Anglers fishing around Sarasota, FL with Quiet Waters Fishing did well fishing for snook, redfish, and seatrout over the last few weeks. Cooler weather arrived in September and the resulting drop in water temperatures really turned the fish on. From pilchards to finger mullet, the flats remain flush with baitfish. Whether fly fishing or throwing artificial baits, now is an incredible time for inshore fishing in our area.

Snook

Snook Fishing

Early morning snook

Snook fishing really picked up in September. The drop in water temperature supercharged the snook. We did well around points, mangroves, and flats with mottled bottoms. Snook are willing to exert more energy now to chase down baits. Snook seemed to prefer the large profile of the Mirrolure Mirrodine XL over other baits like paddle tails and spoons.

 

 

Redfish

Redfish fishing is peaking. We have access to these fish year round on the west coast of Florida, but this is certainly the best time to catch quantity and quality. Large redfish were schooling up in September; intercepting a few schools produced some fantastic action. Doubling up with large redfish in shallow water is an experience that every angler should enjoy. The Aquadream ADL spoon and the Mirrodine XL were great baits for pulling fish out of the school. For redfish on the fly, we were most successful using shrimp patterns and small deceiver patterns weighted with clouser eyes.

Seatrout

Seatrout fishing around Sarasota remained strong to start out the month. Grass flats in the 3-5 foot depth range with good tidal flow and the presence of bait held plenty of seatrout. Soft plastics on jigs, shrimp imitations, and suspending plugs were all effective when targeting seatrout. We found larger seatrout around oyster bars and near grass flats with current. The clouser minnow is definitely a trout magnet when fishing for them with a fly rod.

Looking Ahead

Inshore fishing in Sarasota and surrounding areas is excellent right now. Redfish schools will be broken apart and we’ll have fish spread out more evenly across the flats. Flats fishing will remain strong in areas where bait and tidal flow are present. With cooling temperatures, snook fishing will continue to become more productive throughout the day. The beach has been a great place to target snook and even redfish over the last month. Fish should continue to stay around the beach as long as the bait is around and water temperatures don’t drop too drastically.

See you on the water soon!

Captain Brian Boehm
Quiet Waters Fishing
941-400-6218
Guide at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
Sarasota, FL