Blackburn Bay should provide some ideal conditions to target large seatrout. See you on the water soon!
Brian, owns and operates Quiet Waters Fishing LLC and runs his trips out of a 17’ Maverick Mirage. He covers water as far north as Tampa Bay and south to the Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande area. His favorite trips to offer are: back country, shallow flats, night tarpon, & night dock light snook trips.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Weekly Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf recently. Fly anglers scored with tripletail, pompano, trout, Spanish mackerel and blues. Spin fishing anglers had some action catching and releasing reds and snook in skinny water and trout, bluefish, pompano and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails.
Denton Kent, from Sarasota, with a nice tripletail caught and released on a fly while fishing the coastal gulf in Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Mike Perez and Denton Kent, from Sarasota, fished a day in Sarasota with me recently. We covered a lot of water in the coastal gulf but only found a few tripletail that day. Fortunately, Denton caught and released a nice one on a fly. We moved to inside waters and were pleasantly surprised to find some reds and snook in skinny water. They caught and released several reds and a nice snook on CAL jigs with shad tails. Jim Hazlett, from Sarasota, also caught and released a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails on another trip with me.
Marshall Dinerman, from Lido Key and his son, Michael from Atlanta, fished Sarasota Bay with me recently. They had steady action with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails. Barney Naylor, from MI, also fished Sarasota Bay with me and had some action catching and releasing pompano, Spanish mackerel and trout on Clouser flies. Good to see Sarasota Bay continuing to rebound!
Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook should be a good option now. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, 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.
Capt. Kelly Kurtz’s Weekly Fishing Report
The water quality was good and the temperatures were mainly in the high 60’s, nice fishing weather for sure.
The fishing this past holiday week was excellent. The water quality was good and the temps were mainly in the high 60’s.
Fishing the docks and deeper canals produced some snook, jacks, black drum, and quite a few redfish. Mangrove snapper, seabass and juvenile grouper were also feeding well.
There’s plenty of baitfish around so these fish are growing well after last years red tide. On several calm days we fished nearshore reefs as well as the crab buoys for tripletail which are migrating south.
The reefs produced snapper, and sheepshead as well as some large redfish. All in all this is a great time of year to be on the water catching fish.
Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's passionate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both artificial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.
Capt. Andy Cotton’s Weekly Fishing Report
We had more of the same from last week, the action in Sarasota Bay remains good on the deep grass flats.
More of the same from last week, the action in Sarasota Bay is still good on the deep grass flats with spotted seatrout, jacks, mackerel and bluefish using deep clouser minnow patterns and DOA CAL shad tails rigged on 1/4 ounce jig heads bounced slowly off the bottom.
The sight fishing on the shallow flats along mangrove shorelines and oyster beds from Terra Ceia to Placida for redfish and larger seatrout has been productive using crustacean patterns like Kwan’s, Grassett’s flats minnow and redfish crack fly patterns.
Spin anglers fishing with me in these same areas are using DOA jerk baits in the gold/glow rigged on a chartreuse 1/8th ounce jig head or gold or black spoons depending on water clarity.
Capt. Andy loves fly fishing and light spinning tackle with artificial lures. He fishes out of an Action Craft 1720 flats skiff rigged with the latest electronics and outfitted with Orvis fly equipment and Shimano spinning tackle. Andy is the owner of O'Fish All Guide Service.
Capt. Andy Cotton’s Weekly Fishing Report
Dave from Colorado with a nice looking backcountry redfish caught on a fly.
Fly and spin fishing anglers fishing with me out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key are having good success sight fishing the shallow flats along mangrove shorelines and oyster bars for redfish from lower Tampa bay to Charlotte harbor.
Fly anglers are sight fishing or blind casting these areas using redfish crack fly patterns. Spin anglers are scoring with DOA jerk baits rigged weedless or on an 1/8th oz jig head in copper crush color #321 and gold or white spoons.
The deeper grass flats are holding spotted seatrout, mackerel, bluefish and pompano use deep clouser minnow patterns on fly and DOA shad tails on 1/4 ounce jig heads fished close to the bottom during cooler days.
Capt. Andy loves fly fishing and light spinning tackle with artificial lures. He fishes out of an Action Craft 1720 flats skiff rigged with the latest electronics and outfitted with Orvis fly equipment and Shimano spinning tackle. Andy is the owner of O'Fish All Guide Service.
Capt. Brian Boehm’s Weekly Fishing Report
The commotion these fish make feeding is a sight.
Flats fishing in the inshore waters around CB’s Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota, FL continues to provide exciting action for anglers fishing on charters with Quiet Waters Fishing.
We connected with some large jack crevalle while throwing plugs on the flats on a recent trip.
Jacks have been moving down the ICW and spilling out onto flats where they ravage mullet and other small forage fish. These fish are powerful and fast and the commotion they make while feeding is quite a sight to see.
When they hang around for a bit, you have the opportunity for multiple hookups on light tackle.
Snook
Snook fishing has been best at night on dock lights and in the day up our brackish rivers. Dock lights continue to be a great place to catch snook right now. Anglers willing to go out after dark in search of these fish are being rewarded with snook of all sizes. This is the time of year when a fly rod can really out fish traditional tackle on dock lights. We’re still doing well with snook using gurglers in the back country. The few snook we encountered on the flats were caught on jigs with paddle tails.
Redfish
Redfish of all sizes continue to be plentiful in the waters around Sarasota, FL. We found them in a variety of locations over the last week. Broken edges of mangrove islands, sandbars, and potholes all held fish. Getting skinny in our brackish rivers is not a bad option either. Mirrolure lil johns and paddle tails on jig heads were better options than spoons over the last week. Redfish remained on dock lights and are best observed either vacuuming the bottom or charging through the lights. They are normally willing eaters on dock lights.
Redfish of all sizes continue to be plentiful in the waters around Sarasota.
We’re catching Seatrout on the Mirrolure Mirrodine XL.
Seatrout
We’re still catching Seatrout on the Mirrolure Mirrodine XL, but paddle tails on jig heads produced higher numbers. The Mirrodine XL seems to work best on bigger fish, it does a great job of triggering larger seatrout to come off the bottom too eat. If you’re into numbers, then go with soft plastics and fish the deeper grass. We found areas of deep grass holding good numbers of class-size seatrout. If you’re working to find big seatrout, then go with an XL or a soft plastic profile that offers a larger meal. The pattern on larger seatrout changed during the warm up and they were more difficult to find. The fresh cold front, currently ripping through our area, should put larger seatrout into more predictable patterns.
Looking Ahead
This cold front should send fish back into winter patterns. Delaying fishing departure times until later in the morning can make a significant difference. Waiting for the sun to get a bit higher in the sky gives the shallow water more time to warm up and for the fish to become more active. Deeper canals should provide some decent action on cold mornings. Shallow water with dark bottom will warm quickly on cold mornings and some areas will be holding fish. Redfish and seatrout will be less impacted by the cold than snook.
Brian, owns and operates Quiet Waters Fishing LLC and runs his trips out of a 17’ Maverick Mirage. He covers water as far north as Tampa Bay and south to the Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande area. His favorite trips to offer are: back country, shallow flats, night tarpon, & night dock light snook trips.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Weekly Fishing Report
Tyler Horiuchi with a Spanish mackerel caught and released on a fly while fishing with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Anglers fishing with me recently, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, blues and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats and reds in skinny water. Fly anglers fishing deep flats with me scored with trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel and snook in the ICW at night. Spin fishing anglers also had some action on deep flats and with reds in shallow water on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails.
Todd Horiuchi and sons Ashton and Tyler, from Sarasota, fished deep grass flats with me and had good action catching and releasing trout, Spanish mackerel and blues on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. Bill Poxon, from Sarasota and Walt Poxon, from MI, also had some action with trout on another trip with me.
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL and Brian Nafzinger, from Rehoboth, DE, each had great action on different trips catching and releasing numerous reds to 28” on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs in skinny water. Rich Hilser, from NC, fished dock lights with me at night and had some action catching and releasing snook and a bonus red on a fly.
Keith McClintock had some good action catching and releasing numerous reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails on a couple of different trips with Capt. Rick.
I was the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday, Jan 18. I had a full class of enthusiastic students that received instruction in fly casting and saltwater fly fishing techniques.
Future schools will be held on Feb 8 and 22 and Mar 14, 2020. Cost for the 6-hr class is $195 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, workbook and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook should be a good option now. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, 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!
Todd Horiuchi with a bluefish caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing with Capt. Rick.
Brian Nafzinger, from Rehoboth, DE, had good action catching and releasing numerous reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails on a couple of different trips with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Rich Hilser, from NC, with a snook caught and released on a fly while fishing dock lights at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.
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.
Capt. Brandon Naeve’s Weekly Fishing Report
This little man was all smiles on the water this past week with Capt Brandon Naeve.
We seem to be ladyfish crazy as the new year 2020 gets off to a great start. Many of the half day guided trips out of CB’s Outfitters have produced close to one hundred fish in just four hours. Of course you can’t eat them but they’re certainly tons of fun for the kids.
Mixed in with all these fish are some bluefish, trout, lizardfish, and every kids favorite the porcupine puffer. Grab your kids and book a trip while the weather is as beautiful as it’s been this time of year.
Please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!
I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.
Capt. Brian Boehm’s Weekly Fishing Report
Flats fishing in the inshore waters around CB’s Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota, FL continues to provide exciting action for anglers fishing on charters with Quiet Waters Fishing. We found good numbers of redfish and seatrout in all sizes over the last few weeks. Snook fishing remains steady with the best action still coming at night on dock lights.
Night fishing around dock lights is probably your best bet this time of year if you’re focused on catching snook.
Snook
Snook have been active in waters around Sarasota, FL and can be found in a variety of locations this time of year. Brackish rivers and creeks have been a great place to find them. Fly fishing anglers did well fishing gurglers the first few hours of the morning.
Focusing on points and keeping an eye out for obvious signs of feeding snook helps ensure that you’re in the right spot. We are still catching fish on the flats. Using Mirrolure Mirrodine XLs and paddle tails on jig heads around sandbars with good tidal flow. Fishing on flats with the presence of bait or mullet has been a good place to find them.
Fishing at night around dock lights is probably your best bet this time of year if you’re focused on catching snook.
Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay yielded a good number of redfish.
Redfish
Sarasota Bay has really perked up and we are seeing more and more redfish. Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay also yielded a good number of redfish. The best bait for redfish continues to be the Aqua Dream ADL series spoon and paddle tails on jig heads.
We are still seeing larger redfish in brackish rivers and creeks in very shallow water. A rising tide on a cold morning around mudflats is a great place to look for redfish on the flats and in brackish rivers like the Manatee and Myakka.
If you’re fly fishing, then adhering to the winter time motto ‘brown and down’ will put the odds in your favor. In clear water situations, reducing your leader to 15 pound test can really help with wary redfish.
We found good numbers of seatrout in all sizes.
Seatrout
Seatrout of all sizes have provided steady action in waters around Sarasota. We found good action on larger healthy sized seatrout using paddle tails and the Mirrolure Mirrodine XL. There are gator trout around and we moved a big one last week. Although we could not get a hook in the fish, it’s still a really positive sign for the fishery.
If you’re an angler that needs more regular action, then you can find that over deeper grass with class-size seatrout. Once you find a pocket of these fish, the action can be steady. A ¼ ounce jig and paddle tail will do the trick on these fish.
Seatrout are providing steady action in the waters surrounding Sarasota.
Looking Ahead
We’re heading towards an extended warm up and that will likely have fish on the move. Anglers fishing in Sarasota in the next few weeks may find it necessary to move around more to find fish. Other winter trends should continue to point anglers towards fish.
Negative low tides in the morning should still concentrate fish in holes, troughs, and deeper basins. River fishing should continue to provide good action for snook and redfish.
Dock light fishing can be outstanding this time of year. With smaller bait around dock lights, fly fishing anglers will have the advantage over their spin fishing brethren.
If you’re interested in a charter, you can contact me by phone, email, or through my website. Good luck out there. We’ll see you on the water soon!
Brian, owns and operates Quiet Waters Fishing LLC and runs his trips out of a 17’ Maverick Mirage. He covers water as far north as Tampa Bay and south to the Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande area. His favorite trips to offer are: back country, shallow flats, night tarpon, & night dock light snook trips.
Capt. Kelly Kurtz’s Weekly Fishing Report
That is one good looking Redfish caught and released this past week in Sarasota Bay.
The fishing over the holidays was very good, with water temps in the mid 60’s. Fishing the passes with live bait produced sea bass, snapper, jacks, and a good run of pompano. The sheepshead are also moving inshore and should produce some good action this winter.
On several calm days I finished off the trip running the crab buoys which produced several tripletail up to 26 inches. We also fished some flats and backwater oyster bars, catching and releasing trout, jacks and redfish. The water quality is good and Sarasota Bay is recovering.
I’d like to stress the importance of catching and releasing until the fish in our bay recover.
Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's passionate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both artificial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.
Capt. Bruce Burkhart’s Weekly Fishing Report
Trout have been on fire with days we have caught 40-50 and some have hit the 18-19 inch mark.
Anglers fishing aboard the CASUAL LIES out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters had some good fishing the last few weeks. The Silver and the Greenback colors of the CAL jigs have been the best bait. We have been fishing a grass bottom with 6 to 8 feet of water.
Trout have been on fire with days we have caught 40 to 50 and some have hit the 18 to 19 inch mark. Bluefish, Mackerel, Black Sea Bass, Grouper,Jacks and Ladyfish round out an 80 to 100 fish trip. Pompano have been around the bay and passes. Flutter jigs fished down on the bottom are producing some nice Pompano.
Bruce is a Florida native and has lived in Sarasota for thirty years. Capt. Bruce grew up on the east coast of Florida and started fishing with his dad when he was about six years old. Fishing has been a lifetime passion of his and in 2001 he obtained his U.S.C.G. Captain’s license.
Capt. Tom Reutter’s Weekly Fishing Report
We caught ladyfish and trout on almost every cast.
Over the holidays the fishing was spectacular after the weather finally decided to cooperate. I took a lot of groups fishing the first part of the morning with live shrimp catching keeper sheepshead, pompano, and some undersized redfish and snook.
We then moved on to the bays off of the ICW and caught ladyfish and trout on almost every cast using an 1/8 oz jig head with a Lil’ John tail by mirrolure.
I also fished Sarasota Bay on a couple of those really windy days and found some groups of keeper-sized trout that were a lot of fun to catch and release.
It’s great to see the bay coming back to life after the red tide we suffered through in 2018.
Nothing brings me greater joy than seeing customers catch their first fish on my boat. My style of fishing is knowing and going where the fish are. I do it all. Inshore, Offshore, Spinning, Bottom, Fly, Day, Night, anything. I want to make your days with me memorable and will do whatever it takes.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Weekly Fishing Report
Matt Schenk, from CO, had great action with a variety of species including blues while fly fishing deep grass flats with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Anglers fishing with me recently, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano on deep grass flats, reds in skinny water and snook and blues at night. Fly anglers fishing deep flats with me scored with trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and pompano and snook and blues in the ICW at night. Spin fishing anglers also had good action on deep flats and catching and releasing reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails in shallow water.
Fly anglers Alan Sugar and Ray Hutchinson, from MI, had good action catching and releasing trout and Ray caught and released his first pompano on a fly. Dave and Shara King and family, of King Outfitters in Dillon, MT fished a couple of trips with me. Dave is an outfitter/guide in Montana whom I’ve fished with for many years, so it was good to show them our fishery.
The whole family got in on the action on a rainy, windy day on one of the trips and Dave and Shara had great action catching and releasing nice snook and bluefish on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly on a night trip.
Marshall Dinerman, from Lido Key, and his son-in-law, Alex, fished with me and Marshall caught and released a couple of nice reds including an over slot fish! Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished a couple of days with family members and they did very well catching and releasing numerous reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. Matt Schenk and Dylan Lewis, both from CO, had fast action catching and releasing blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano and trout on Clouser flies on another trip.
Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook should be a good option now. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, 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!
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Steve McClintock, from Pittsburgh, had great action catching and releasing reds on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs while fishing shallow water with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Dylan Lewis, from CO, had great action with a variety of species including pompano and blues while fly fishing deep grass flats with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Dave King, from Dillon, MT, with a nice snook he caught and released on a fly while fishing at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Marshall Dinerman, from Lido Key, with an over-slot red caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing shallow water with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Shara King, from Dillon, MT, with a nice snook caught and released on a fly while fishing at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.
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.
Capt. R.C. Gilliland’s Weekly Fishing Report
Mark Templeton and Ashley with a couple nice redfish.
Fishing in our area has been pretty good the last couple of weeks, despite the weather’s best attempts of making it difficult.
Inshore fishing has been producing trout, mackerel, and bluefish on the deeper grass flats throughout the bay. Mixed in with those we have been finding pompano as well, if you can be patient with all the pinfish and ladyfish getting in the way.
Dock fishing in the bay has also been decent if you can find the right docks, which are holding redfish, black drum, and sheepshead.
Nearshore fishing has been good as well (when the wind cooperates). Tripletail remain in the area, but are not as prevalent as they were a month ago due to being heavily fished. The reefs have been producing good amounts of snapper, grouper, and even some hogfish.
Hopefully January yields calmer seas and lighter winds for all of us!
I'm very laid back and easy going. I love fishing, hunting, and just about anything outdoors. I'm a licensed Charter boat Captain who likes having a good time and hates drama. I have a wide variety of friends and get along with just about anyone. Did I mention I love to fish?
Capt. Kelly Stilwell’s Weekly Fishing Report
Pete Taurus with a nice pompano he hooked while Flyfishing with Capt. Kelly Stilwell.
Anglers have had a great week aboard the ‘Tide Tuit’. The pompano bite has been as good as I can remember with lots of fish up to 3 pounds in Big Sarasota Bay.
Little Sarasota Bay has been great for catch and release fishing with lots of big ladyfish as well as some nice spotted seatrout. Flyfisher Pete Taurus and his daughter Jamie had a great day Saturday catching pompano on flies and trout on jigs in Big Sarasota Bay.
There were also plenty of other fish to keep the action hot on our day out on the water.
Jamie Taurus had a blast fishing Sarasota Bay with her dad Pete.
Kelly has lived and fished in this area for over 30 years. His specialties are artificial bait, fly fishing, tarpon, and live bait fishing in Sarasota Bay and the nearshore Gulf. He's an Orvis Endorsed Guide and currently runs a 2400 Ranger Bay boat which accommodates five.
Capt. Jeffri Durrance’s Weekly Fishing Report
That’s a nice looking Redfish young Ben Lam caught.
As 2019 comes to an end the fishing has been great. We’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year from all of us aboard the Lets Get Em’. We hope you have a great and prosperous new year. Anglers are catching a variety of fish including snook, black drum, redfish, speckled trout, ladyfish, pompano, sheephead, jack crevalle and mangrove snapper.
One of the top catches this week was nine year old Ben Lam catching a beautiful 26 inch redfish. Bait used included live shrimp, CAL and buck-tailed jigs. Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!
Jeffri is a fourth generation native Floridian who grew up in Bowling Green, Florida, located in Hardee County. While growing up on a cattle and citrus operation Jeffri fished many creeks and lakes in the central Florida area as well as the Peace River.
Capt. Chuck Cress’s Weekly Fishing Report
Michael, who hails from the Chicago area, shows off a nice looking Redfish caught in Sarasota Bay.
Last year at this time Sarasota Bay was hurting from the red tide. It’s unbelievable the turnaround in the quality of the Fish and bait that we now have back in our bay. I had a charter out of CB’S on Siesta Key with Michael, Diana, his wife, and their daughter Jenny who hailed from the Chicago area.
Our four hour charter produced numerous fish with each family member catching and releasing some nice sized redfish, trout, jacks and ladyfish. The bait of choice were jigs with gulp and live shrimp under a popping cork.
Talking to some of the other captains at the dock I heard there are plenty of pompano in the bay as well.
Fishing has been a lifetime passion for me. Depending on the skill level of my clients what I like to do is put them on big fish using artificial lures. I like to educating and passing on my knowledge of local history and the many sights the area has to offer while we are on the water.
Capt. Brandon Naeve’s Weekly Fishing Report
When a fish whispers something in your ear listen!
I’m not sure these fish swimming around in the intercoastal waters surrounding Sarasota know it’s Christmas but they certainly are showering us with a lot of presents!
Fishing is off the hook right now. There are tons of ladyfish, Jacks, trout, and more out there just waiting for someone to drop a line in their vicinity.
Why not grab your kids and head down to CB’s Outfitters and book a trip during these Christmas Holidays and put a smile on your kids face. Presents come and go but memories are forever!
Some people take their fishing very seriously no matter what the age.
If anybody ask I’ve ‘Gone Fishin’ with Capt. Naeve.
I've been a fishing guide the Sarasota , Boca Grande area for over 25 years. My Sarasota trips are mostly family oriented 1/2 day fishing trips involving kids who love to catch all the family fun fish. My Boca Grande trips are for the more experienced spin or fly fishing angler.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Weekly Fishing Report
Kyle Ruffing from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing reds on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Anglers fishing Little Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with reds and snook recently. Spin fishing anglers had some action catching and releasing reds and snook in skinny water and around docks on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. A fly angler fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with me scored with trout and bluefish on Clouser flies.
Brian Nafzinger, from Rehoboth, DE, caught and released a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails on a recent trip in Little Sarasota Bay with me. Jon Yenari and Kyle Ruffing, from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing several snook and a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails on a trip in Tampa Bay with me.
Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook should be a good option now. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, 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!
Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, had good action catching and releasing snook and reds on CAL jigs with shad tails while fishing Tampa Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Brian Nafzinger, from Rehoboth, DE, with a red caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing Little Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.
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.
Capt. Jeffri Durrance’s Weekly Fishing Report
Morgan Cox of Kansas City was pretty excited after catching her first snook.
Cooler water has really helped the bite as fish cooperate around Sarasota Bay. Anglers are catching a variety of species with snook, black drum, redfish, speckled trout, ladyfish, jack crevalle and mangrove snapper on the hook.
Matt Salk of Kansas City got his first snook, so did his girlfriend Morgan Cox. As to whose snook was largest I’d have no comment in print, but between you and me… it was Morgan’s. The bait used for the fish caught was live shrimp, CAL jigs and bucktailed jigs. Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can… be sure to save some for seed!
Jeffri is a fourth generation native Floridian who grew up in Bowling Green, Florida, located in Hardee County. While growing up on a cattle and citrus operation Jeffri fished many creeks and lakes in the central Florida area as well as the Peace River.
Capt. Brian Boehm’s Weekly Fishing Report
Capt. Brian Boehm with a nice looking snook.
Inshore anglers on recent fishing charters with Quiet Waters out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters had good success fishing the flats and dock lights for snook, redfish, seatrout, and other inshore species. Snook and redfish provided good action on trips into brackish rivers where some gamefish move during our winter months. Based out of Sarasota, FL, Quiet Water trips are run as far north as lower Tampa Bay and as far south as Charlotte Harbor.
Cold fronts began moving through our area on a regular basis over the last month. The fronts bring with them a blast of cold air from the north and strong winds. On days when fronts moved through, waiting for the water to warm, or waiting until evening to fish dock lights is a wise choice. Fly fishing anglers who fished dock lights on days when fronts moved through, were rewarded with great sight fishing opportunities in wind protected areas.
We found snook everywhere on recent trips.
They found good action on snook, redfish, and even tripletail. Schools of jack crevalle were busy hunting bait on the flats and up the rivers. Large jacks are a great fish for testing the drag on your reel.
We found snook everywhere on recent trips. There are still plenty of snook on the flats. Negative low tides can really congregate a lot of snook into small areas on the flats. Finding these holes can be very rewarding. On higher tides, fishing mangrove shorelines where glass minnows and shrimp were present was effective.
Anglers did well fly fishing for snook on dock lights using glass minnow pattern flies, the JT clouser, and a variation of Lefty’s chum fly. In brackish rivers, their normal winter haunts, snook were caught using the Aqua Dream ADL series spoon and topwater plugs. Points and in shallow coves near creek mouths were the best places to locate them.
Targeting larger seatrout on the flats is a worthy pursuit.
Targeting larger seatrout on the flats is a worthy pursuit. Once seatrout approach the 20″ mark in our area, they begin to behave like a different fish. Inshore anglers fishing the shallow flats found a few this month. Soft plastics like paddle tails on 1/8 oz. jigheads and suspending plugs were effective at targeting larger trout over the last month. For class size seatrout, the deeper grass in Sarasota Bay is beginning to show better production.
Additionally, there are stretches of grass in Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay that are yielding these class-size seatrout. The same goes for lower Tampa Bay. Drifting slowly over these areas and jigging soft plastics near the bottom produced fair action, but you will have to work through ladyfish, mackeral, and other species to get to the trout.
This is a great time of year to find redfish in our area
This is a great time of year to find redfish in our area. They’re all over the flats right now. We found a few dock lights in Sarasota, loaded with redfish. We’re also seeing plenty of redfish in brackish rivers and creeks.
For shallow water redfish, it’s going to be hard to find a better producer than the Aqua Dream ADL series spoon. You can cover water quickly and it really flips the switch for redfish. Once the switch is flipped, they’ll do just about anything to get the spoon.
Fly fishing anglers excelled fishing for redfish on dock lights using the JT clouser. In brackish rivers, redfish were spread out cruising and working mud bottomed coves. Spoons, plugs, and soft plastics were all good baits to use on these fish.
Negative low tides in the morning should continue to congregate fish on the flats. Finding fish in our brackish rivers should be a good bet. Redfish and snook have provided the best action in brackish rivers to date. We are also hooking up with jack crevalles and we are seeing good size fish in large schools moving around in the rivers. Areas in Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, and Blackburn Bay should provide some ideal conditions to target large seatrout. See you on the water soon!
Brian, owns and operates Quiet Waters Fishing LLC and runs his trips out of a 17’ Maverick Mirage. He covers water as far north as Tampa Bay and south to the Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande area. His favorite trips to offer are: back country, shallow flats, night tarpon, & night dock light snook trips.
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Weekly Fishing Report
Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf recently. Fly anglers scored with tripletail, pompano, trout, Spanish mackerel and blues. Spin fishing anglers had some action catching and releasing reds and snook in skinny water and trout, bluefish, pompano and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails.
Denton Kent, from Sarasota, with a nice tripletail caught and released on a fly while fishing the coastal gulf in Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett.
Mike Perez and Denton Kent, from Sarasota, fished a day in Sarasota with me recently. We covered a lot of water in the coastal gulf but only found a few tripletail that day. Fortunately, Denton caught and released a nice one on a fly. We moved to inside waters and were pleasantly surprised to find some reds and snook in skinny water. They caught and released several reds and a nice snook on CAL jigs with shad tails. Jim Hazlett, from Sarasota, also caught and released a couple of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails on another trip with me.
Marshall Dinerman, from Lido Key and his son, Michael from Atlanta, fished Sarasota Bay with me recently. They had steady action with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails. Barney Naylor, from MI, also fished Sarasota Bay with me and had some action catching and releasing pompano, Spanish mackerel and trout on Clouser flies. Good to see Sarasota Bay continuing to rebound!
Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook should be a good option now. Fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay is a good choice for action with a variety of species including trout, pompano, 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.
Capt. Kelly Kurtz’s Weekly Fishing Report
The water quality was good and the temperatures were mainly in the high 60’s, nice fishing weather for sure.
The fishing this past holiday week was excellent. The water quality was good and the temps were mainly in the high 60’s.
Fishing the docks and deeper canals produced some snook, jacks, black drum, and quite a few redfish. Mangrove snapper, seabass and juvenile grouper were also feeding well.
There’s plenty of baitfish around so these fish are growing well after last years red tide. On several calm days we fished nearshore reefs as well as the crab buoys for tripletail which are migrating south.
The reefs produced snapper, and sheepshead as well as some large redfish. All in all this is a great time of year to be on the water catching fish.
Kelly is a Sarasota native and the owner and operator of Mangrove Charters. He's passionate about fishing and hunting. As a full-time fishing guide Kelly operates out of a 22 ft. Bayscout and specializes in light tackle using both artificial and live bait. Redfish are his favorite.