Springtime explosion in Sarasota

March 22 Fishing Report

           Anglers aboard Sarasota Fishing Charters caught Redfish, Pompano, Sea Trout, Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel , Flounder , Grouper, and Huge Ladyfish. Most Fish were caught on the Gold Paddletail CAL jig followed by Shrimp fished under a Bayside Thunder float. These fish are so concentrated that if we fished an area for a few minutes without great success ,It was time to relocate. Almost all of the fish were found in the scattered grass areas of the bay in 4 to 7  ‘ depths.

                Dr Jon  Donaldson and son Luke from Charleston SC fished on a windy and blustery day where I thought about cancelling due to the winds, but knew of a few places to hide that could be very productive. They caught 13 Redfish and a bunch of  nice Sea Trout that were obviously feeding in before the Cold Front hit on Saturday.

                Saturday and Sunday were out as winds were up and temps were down. On Monday,  Bryce , Peter and Bill Methven From the Twin Cities Area had a great day with Pompano to 5 lbs,  Sea Trout to 21” , Spanish Mackerel  and Bluefish. Next Glenn Silvers and son Mark  and Grandson Seth From Sarasota and Colorado had a nice day with numerous Sea Trout, 4 Redfish and some Spanish Mackerel. Fishing with the Silvers family is always fun and lively.

                Wednesday Terry Ellenberger , son Jaryd and friends Darrel Goebel and Cody Aherns form Wisconsin  had a fabulous day with Pompano to 5lbs, Spanish Mackerel to 4 lbs , 3 Redfish, and so many Sea Trout we lost count. Thursday morning Dave Martin and friend Wayne from Toronto  tried fly fishing on a somewhat windy day. They were able to catch a few Mackerel ,Sea Trout and Ladyfish in conditions that just were not good for throwing flies. That afternoon the winds stopped and  Brian Martin and wife Elaine from Ontario joined me for a super time catching huge Sea trout to 22’ , Spanish Mackerel to 4 lbs and various other fish.  Honestly, they probably caught well over 60 Trout that afternoon .

                Friday , Jeff , Nancy and Meredith from Wisconsin caught huge Mackerel and Sea trout on a day that the wind again prevented a very good day from becoming a great day. Saturday dawned with calm winds and warm temperatures. Jim and Nanci Goodwin from Indiana caught 6 Redfish , some big Sheepshead, Black Druin and a 23 ½ “ black Grouper  fishing near old docks and then caught Pompano to 3lbs , Sea trout to 24” Mackerel to 6 lbs and flounder to 16” on the grass flats to end  the best trip of the time period .

                Monday,  Curtis and Cassie from Madison, Wisconsin had a great time catching large Mackerel and Sea Trout . Tuesday, The Fuqua family from St. Louis caught numerous Mackerel to 6 lbs and a few Sea Trout on a beautiful day

                Next Week’s tides are prime for fishing

Spring time angling in Sarasota

March 7 Fishing Report

Fishing is still great in the bays as the water temperatures  continue to rise . Sarasota Bay is now 72 degrees and the flats are warmer as the sun heats the shallow waters quickly. Anglers aboard the Lucky Dawg have been experiencing an unusual variety of Sarasota gamefish. Sea Trout are very abundant and are found anywhere in 4-6 ‘ of water or really shallow late in the day. has been about 35-40 trout and t These Trout are fat and and have measured up to 25” with a lot of fish in the 18-20” range. In deeper water, the bait of choice has been CAL jigs worked very quickly with small jerks. In the shallows a weedless  GULP !  jerkbait with a small worm weight has realty turned on the largest fish. The Trout are very concentrated, so, drift the grassy areas and throw out a marker when you catch your first good one. Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, a few Flounder and nice Bluefish have been mixed in with the Trout. If you get into Ladyfish, move slightly as they are on the edges of the Trout schools. As the water continues to warm be on the   alert for the first Cobia . Today, we saw our first Cobia as it chased a small hooked trout and then disappeared. A handpicked Shrimp put in front of a Cobia will result in an immediate strike. Snook and Redfish are being found on the lower tides and beginning to school.

Recent catches of note: James Almonter from Wisconsin used a 5wgt TFO fly rod with Gibby’s Big Eye Baitfish fly and a Shrimpee fly to catch 25+ Spanish Mackerel to 4lbs and 20 or more Sea Trout to 18 “. Tom Whitehurst of Sarasota caught 50 + Trout to 19 “ on CAL jigs and 2 Redfish on GULPS. Scott Tunis from Kansas and his golfing buddies Trent and Mike caught numerous trout to 20”, 4 Redfish to 23” Mackerel to 4 lbs and several nice Bluefish. Dan and Pete Morgan form Georgia caught 3 Pompano, Flounder to 15”, Grouper to 18” , several big Sheepshead to 5 lbs and finished out the day with numerous Spanish Mackerel and Sea trout . Dave Bressan from PA and son Mike from Sarasota had a great day catching Sea Trout and Spanish Mackerel on CAL jigs and Deadly Combos. Honestly I couldn’t tell you how many fish they  caught , we lost count by 10 am . Jamie Douglas from NJ caught 30+ Sea Trout to 16 “ on a very windy day. Alan Woczynski from Wisconsin and son Graham and his friend Aaron caught Spanish Mackerel to 5 lbs , numerous Tout and finished the day with 4 Redfish .