Fishing Report for Sarasota, FL 8/19/18

Fishing in the area during the first half of August has been marred by red tide. It’s impact cannot be understated and conditions have forced captains like myself to work hard to find the good water. The red tide will subside and the fishery will bounce back. Until then, it is wise to check ahead to ensure that the area you plan on fishing is not affected. Another option is to use this opportunity to explore new water.

I have not had any issues finding good clean water. Little Sarasota Bay has remained free of red tide as of this writing. It seems the further away from passes and the Gulf of Mexico the water is, the less the likelihood of it being impacted by red tide.

Anglers fishing with me have been doing well on night tarpon trips. There are plenty of good areas around Sarasota that are holding large numbers of fish. The majority of the fish are juvenile, but adults have been in the mix as well. The night tarpon trip has become an action packed trip.

Tarpon are clearly one of the most exciting fish to fight and catch. Currently, we’re jumping from 2 to 6 fish per trip. The aerial acrobatics have been incredible. Some fish have been too large to bring into the boat. Large purple EP flies have been the ticket for fly anglers while Purple or black swimbait lures have worked best on traditional spinning tackle. Every night will be different and you will need to vary your retrieve to determine what the fish are looking for on any given night.