Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum Jan. 29, 2012

Catch of the Week

Gary Roberts, from Bradenton, Fla., caught and released this snook on a CAL jig with a shad tail while fishing a sand bar in Gasparilla Sound with Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – Gulf grouper season will close on February 1, 2012, but snook season is reopening -- on the Atlantic coast only. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conervation Commission plan to increase bag limits on trout and snook and a new FWC database will allow people to search for boating ramps all over the state. 

Fishing Updates

Gulf Grouper Recreational Season Closes February 1

• Several species of grouper, including black, red, yellowfin, scamp, yellowmouth, rock hind and red hind will close to recreational harvest from Feb. 1 through March 31 in Gulf of Mexico state waters excluding Monroe County.
• Gag grouper, which has been closed in Gulf state waters since Nov. 16, 2011, is also included in the seasonal closure through March 31. The gag grouper population is considered too low, and too many are being caught for the population to be sustainable.

Snook Season Reopening on Atlantic Coast Only

• The recreational harvest season for snook reopens on Feb. 1 in Florida’s Atlantic coastal and inland waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River.
• Anglers may keep one snook between 28 and 32 inches total length per day in the allowable harvest areas only. Fishermen targeting snook must have a snook permit as well as a saltwater license unless they are exempt from having a license. Using snatch hooks and spears is prohibited.
• It is illegal to buy or sell snook.

Red Drum, Spotted Seatrout Management Efforts Change February 1

• Red drum and spotted seatrout management changes made by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at their November 2011 meeting will take effect Feb. 1. Many of these changes mean more angling opportunities, including increased recreational bag limits in some regions and longer spotted seatrout fishing seasons for commercial fishermen.

Changes affecting red drum include:

• The creation of three management zones (see map) for red drum instead of one statewide management area. The areas represent the northwest, northeast and southern sections of the state’s waters;
• Increasing from one to two the number of red drum that a recreational fisherman can take per day in the Northeast and Northwest zones;
• Establishing a statewide vessel limit of eight red drum;
• Limiting the number of red drum that can be transported in a vehicle on land to six red drum per person.

Changes affecting spotted seatrout include:

• Redefining the areas where spotted seatrout are managed by splitting the state into four management zones instead of three (see map);
• The recreational season will be open year-round statewide (this includes the removal of the February closure in northern Florida, and the November-through-December closure in southern Florida);
• Raising the recreational bag limit in Northeast Florida from five to six;
• Changing commercial seasons based on region – lengthening them from three months to five months in the Northwest and Southwest zones (June 1 - Oct. 31 for both) and in the Southeast region (May 1 - Sept. 30), and from three months to six months in the Northeast zone (June 1 - Nov. 30);
• Allowing spotted seatrout to be sold 30 days after the close of the regional commercial season with the proper paperwork;
• Changing the commercial vessel limit to 150 when there are two commercially licensed fishermen aboard.

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) introduced a new feature on its website this week. Users can now view and search a database of Florida boat ramps.
• “Providing safe, convenient access to Florida’s waterways is one of our goals,” said Pat Harrell, the FWC’s Boating Access Coordinator. “This database is designed to help keep boaters informed about facilities that are currently available.”
• Boaters can visit the Public Boat Ramp Finder site to locate and obtain details for more than 1,600 publicly accessible boat ramps

Weekly Fishing Report by Captain Chad Gamble

Sarasota bay is coming back around!  The “Hook and Ladder” has been plying the waters of the bay putting some impressive numbers of nice trout in the boat last week.  A few redfish have showed up as well and are cooperating in the potholes of inner Buttonwood harbor and around deep canals of western Sarasota bay. Red fish have been averaging in between 15 and 20 inches, with a few pushing 26 inches.  Most fish have been caught on Berkely gulp shrimp in new penny colors and white pearl. I am using a quarter ounce lead jig on the shallower areas and 3/8 ounces on the deeper waters.

Old man winter has been a little forgiving these past couple of weeks and the fish know it. The scary part is, this is still January, soon to be February and we are not out of the woods yet.   A late season cold front could really catch these fish off guard.  A two or three day front is ok, but back to back cold fronts will at the very least, shut down the fishing for a week or two.  I have been finding that a couple days after a front has been tough, then the following days of warming have been much, much better.  The water temps in the bay have been hovering at 65 ish and should continue to moderate again with this week’s warm up.  Here’s hoping that the weather stays mild and we start off 2012 with an early spring.

Last week I took out Andy Peters and Family for a quick trip in the gulf.  There were Bonita everywhere outside of Big Pass and we caught a few fish and had a blast stretching the drags on these speedsters.  We were using ½ ounce jigheads with white shadtails for maximum casting distance.  These fish are up for ten seconds and a hundred yards away in another ten seconds.  If you time your drift with the general direction they are heading, you can usually intersect them and hook up.  These fish do not provide any table fare, but are an absolute blast to catch!  It was fun watching Dylan and Christa catch these fish and even more fun to watch the video of it afterwards.

USCG Captain Chad Gamble

HookandLadderCharters.com

Email at Hookandladdercharters@gmail.com

Call (941) 809-8922

To create a forecast specific to your zip code visit www.wunderground.com

Fishing Forecast

A strong area of high pressure will drift eastward across the northern Gulf Coast tonight and into the Atlantic by Tuesday. The high will continue to ridge westward across the southeastern states through Wednesday, then drift southward over Florida on Thursday. A weak cold front will move across the waters Thursday night and Friday.

Monday

Northeast winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Monday night will bring northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2012/01/30        Mon        12:08 a.m.           0.1           L

2012/01/30        Mon        05:41 a.m.           0.85        H

2012/01/30        Mon        10:39 a.m.           0.54        L

2012/01/30        Mon        04:52 p.m.           1.72        H

Tuesday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Tuesday night will bring east winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2012/01/31        Tue          01:25 a.m.           0.01        L

2012/01/31        Tue          07:59 a.m.           0.76        H

2012/01/31        Tue          10:59 a.m.           0.71        L

2012/01/31        Tue          05:39 p.m.           1.74        H

Wednesday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Wednesday night will bring east winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2012/02/01        Wed       02:42 a.m.           -0.12      L

2012/02/01        Wed       06:37 p.m.           1.76        H

Thursday

Southeast winds around 5 knots becoming northwest 5 to 10 knots late in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. There is a slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Thursday night will bring north winds around 5 knots becoming east after midnight. Bay and inland waters smooth. There is a slight chance of showers.

2012/02/02        Thu          03:50 a.m.           -0.27      L

2012/02/02        Thu          07:42 p.m.           1.8           H

Friday

Southwest winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. There is a slight chance of showers in the morning, then a chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon.

2012/02/03        Fri            04:44 a.m.           -0.4         L

2012/02/03        Fri            08:46 p.m.           1.87        H

Solunar Forecast