Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing
Forecast for March 2010
March
is a great month for a variety of species. With the two toughest months to fish
behind us (January and February) the action will heat up. Baitfish will become
more plentiful on grass flats and reds, snook and trout will become more active
as a result. Bluefish and pompano should also be found on deep grass flats
along with trout. Migratory species such as Spanish and king mackerel and cobia
should also start to show up in our area as they head north. You might also
find tripletail in the coastal gulf around crab trap floats and buoys.
Snook season will remain closed during
the spring months this year due to the devastating freeze of early January.
Details of this closure can be found at www.myfwc.com
. Although we lost a large number of snook in January due to the freeze,
hopefully it isn’t as bad as feared. Some areas, such as Charlotte Harbor, were
hit particularly hard due to lots of shallow water but a large percentage of
snook should have escaped to deeper, safe waters.
You
should find them on shallow flats, along sand bars and around docks and bridges
in the ICW, particularly later in the month. I like to cast jigs and plastic
baits for them on shallow flats. Top water plugs should also work well this
month, particularly in low light conditions. I like north Sarasota Bay and
Gasparilla Sound for snook on the flats in March. They will feed on small
baitfish, such as glass minnows, and shrimp in the ICW at night. Small white
flies, jigs and plastic shrimp, as well as live shrimp, should all work well
around docks and bridges. The ICW from Sarasota to Venice is my favorite area
to fish for snook at night. Use tackle heavy enough to land them quickly and
handle them as little as possible. Snook need all the help we can give them right
now.
Reds should be found on shallow flats
this month as baitfish become more plentiful. Look along mangrove shorelines or
the top of bars when the tide is high or in potholes, and the edges of bars and
flats when the tide is low. Jigs with plastic tails, plastic shrimp and live
shrimp will all work well for reds. I prefer shad type plastic tails because
they have a lot of action and also will “vibrate” when worked properly. Fly
anglers should score with either baitfish, crab or shrimp fly patterns.
You
might also find reds around docks. I like docks that have lots of barnacle and
oyster growth and a good tidal flow. The closer you can get to the structure
the better. You can “skip” plastic baits under docks with a little practice by
casting sidearm. I like north Sarasota Bay for reds in the spring, but lower
Tampa Bay and Gasparilla Sound are also great areas.
Trout fishing should be strong during
March. Reds and trout were two species that were unaffected by January’s
freeze. We are fortunate to have lots of variety and trout is usually a species
you can depend on. They should be plentiful on deep grass flats this month.
However, the biggest fish will usually be found in shallow water. I like to
drift and cast jigs or weighted flies ahead of my drift to locate trout on deep
grass flats. You might find “gator” trout in potholes or on shallow grass where
the same lures will work. Another great lure is a plastic shrimp/clacker float
combo. This can also be fished in shallow water by shortening the leader
between the plastic shrimp and the clacker.
You
might also find pompano, bluefish or
Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats this month and they can also be caught
with same lures and flies that you would use for trout. Deep grass flats of
Sarasota Bay are definitely my favorite areas to fish for trout and more. The
usually clean, clear water and lush grass flats are great habitat for a variety
of species. You might also find these species in passes, where you can drift
with the tide and cast jigs for them. You will need heavy jigs (3/8 or ½ oz)
when fishing passes due to deep water and swift currents. You’ll need to use
wire or heavy fluorocarbon when targeting blues or mackerel due to their razor
sharp teeth.
Look
for cobia, king or Spanish mackerel and
little tunny in the coastal gulf this month. You might find cobia cruising
on the surface or around buoys and channel markers. If they aren’t on the
surface, you might find them over structure on one of the many artificial reefs
in the coastal gulf off Sarasota. Cobia will require at least medium heavy
spinning tackle or 9 to 10-wt fly tackle. A jig head with a jerk worm or a
tarpon bunny fly are good choices to catch them. Spanish mackerel and little
tunny may be “breaking” on the surface. You may also find kings in and around
any surface activity. I like to cast jigs or top water plugs on spinning tackle
or Crease flies, poppers and Ultra Hair Clouser flies to them with fly tackle.
I’ll occasionally also catch a king mackerel when fishing in a feeding frenzy
or over structure. Little tunny, a.k.a, bonito or false albacore, are one of my
favorite fish to catch on a fly. They can run fast and far and turn around and
come back at you just as fast.
You
might also find tripletail in the
coastal gulf this month. Look for them around crab trap floats, particularly on
a southeast wind. You can cast live or plastic shrimp to them with spinning
tackle or shrimp patterns on fly tackle to catch them. Make your first shot
count because they are much tougher to catch once they know you are there.
There
are lots of options this month. Weather will still be an issue early in the
month, but by late in the month, we should be mostly done with winter weather.
Whatever you choose to do, remember to
always 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
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com