Quiet Waters Fishing, based out of Sarasota, FL, spent the last few weeks fishing as far north as southern Tampa Bay and south as far as Charlotte Harbor. The cold front cycle we had been experiencing in our area ended and we experienced a warming trend. It’s nice to have warm weather, but I definitely miss the predictable feeding times and locations that we can enjoy during cold fronts.
Finding fish on the flats required covering more water and working more of each flat. Unlike the end of January, when we found fish holding tightly together, the fish were more spread apart. This was the case in most places except the backcountry where we were still seeing snook congregating together in deeper troughs and buckets along mangrove islands.
Aqua dream spoons worked well for locating fish. Although the spoons do entice plenty of snook, the hook up ratio for snook on spoons is definitely lower than soft plastics like paddletails on jigheads or jerk shads.
We found smaller redfish cruising together over flats in three to four fish groups. We found larger redfish burrowing into turtle grass or staging in small sand potholes. These fish spooked easily under blue skies and clear water conditions. We did best on redfish when working an area, not working individual fish. Again, the aqua dream spoons really shined in these moments.
Dock light fishing in Little Sarasota Bay was inconsistent. We had good success using very small glass minnow pattern flies in late January and early February. As the weather continues to warm, we can begin to think about the upcoming tarpon season.
See you on the water soon!
Capt. Brian Boehm
941-400-6218
Quiet Waters Fishing
Guide at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
