Lots to report from these past few weeks!! With the Sarasota Slam Tournament wrapping up this past weekend, offshore anglers as well as inshore had some serious bragging to do. Several wahoo, kitty mitchell grouper, red groupers, tunas and swordfish were weighed in for the tournament just to name a few. The prize entry though, seemed to be the very rare triple digit TRUE black grouper, caught by team Sick Leave and Capt. Gabriel Lippert, Capt. AJ Grande and Capt. Dawson Day. This impressive fish weighed in at 103lbs. A true black of this size in the Gulf of Mexico is something that is extremely sought after by captains and recreation anglers alike.
Inshore action is heating up very nicely with good amounts of bait finally showing up off of the beaches. Schools of snook, ladyfish and jacks have been steadily reported this past week. Redfish have begun to school up nicely as well in Sarasota Bay. These schools can often be recognized as pushes of water and wakes that resemble mullet. Don’t be fooled!! Redfish will also sometimes travel within the mullet schools camouflaging themselves. They are currently taking live baits and artificial as well.
Now is a great time of year for top water!! early morning, bone color is my top recommendation but chrome works nicely also. Usually starting with top water and then switching to gold spoons or golden bream lil jons can be extremely productive but live bait in the bay has been plentiful this week as well. These techniques work well for snook, trout, redfish and juvenile tarpon.
Mangrove snapper bite has been very hot inshore and is always a top recommendation of mine for catching something for dinner! As always, please stop in and see us for any questions and/or recommendations. Good luck out there and tight lines!!
-Ashley Little
Tackle Manager