Fishing patterns point to winter, flounder phenomenon
At Island Discount Tackle in Holmes Beach, Capt. Danny Stasny said there are plenty of redfish in Sarasota Bay. He recommends fishing the lower tides to consolidate fish in potholes and troughs and using Berkley Gulp. “When you move from the shallow waters to about 3-5 feet of water, you should find plenty of catch-and-release trout on the same bait,” he said.
The flounder bite this season has been phenomenal using Gulp or dragging live bait. “It’s especially good at Bean Point and other areas where there’s a drop off.” Stasny suggests working your bait along the ledge to produce plenty of action.
The inshore gag grouper bite is going well anywhere near shore structures, according to Stasny. Just “drop a pinfish or shiner. It’s good near any structure in Tampa Bay — the Sunshine Skyway Bridge being the biggest. We’re also seeing bigger snapper mixed in.”
Offshore, Stasny said, “amberjack is starting to show up 12 miles out at any of the wrecks, just pull up, chum up and hook up.”
Capt. Mark Howard of SumoTime Fishing Charters says the fall fishing pattern has reached its apex and “those in the know are feasting on some tasty fillets.”
Now is the time, he said, to get some nice grouper in shallow water from inside Tampa Bay out to waters less than 80 feet deep. “I have been working areas of hard bottom and the Tampa Bay shipping channel for keeper grouper, trolling Bomber lures on planners. Deep-diving lures, jigs and the use of down riggers also will put the bait in front of the grouper. A helpful hint: The lure has to occasionally ‘bump the bottom’ in order to draw strikes from the bottom-dwelling grouper.”
Howard said sheepshead are invading the flats in increasing numbers — a sure sign of the coming winter pattern. “Almost every pothole and dock I’ve fished the past week have held these convict fish. Live shrimp, fiddler crabs and sand fleas will entice these pure white-meat fillets to the table. Sheepshead fishing will only get better as the winter pattern takes hold.”
Howard is looking forward to flat tides for the upcoming week, hoping it opens the window on prime fishing time. “Remember, moving water will be key in your search for some good fishing action,” Howard said. “The canals around Anna Maria Island should start to hold more fish as the water temperatures cools down.”
Capt. Larry McGuire of Show Me the Fish Charters reports that after the last windy cold front, “the gag grouper went wild offshore along with lots of big red grouper, mangrove snapper, amberjack, barracuda and sharks. The best gag grouper bite was with sea conditions at 3 to 4 feet in 50- to 80-foot water depths. Live and cut bait was working great.
“The action was so intense that we even re-caught some big grouper with our hooks in their mouths from where they broke off minutes earlier. That’s what I’m talking about!”
Offshore, out past 100-foot depths the amberjacks and snapper are going strong, McGuire said. “I forecast the fishing will only improve as we move into the winter. That’s a beautiful thing. Now is the time to come out and get ya some.”
Capt. Warren Girle reported offshore fishing in up to 50 feet of water he’s finding grouper and red snapper. Off the beach, he suggests looking for diving birds to indicate the location of loads of Spanish mackerel, and he’s also bonita and scattered kingfish. He said that on the nearshore reefs, he’s finding plenty of flounder and cobia.
For inshore fishing in north Sarasota Bay, Girle said he found redfish to 28 inches and plenty of catch-and-release trout, as well as scattered bluefish and macks.
Capt. Mike Greig said grouper fishing has been real good off the beaches in 40 to 50 feet of water, and kingfish are still around. He also noted trout fishing has been good in the bay.
Jesus Rosario from the Anna Maria City Pier said there’s a good mackerel catch at the pier, and they’ve seen in the past week some little kings, a lot of flounder, couple of little snook that were released, and on Friday they saw a lot of bluefish coming to the dock. “We’re waiting for the sheepshead” to come to the pilings, he said.
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