Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: March 11, 2013

Catch of the Week
Bruce Marlowe, from RI, caught and released this snook on a Grassett Snook Minnow fly while fishing the ICW near Venice at night with Capt. Rick Grassett.

BRADENTON – There are a few seafood festivals coming up over the next few weeks. One is Bradenton's own Desoto Heritage Seafood festival which will be held in downtown Bradenton from April 5-7. With a new moon on Monday, tides will be good for fishing all week since water temperatures have dropped sharply following a couple of strong fronts afternoons may fish better than mornings. You should find trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. You may also find blues and Spanish mackerel in passes when the tide is moving. Look for reds around docks, in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or on shallow flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. 

Fishing Updates

Fort Pierce Seafood Festival March 23

• St. Lucie County, Fla.
• For more information call (772) 466-3880 
• Focus: Focus: Enjoy fresh seafood and live entertainment with your family. There will be a free kids zone and other activities from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Arts, crafts, historical displays, the Little Miss and Mr. Taste of the Sea, and the Miss Taste of the Sea Pageant are a part of this year's festival. Admission is free, so come and enjoy the shrimp, crab cakes, clams, oysters, fish and chips and more. Free parking is available.

Palatka Blue Crab Festival March 24-27

• Putnam County
• For more information call (386) 325-4406
• Focus: Arts and crafts, beauty pageant, seafood cook-off, parade, kids rides, family entertainment and Memorial Day tribute. Join us for fun, food and excitement and enjoy downtown Palatka.

Desoto Heritage Seafood Festival April 5-7

• Old Main Street, downtown 
• Bradenton, Florida
• Focus: The 73rd Annual Desoto Heritage Seafood Festival is a major attraction off the Manatee River with fresh seafood, artisans, live entertainment, and arts and crafts.

Weekly Fishing Report by Capt. Rick Grassett

Tony Merlis, from NH, with a nice Spanish mackerel caught and released on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly while fishing Sarasota Bay with Capt. Rick Grassett.

Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, silver trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and flounder in Sarasota Bay and snook and trout in the ICW near Venice at night on lures and flies during the past week.

Martin Marlowe, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. He had steady action with trout to 18 inches, including several in the slot, near Long Bar on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on a sink tip fly line. I threw the new DOA Airhead bait for a while over deep grass and caught and released several nice trout on it.

 Anna Maria Island and Sarasota winter residents, Bill Morrison and Gary Marple, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning.  We fished an area of deep water with a mud bottom, which will often hold fish in winter, and caught several silver trout and a flounder on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and a CAL jig with a shad tail. They also had good action with spotted sea trout over deep grass near Long Bar also on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Tony Merlis, from NH, and his daughter, Jennifer, from MD, fished the same areas with me that afternoon. They also caught and released trout and several nice Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.

A front blew through on Wednesday morning and with wind at 20 mph before our start time, that fly fishing trip was canceled. Mike Perez, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on a blustery day on Thursday afternoon.  Following Wednesday’s front it was sunny, but cool and windy. However, he had steady action with trout, Spanish mackerel, blues and a pompano on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails near Long Bar.

Bruce Marlowe, from RI, got out of the northeast just ahead of the latest snow storm just in time to snook fish with his dad, Martin Marlowe from NY, and me on Friday evening. We fished lighted docks in the ICW from Little Sarasota Bay to the Venice Inlet. They had steady action catching and releasing more than a dozen snook to 25 inches  and several trout on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

With a new moon on Monday, tides will be good all of next week. Since water temperatures have dropped sharply following a couple of strong fronts recently, afternoons may fish better than mornings. You should find trout, Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. You may also find blues and Spanish mackerel in passes when the tide is moving. Look for reds around docks, in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or on shallow flats on sunny afternoons when the tide is high. 

Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide
CB’s Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Fishing Forecast 

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

High pressure along the U.S. East Coast will move slowly east as a cold front moves into the central Gulf of Mexico on Monday. This front reaches the eastern Gulf Monday night and crosses Florida during Tuesday. High pressure then builds into the Gulf Wednesday and moves eastward to the Atlantic through Friday.

Monday

Southeast winds around 10 knots then becoming south around 15 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Monday night will bring south winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight.

2013/03/11Mon12:57 a.m.1.86H

2013/03/11Mon07:50 a.m.-0.01L

2013/03/11Mon01:32 p.m.1.63H

2013/03/11Mon07:59 p.m.0.19L

Tuesday

Southwest winds around 15 knots then becoming west in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Showers likely in the morning. A slight chance of thunderstorms. Tuesday night will bring northwest winds around 15 knots becoming north around 20 knots after midnight. Bay and inland waters choppy.

2013/03/12Tue01:42 a.m.1.74H

2013/03/12Tue08:15 a.m.0.16L

2013/03/12Tue01:50 p.m.1.77H

2013/03/12Tue08:41 p.m.0.05L

Wednesday

North winds around 20 knots diminishing to around 15 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters choppy. Wednesday night will bring north winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2013/03/13Wed02:24 a.m.1.6H

2013/03/13Wed08:37 a.m.0.32L

2013/03/13Wed02:09 p.m.1.89H

2013/03/13Wed09:22 p.m.-0.05L

Thursday

North winds around 15 knots diminishing to around 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop becoming a light chop in the afternoon. Thursday night will bring northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2013/03/14Thu03:06 a.m.1.46H

2013/03/14Thu08:58 a.m.0.46L

2013/03/14Thu02:32 p.m.1.98H

2013/03/14Thu10:04 p.m.-0.1L

Friday

North winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2013/03/15Fri03:50 a.m.1.31H

2013/03/15Fri09:20 a.m.0.59L

2013/03/15Fri02:59 p.m.2.04H

2013/03/15Fri10:49 p.m.-0.1L

Solunar Forecast