We’ve had some really good days lately on the water.

The fishing the last couple weeks has been very good on the week of the new moon. Anglers fishing with me have had some really good days catching and releasing snook, redfish, black drum, sea bass and mangrove snapper.

After 2018’s red tide it is great to see the fish starting to recover and grow in size, I also see the bay is well on its way to a total recovery. I cannot stress the importance of releasing these fish as the numbers are growing steadily will be returning to normal levels in the future.

Capt. Capt. Kelly Kurtz

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.

Mike Perez, from Sarasota, with a red he caught and released on a CAL jig with a grub tail while fishing Sarasota Bay recently with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had some action catching and releasing trout on deep grass flats and redfish in shallow water on CAL jigs with grub tails and flies in Sarasota Bay recently.

Tarpon numbers are increasing in the coastal gulf and a fly angler fishing with me caught and released the first tarpon of the season recently. In light of the current situation, social distancing and sanitizing procedures were followed on the boat.

Vince Sharp, from Sarasota, caught and released his first tarpon on a fly while fishing the coastal gulf with me. He was a student in a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school and wanted to hone his saltwater skills with tarpon as a goal. Well done!

Bill Morrison, from Anna Maria, with a nice trout caught and released on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing Sarasota Bay recently with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Bill Morrison, from Anna Maria, fished Sarasota Bay with me on another trip and had some action catching and releasing trout to 19”on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Mike Perez, from Sarasota, connected with several reds on a CAL jig with a grub while fishing Sarasota Bay with me recently.

Tarpon fishing in the coastal gulf is a good option now depending on conditions. Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook is also a good option. 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. Fishing dock lights in the ICW at night is usually dependable for snook and more.

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!

Capt. 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.

The Faveta family had a great day out on the water.

The fishing in Sarasota Bay has been consistently good. Last week the Faveta family had a good day out on the warm waters of Sarasota Bay. They caught lots of nice spotted seatrout, a shark or two, spanish mackerel, and ladyfish.

Everything was caught on jigs and live shrimp. Fish seem to love it! With the general lifting of the lockdown regulations we should start seeing more boats on the water. The fish have had a lot of time to themselves the past month or so, I’d say it’s high time we began interrupting them.

We were able to get several little trout and a couple larger ones. Then we targeted some snook at the big pass rocks using live bait.

Capt. Capt. Kelly Stilwell

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.

It felt as thought I had Sarasota Bay all to myself.

Over the last couple weeks I’ve had a chance to scout around on the water and do some fishing on my own. What I’ve discovered is that the fishing is the best I’ve seen since the pre-red tide outbreak. This is the only silver lining I’ve found in this dark cloud that is the Coronavirus Pandemic.

I’ve been catching some of the biggest, and some of the very heftiest trout I’ve seen in a very long, long time. Redfish and snook are also cooperating. All of the fish I’ve been catching have been caught on artificial Lures.

Capt. Chuck Cress

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.

Anglers practiced social distancing on the boat and we were miles from another boat or person during the course of my trips. Martin Marlowe, from NY and Bruce Marlowe, from SC, fly fished the ICW at night with me and had good action catching and releasing snook and a couple of blues on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

Mike Perez, from Sarasota, and Louis and Mikalah Smith, from IN, caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish in Sarasota Bay on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with a variety of tails recently.

Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished a couple of days with me and had good action catching and releasing several reds, snook and trout on CAL jigs with jerk worms, shad and grub tails in Gasparilla Sound. The best action was with reds in skinny water in Sarasota Bay.

Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds and snook is 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.

Check the coastal gulf for tripletail, Spanish mackerel or false albacore when conditions are good. Fishing dock lights in the ICW at night is also a good option for snook and more.

Capt. 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.

Solomon Holton with a nice Spanish mackerel.

Spanish Mackerel are getting thick along the area beaches and lots of fun to catch with the occasional shark crashing the party. On light tackle it makes for exciting fishing.

King mackerel are also beginning to show up inshore as well. Both mackerels as well as the sharks readily eat shrimp, threadfins, pilchards and pinfish which can be caught with sabiki rigs in the same areas you find the mackerel.

We are finding black sea bass on hard bottom areas and catching them on live shrimp.

Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!

Capt. Capt. Jeffri Durrance

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.

Bill McRoy celebrated his 82nd birthday on the water.

Bill McRoy, from Chelsea MI, celebrated his 82nd birthday fly fishing with me in Sarasota Bay. Bill has had celebrated his birthday fishing with me for a long, long, time. Both of us are moving a little slower these days but we’re still out there and enjoying more than ever.

We had a beautiful morning fishing Sarasota Bay. Bill caught numerous trout and several jack caravelle. We fished Enrico Puglisi baitfish patterns on a sink tip 8 wt fly line. The weather this past week has been nothing short of spectacular and there’s never been a better time than now to enjoy the solitude that only a day on the water with a pole in your hand can give you.

John Calhoun, from Ohio, sure looks happy to be out on the beautiful waters of Sarasota Bay.

John Calhoun, from Cincinnati OH, enjoyed a near picture perfect morning fishing Sarasota Bay and Big Pass with me this week.

John was spin fishing using DOA Terrorize root beer jigs. The fish kept John busy all morning as he managed to catch some trout, jacks, ladyfish and a few bluefish. It’s a great time to be away from the TV and outside enjoying yourself.

Unless you’re living under a rock you know a lot of activities have been curtailed these past few days. There are no crowds on the water and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous.

Mike Pemberton, from MI, caught this nice looking pompano fishing off the beach on Casey Key.

Finally Mike Pemberton and Sam Maffie, from Grand Rapids MI, fished Little Sarasota Bay with me this past week. Mike spin fished and Sam fly fished. They each caught normally legal size sea trout, ladyfish and jacks. All fish were released.

Mike caught a beautiful pompano pompano fishing from the beach on south Casey Key. Come on out and enjoy the wonderful weather. It’s a great time to be outside with an small group of family or friends enjoying nature. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that help you keep everything in perspective. Tight lines and big smiles.

Capt. Capt. Ed Hurst

Sarasota has been Ed's home since 1956. He's fished these area waters since he was nine years old. From 1995 until the present he's guided anglers exclusively in and around the back­wa­ters of Sarasota Bay. Fly fishing is his passion and he's an Orvis Endorsed Guide.

Sean, on the left, and his son Ryan, we’re down visiting Sarasota for the first time from the state of Iowa.

Sarasota Bay waters are beautiful shade of blue and the fishing has never been better. Rylan and his dad Sean we’re down visiting Sarasota for the first time from the state of Iowa and booked a fishing charter with me out of CB’s Outfitters on Siesta Key.

They’re pictured here holding two of the numerous trout we caught. Rylan, who outfished his dad, also landed snook, jacks, mackerel and some ladyfish. We were looking to catch a redfish to complete the inshore slam but were unable to find one.

However, we talked to other captains after we got in and they were very successful in finding redfish. This time of year is probably the best time to find this kind of fishing success.

Capt. Chuck Cress

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.

NYC’s Three Amigos, Joe, Bob, and Mike did some fishing together this past week.

The three amigos. Joe, Bob, and Mike, all from New York were visiting this area this past week and booked a trip with Let’s Get Em Charters’ out of CB’S Outfitters on Siesta Key.

Our first stop in the morning didn’t produce much at all however as we kept working our way along grass line we started to pick up beautiful big trout. Most of the fish were caught using a DOA shrimp under a popping cork. Even though we had nice size shrimp the DOA combo worked the best.

All the fish were released safely back into the water as there is a moratorium on redfish, snook, and trout.

Capt. Chuck Cress

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.

Jerry Poslusny, from Palmetto, with snook he caught and released on a fly while fishing the ICW at night.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with reds and trout in shallow water on CAL jigs with jerk worms, shad and grub tails and with snook on flies in the ICW at night.

Jerry Poslusny, from Palmetto and Rich Hunter, from Longboat Key, and Mike Perez and Dennis Mattingly, from Sarasota, fly fished the ICW at night with me on a couple of different trips recently and had good action catching and releasing snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Jack McCulloch, from Lakewood Ranch, fished skinny water with me and had good action catching and releasing several reds, trout and a 29” snook on CAL jigs with jerk worms, shad and grub tails.

Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, had good action catching and releasing several nice looking snook.

I will be the instructor for a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing School on Saturday, March 14. Students will be schooled in fly casting and saltwater fly fishing techniques.

This will be the last class of the spring season until fall. Cost for the 6-hr class is $195 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, workbook and lunch. There are still a couple of spots left so contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.

Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds is 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. Fishing dock lights in the ICW at night is also a good option for snook and more.

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!

Capt. 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.

Ben Friedman of New York with a nice black drum.

Speckled trout, ladyfish, black drum, mangrove snapper, Spanish Mackerel and jack crevalle were all on the current list of the fish being landed the past few days.

Customers used live shrimp, buck tailed jigs and DOA CAL jigs to hook and catch this variety of species. Several large gafftop sailcats were also in the mix as strong winds made the fishing a bit tougher.

Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!

Capt. Capt. Jeffri Durrance

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.

Jack McCulloch, from Lakewood Ranch, had action catching and releasing several reds on CAL jigs.

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook, reds and trout in shallow water on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails recently.

Fly and spin fishing anglers caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, ladyfish and jacks on deep grass flats. Fly anglers also caught and released snook in the ICW at night and in shallow water.

Chuck Ellsworth and his friend Steve, from OK, and Bill Rohm and Tom Keir, from Cleveland, all had good action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more on flies and CAL jigs fishing deep grass flats with me on a couple of different trips.

Bill Rohm with a Spanish mackerel he caught and released on a fly while fishing the deep grass flats.

Bill Morrison, from Anna Maria, and his grandson, Chris Morrison from MA, also got in on the action with flies and CAL jigs on another trip with me.

Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Jack McCulloch, from Lakewood Ranch, fished skinny water with me and had good action catching and releasing several reds, numerous snook and a few nice trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs.

Frank Zaffino, from Rochester, NY, fly fished the ICW at night with me and had good action catching and releasing snook on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. Steve Shulmerich, from LBK, fished shallow water with me on another trip recently and sight-fished a nice snook on a fly

Chris Morrison with a blue caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing the deep grass.

Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds on low winter tides 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.

Fishing dock lights in the ICW at night is also a good option for snook and more.

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!

Capt. 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.

Fishing the intercoastal waters with Capt. Naeve.

Fly fishing in the Sarasota and Boca Grand areas has been great even with the heavy winds we’ve been experiencing lately.

I plant my Powerpoles, cast, and move down. This routine has been working great for me and we’ve had lots of fish caught this way in the past week or so.

If you’re interested in giving it a try why don’t you give us a call at CB’s Outfitters and book a trip… what are you waiting for?

“If fishing is a religion, fly fishing is high church.”

Capt. Capt. Brandon 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.

Five year old Michael Bell was all smiles after catching this nice speckled trout.

Fishing trips are resulting in a variety of species coming over the gunnel. The usual suspects include speckled trout, ladyfish, black drum, mangrove snapper, small gag grouper and jack crevalle along with a few snook and redfish in the mix.

More unusual fish caught include a barracuda and permit. Clients are catching the fish on top-water plugs, bucktailed jigs and the always popular live shrimp.

Five year old Michael Bell spent some quality time fishing with his grandfather this week and had a great morning on the water, catching a variety with the permit being his first of that species (and grandpa is still waiting for his first permit).

Remember, the best time to go fishing is when you can and be sure to save some for seed!

Capt. Capt. Jeffri Durrance

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. Kelly Stilwell with one sweet looking fish.

Fishing on the ‘Tide Tuit’ was pretty good last week. Flyfishers Carolyn and Vincent Mckey caught some really nice trout, as well as bluefish, spanish mackerel, and ladyfish in Big Sarasota Bay. All these fish were fooled by flies fished over deep grass flats.

Tom Budisak, and his son-in-law, and grandson did well on Little Sarasota Bay catching some big jack crevalle, trout, and ladyfish on jigs while spending some time on the water with me this this past week.

Remember, improving the way we fish today can increase our opportunities to fish in the future.

Capt. Capt. Kelly Stilwell

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.

These two happily show off the gold nugget they caught.

Gold nuggets, or just plan nugget, that’s what the older watermen in Florida Call Pompano. If you ever have a chance to catch and grill one you’ll understand they’re called that.

It’s not the easiest fish to catch but trips out of Cb’s Outfitters have produced a few over the last few weeks. Grab a friend, book a trip and go for the Gold.

The weather continues to improve week by week and this time of year with the cooler temperatures and little to no humidity you owe it to yourself to spend some time on the water.

Capt. Capt. Brandon 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.

Marshall Dinerman, from Lido Key, had good action catching and releasing reds on CAL jigs with Shad tails.

Anglers fishing with me recently, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook, reds and trout. Fly anglers caught and released trout on deep grass flats and snook in the ICW at night. Spin fishing anglers had good action with reds in shallow water on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails.

Marshall Dinerman, from Lido Key, and Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, each had great action on different trips catching and releasing numerous reds to 30” on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs in skinny water. Dick Striano, from MA, fished dock lights with me at night and had good action catching and releasing numerous snook on a fly on another trip. Palmetto and Longboat Key winter residents, Jerry Poslusny and Rich Hunter, also got in on the night action catching and releasing snook and a couple of reds on flies. We sometimes encounter reds when fishing dock lights this time of year, which is a nice bonus to catch one on a fly.

Dick Striano, from MA, with a snook caught and released on a fly while fishing the ICW at night.

Fishing shallow flats for catch and release reds 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. Fishing dock lights in the ICW at night is also a good option for snook and more as long as water temperatures don’t get too cool.

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!

Capt. 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.

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. Capt. Andy Cotton

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.

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. Capt. Andy Cotton

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.

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.