Capt. Rick Grassett Sarasota

Anglers fishing with me, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action catching and releasing false albacore (little tunny), tripletail and Spanish mackerel on flies, DOA Shrimp and CAL jigs with shad tails during the past week. With sea conditions settling down after the passing of Hurricane Michael and an east wind pattern, the latest reports show very little red tide in the coastal gulf.

I scouted the coastal gulf early in the week and found lots of bait but not much else going on. However I caught and released several tripletail on flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Shrimp. It got better when Steve Schadt, from Sarasota, fished the same area with me on Friday. We found albies (little tunny) and Spanish mackerel feeding in bait schools. Steve caught and released a couple of albies on a CAL jig with a shad tail before switching to fly tackle. He caught and released several more albies and a couple of Spanish mackerel on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly. We hunted tripletail on the way in and he caught and released several on a CAL jig with a shad tail. Good day!

Remember that snook and reds are off limits on portions of the west coast now. The Florida FWC has enacted a temporary modification of regulations for reds and snook, in the areas affected by the recent red tide. The area extends from Pasco County, south to the south bank of Gordon Pass in Collier County. Reds and snook are catch and release only in that zone until May 10, 2019. I applaud them for taking this action to protect our fishery. Full details including exact boundaries can be found at http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2018/september/26/comm-red-tide/ .

Since we are still in a summer time pattern, it is a great time to beat the heat by fishing dock lights before dawn, which is the coolest time of day. In addition to snook, you may also find juvenile tarpon, trout and reds in the lights. This is also a great time of year to fish the coastal gulf for false albacore, tripletail, Spanish mackerel and more. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by agricultural and residential runoff, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,