Anglers fishing with me during the past couple of weeks had good action with trout and reds in Charlotte Harbor and ladyfish, scattered trout, reds and pompano in Little Sarasota Bay. There has been plenty of action in Little Sarasota Bay, but Charlotte Harbor has had the most options and variety.
I spent a couple of days fishing Pine Island Sound on Jan. 29 and 30. A front blew through the day before and we were greeted with the coldest weather of the season. The first day was cold and windy with water temperatures in the high 50's. The 2nd day had less wind, but was even colder (I had ice on my boat that morning). We found a few reds in potholes, but nothing tailing on the negative low tides.
Keith McClintock and Hal D'Orazio, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished the other side of Charlotte Harbor in Gasparilla Sound and Bull and Turtle Bays with me on Wednesday. Fish had adjusted to the cold water by then and became more active. They caught and released numerous trout,including about 6 in the slot, a pair of reds and a pair of snook to each complete their slams. Not bad for water that started in the 50's and barely made 60 degrees.
Fly anglers, John Freeman, Jr. from Venice, FL, and his son-in-law, Tony Ryan, from Sarasota, FL, fished the same areas with me on Saturday. We had a few shots at tailing fish, but no takers. They caught and released about a dozen trout and one red with Clouser flies.
The next several days were spent fishing Little Sarasota Bay with flies and jigs. Ladyfish were plentiful, but had dropped into the ICW channel due to water temperatures in the high 50's on the flats. By the end of the week, the water had warmed into the low 60's. We also caught and released trout to 18", a couple of reds and a pompano. Most fish were caught with CAL jigs and shad or grub tails. Fly anglers scored with ladyfish and trout on Clouser flies fished on intermediate and sink-tip fly lines.
Tides are favorable for tailing and reds and trout in potholes reds in Gasparilla Sound as we head towards a new moon on Feb. 17th. There are also reports of little tunny and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf off Sarasota and Venice, so that might also be a good option when conditions are right.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
