Those fishing in Sarasota, Florida have experienced a nice stretch of warm weather. We found good action as far south as Venice and as far north as southern Tampa Bay, using flies and artificial lures.
Some areas are fishing better than others. Trends have not been consistent, so being willing to fish patiently and covering water efficiently until you’re able to locate productive water has been the key to success. This approach led to a fun stretch of fishing when five snook and a healthy redfish came boatside over a 30 minute span. When covering water to find productive areas, I like using Aqua Dream spoons and DOA soft plastics on jigs.
With the great weather around the holidays, we experienced higher levels of boat traffic. As a result, water clarity suffered and using flies and artificial lures that stood out was the key. Chartreuse and rootbeer colored baits worked best in areas with elevated turbidity. DOA CAL Series Shad Tails in Chartreuse worked especially well for anglers fishing in turned up waters with Quiet Waters Fishing.
The warmer weather had fish like snook and seatrout moving into shallow water earlier in the day. Drifting over deep grass flats produced seatrout, jack crevalle, and ladyfish. Redfish were mixed in near sandbars that had good water flushing over them. Dock light fishing remained consistent. The fish have been keyed in on very small bait. Using glass minnow fly patterns outperformed artificial lures and even live bait. Using patterns tied on size 6 hooks, which is smaller than I traditionally like to use, were most effective.
Some exciting Quiet Waters Fishing news is that I was recently added to CB’s Saltwater Outfitters guide list. CB’s is the premiere fishing outfitter in Sarasota, FL and is endorsed by Orvis. I am thrilled to provide guided saltwater water fishing trips to CB’s customers.
See you on the water soon!
Captain Brian Boehm
Guide at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters
Quiet Waters Fishing
941-400-6218
https://www.quietwatersfishing.com/
