Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: March 18, 2013

Catch of the Week
Charlie Lange, from Dallas, Texas, 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. Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice should be a good option next week. 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. 

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 in Sarasota Bay and snook and bluefish in the ICW near Venice at night on flies during the past week.

Kurt Lange and his son, Charlie, from Dallas, Texas, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We fished several deep grass flats on both sides of the bay where they caught and released trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on sink tip fly lines.            

A front moved through on Tuesday morning and with rain and wind that morning, we chose not to fish. Kurt and Charlie Lange got back out with me on Wednesday evening. We fished dock lights in the ICW in Little Sarasota and Blackburn Bays. Despite very windy conditions, they had good action catching and releasing more than a dozen snook and a bluefish on my Grassett Snook Minnow fly.

It was also very windy on Thursday, but conditions improved when Mike Perez, from Sarasota, Fla., fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. He caught and released trout on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly on deep grass near Whale Key. He also had a few shots at reds and large trout in shallow water with a fly.

Catch and release night snook fishing in the ICW from Sarasota to Venice should be a good option next week. 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

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

Fishing Forecast 

Atlantic high pressure ridging across Florida to the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon slowly slides east as a cold front enters the western Gulf. This front crosses the East Gulf Tuesday then stalls over South Florida Wednesday. Weak high pressure builds in along the Gulf Coast and moves to the southeast U.S. During the end of the week...with the front slowly lifting back north over the state.

Monday

South winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Patchy fog in the morning. A slight chance of showers. Monday night will bring south winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers.

2013/03/18Mon12:43 a.m.-0.02L

2013/03/18Mon07:33 a.m.0.99H

2013/03/18Mon10:21 a.m.0.94L

2013/03/18Mon04:53 p.m.1.92H

Tuesday

Southwest winds around 10 knots then becoming west in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms. Tuesday night will bring north winds around 10 knots then becoming east after midnight. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers.

2013/03/19Tue01:56 a.m.0.01L

2013/03/19Tue05:53 p.m.1.81H

Wednesday

Northeast winds around 10 knots then becoming north in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Wednesday night will bring north winds around 10 knots then becoming northeast after midnight. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2013/03/20Wed03:11 a.m.0.01L

2013/03/20Wed07:16 p.m.1.73H

Thursday

East winds around 10 knots then becoming south around 5 knots in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers. Thursday night will bring south winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers.

2013/03/21Thu04:15 a.m. -0.02L

2013/03/21Thu11:34 a.m.1.25H

2013/03/21Thu03:20 p.m.1.11L

2013/03/21Thu08:50 p.m.1.71H

Friday

Southwest winds around 15 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers.

2013/03/22Fri05:07 a.m.-0.03L

2013/03/22Fri11:49 a.m.1.33H

2013/03/22Fri04:40 p.m.0.96L

2013/03/22Fri10:05 p.m.1.74H

Solunar Forecast