Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota, FL Fly Fishing Forecast for February 2012

You might find reds and trout on shallow grass flats on sunny afternoons this month. Also look for trout on deep grass flats along with pompano and blues. Flounder may be on the edges of bars, in potholes or on deep grass flats with a good mixture of grass and sand. You might also find flounder along with sheepshead and reds around deep docks. Catch and release night snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges in the ICW should be a good option unless water temperatures drop sharply. Spanish and king mackerel, cobia and tripletail may move into our area late in the month depending on conditions.

Snook season remains closed this month so any snook caught must be released. I use tackle that is heavy enough to land them quickly so that they can be released with minimal stress and handling. Small white flies, like my Grassett Snook Minnow, fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line will work well for snook around lighted docks and bridge fenders in the ICW at night. Cast across the current and swing flies across shadow lines as you strip them and fish peak tidal flows for the best action. As long as we don’t have a strong front and water temperatures remain in the 60’s, night snook fishing can be good in February. However, I avoid catching snook following strong fronts when water temperatures drop below 60 degrees. I like the ICW between Sarasota and Venice for snook around docks and bridges this month. The ICW becomes narrow in this area increasing the speed of the current.

Reds should be a good option this month. Look for them in potholes on negative low tides. Fly anglers should do well with lightly weighted flies with weed guards fished on a floating line with a 12’ leader. I focus on seams where grass meets sand by casting only my fly and leader beyond the seams and coming back across them. You might find reds moving onto shallow grass flats to feed on sunny afternoons. They can be very spooky in clear shallow water, so be as quiet as possible and avoid false casting over them. I prefer to pole or sometimes wade with fly anglers to avoid spooking fish. Flats of north Sarasota Bay, lower Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound are good areas for reds this month. You might find sheepshead on clear shallow flats or around oyster bars this month where you may be able to sight fish them with flies, although they can be challenging. Little Sarasota Bay has lots of oyster bars and the water is usually clear there when it is cool.

Trout should also be a good option in February. Look for big trout in skinny water in the same areas that you find reds. They may be concentrated in potholes when the tide is low or on shallow grass flats on sunny afternoons. You may also find trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay along with pompano, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and flounder. I like to drift deep grass flats and cast ahead of my drift. Fly anglers should do well on deep grass flats with weighted flies fished on sink tip fly lines. Deep grass flats with a strong tidal flow and a good mixture of grass and sand, like Sarasota Bay’s Middleground, Radio Tower and Marina Jack flats, should be good areas for trout this month.

Pompano may skip on the surface giving their presence away. When this happens I will start a drift a hundred yards or so upwind and cast the same flies that I’m using for trout ahead of my drift. I like chartreuse and pink Ultra Hair Clouser flies with gold flash for pompano. The sound of a fly popper may attract blues and Spanish mackerel. Adding a lightly weighted fly about 30” behind the popper may up your odds of a strike. Fish a weighted fly slow and close to the bottom for flounder.

If the water temperature in the coastal gulf is in the low 60’s or cooler, there may not be much happening. However, as water temperatures rise to the high 60’s, Spanish and king mackerel, cobia and tripletail may start to show up in our area, particularly towards the end of the month. Look for baitfish schools, diving birds or surface activity to find mackerel. Cobia and tripletail may be hanging around buoys, crab trap floats or channel markers.

February can be one of the tougher months to fish due to cool water and frequent fronts. However, if you can choose when to fish your odds of being successful go way up. When fronts are approaching the barometer will be falling and fish should feed. Following fronts, afternoons may fish better for a few days. There are usually windows of stable weather for several days between fronts, which is a productive time to fish. When it is warm for a few days, check the coastal gulf for Spanish and king mackerel, cobia and tripletail. Whatever you choose to do, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com