Fishing out of Anna Maria Island on my recent charters the past week has seen some nice fish landed and brought to the cleaning table. Big sheepshead and slot redfish have been active in their wintertime spots.
The sheepshead are gathering in big schools preparing for the full moon spawn and feeding heavily on the moving tides. I like to use fresh shrimp threaded on the small size 1 hook with enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom.
Wait for the thump of the fish inhaling the bait or for the line to have pressure and lift just a little bit to feel the fish on. If he is there, then set the hook with force and get him out of the structure.
On my recent charters, we were only keeping the sheepheads bigger than 15 inches. Don Goodwin and sons from New Hampshire fished last week and landed numerous sheepshead and speckled trout. They put 15 nice sheepsheads in the box and had two bags of fillets for the family fish fry.
Redfish are still around the deepwater docks and structure feeding on live shrimp. The key to catching these fish is to get the bait under and into the shadows of the dock. Use a split shot to get it to the bottom. The reds landed the past week have been mixed in size.
Looking forward, the winter season is at its peak, and the transistion to the spring pattern has begun. Look for the influx of shiners to arrive in the next few weeks and the fishing opportunities to exponentially increase. Many species will invade our waters, and the fishing will only get more exciting and action-packed.
Capt. Mark Howard
SumoTime FishingCharters
www.sumotimefishing.com
941-704-6763
Fly-fishing in Sarasota Bay this past week has been good. Jeremiah Acevedo fly-fished with me on Feb. 18. While working some potholes in north Sarasota Bay, we were on the lookout for redfish. We saw a combination of trout and reds laying in the potholes. Deciding to get out of the boat and wade these areas, we caught and released a dozen spotted seatrout to 22 inches, silver trout, ladyfish and jacks using a Clouser Minnow fly pattern.
Capt. Andy Cotton
andyacotton@gmail.com
CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s, 1249 Stickney Point Road, on Siesta Key in Sarasota will hold an Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing school on March 10. The school will cover fly-casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. Orvis-Endorsed Outfitter guides and instructors, Capt. Rick Grassett and Capt. Ed Hurst, also will cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly-fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the school, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., is $150 per person and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a textbook and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at 941-349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters.com to make reservations.
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service Inc.
941-923-7799
snookfin@aol.com
