spilunkr
04-04-2005, 10:28 AM
Got back late Saturday night from several days in Sarasota visiting my wifes parents. It was quite a shock to the system arriving home to what still felt like winter [sad]. The weather in Sarasota was sunny and between 75 and 85 every day. The only problem from a fishing point of view was the wind. There had been some pretty strong winds before we arrived and for most of the week we were there. The wind kept the water pretty cloudy on the eastern side of Little Sarasota Bay where I did most of my fishing.
My first day fishing was last monday, a half day with a guide, Kevin Chamberlin, a Christmas present from my wife. I specifically wanted to target redfish so that is what we spent most of the morning targeting. We fished several flats behind Longboat Key where on the west side of Sarasota Bay, the water was clear and we had a good tide, but the reds were pretty scarce. The chop kept us from being able to see fish so it was mostly blind casting. The first three we saw were spooked by the boat before I could get a cast at them. Finally, had one redfish follow my fly but it would not hit it. I also had a cobia take a look but it refused also. We finally moved into deeper water to find some action with Lady fish and Speckled trout.
I went out later that afternoon by myself in my canoe on the east side of Little Sarasota Bay. Here the water was definitly stirred up by the wind with visibility less than two feet. I picked up a couple more smallish specks in some deeper water before hitting the mangrove islands.
My first fish from the mangroves was interesting. I thought I'd finally gotten a nice redfish ( I'd spooked one a little earlier) from the fight but it turned out to be a 3 or 4 pound gafftopsail catfish. I would have taken a picture of it but it has to be the slimiest fish I've ever caught. My leader was coated with a quarter inch of the stuff and I did not want to slime my canoe. I finally got into some snook with the nicest fish being the one in the second picture at a little over 20"
Next day my wife and I headed south to a tributary of Charlotte Harbor in search of some tarpon. Unfortunately the tarpon did not want to cooperate which only exacerbated equipment problems. I had been told that spinning gear would be the way to go and brought one along. I saw a couple of fish roll but on my second cast I somehow accidentally hit the handle on my trolling motor just right with the reel and the drag knob spun off into the water. The water was almost black so it was useless to try and find the drag knob, so I was down to fly rods only. I only managed to hook a couple of snook during the rest of the day.
I got out one more afternoon in Little Sarasota Bay on Thursday. The water was even more stirred up than on Tuesday and I couldn't pick up anything in deeper water. Moving over to the mangroves, I decided to try a gurgler thinking the noise would be an advantage in the dirty water and did manage to get the 20" snook in the third and fourth pictures. The wind layed down enough in the later in the afternoon to take the canoe across the inter-coastal and I found the water on the west side behind Siesta Key to be clear. Over the next hour and a half I got four more snook.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da25b3127cce90aadd8d60bc00000016109AZM2bZu2ba
Mangrove islands in Little Sarasota Bay
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da25b3127cce90aad21da18300000016109AZM2bZu2ba
20" snook on a baitfish immitation
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da25b3127cce90aad3d1e1d700000016109AZM2bZu2ba
20" snook on a gurgler
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da25b3127cce90aad39660a000000016109AZM2bZu2ba
This trip I actually did not get to fish as much as in the past. A lot of our time we were looking at property for retirement. Unfortunately, prices in the Sarasota are rising even faster than they are here. We brought back a lot of information to review in preparation for another visit this summer to look at property in specific areas.
Guy
My first day fishing was last monday, a half day with a guide, Kevin Chamberlin, a Christmas present from my wife. I specifically wanted to target redfish so that is what we spent most of the morning targeting. We fished several flats behind Longboat Key where on the west side of Sarasota Bay, the water was clear and we had a good tide, but the reds were pretty scarce. The chop kept us from being able to see fish so it was mostly blind casting. The first three we saw were spooked by the boat before I could get a cast at them. Finally, had one redfish follow my fly but it would not hit it. I also had a cobia take a look but it refused also. We finally moved into deeper water to find some action with Lady fish and Speckled trout.
I went out later that afternoon by myself in my canoe on the east side of Little Sarasota Bay. Here the water was definitly stirred up by the wind with visibility less than two feet. I picked up a couple more smallish specks in some deeper water before hitting the mangrove islands.
My first fish from the mangroves was interesting. I thought I'd finally gotten a nice redfish ( I'd spooked one a little earlier) from the fight but it turned out to be a 3 or 4 pound gafftopsail catfish. I would have taken a picture of it but it has to be the slimiest fish I've ever caught. My leader was coated with a quarter inch of the stuff and I did not want to slime my canoe. I finally got into some snook with the nicest fish being the one in the second picture at a little over 20"
Next day my wife and I headed south to a tributary of Charlotte Harbor in search of some tarpon. Unfortunately the tarpon did not want to cooperate which only exacerbated equipment problems. I had been told that spinning gear would be the way to go and brought one along. I saw a couple of fish roll but on my second cast I somehow accidentally hit the handle on my trolling motor just right with the reel and the drag knob spun off into the water. The water was almost black so it was useless to try and find the drag knob, so I was down to fly rods only. I only managed to hook a couple of snook during the rest of the day.
I got out one more afternoon in Little Sarasota Bay on Thursday. The water was even more stirred up than on Tuesday and I couldn't pick up anything in deeper water. Moving over to the mangroves, I decided to try a gurgler thinking the noise would be an advantage in the dirty water and did manage to get the 20" snook in the third and fourth pictures. The wind layed down enough in the later in the afternoon to take the canoe across the inter-coastal and I found the water on the west side behind Siesta Key to be clear. Over the next hour and a half I got four more snook.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da25b3127cce90aadd8d60bc00000016109AZM2bZu2ba
Mangrove islands in Little Sarasota Bay
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da25b3127cce90aad21da18300000016109AZM2bZu2ba
20" snook on a baitfish immitation
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da25b3127cce90aad3d1e1d700000016109AZM2bZu2ba
20" snook on a gurgler
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5da25b3127cce90aad39660a000000016109AZM2bZu2ba
This trip I actually did not get to fish as much as in the past. A lot of our time we were looking at property for retirement. Unfortunately, prices in the Sarasota are rising even faster than they are here. We brought back a lot of information to review in preparation for another visit this summer to look at property in specific areas.
Guy