Fishing Report: Tarpon time! One of my favorite times of the year, when we are fishing for giant tarpon along our beaches, has arrived. Although the time of the year is right, water temperatures are still on the cool side for the action to get hot. Due to a couple of fronts, smoke on the water from wildfires to our north (not the Deep Purple song!) and an upwelling, the water temperature was just 76 degrees on Saturday. An upwelling occurs when surface water is blown offshore by a persistent east wind and is replaced by the cooler water below it. We began the week fishing off Sarasota with the water temperature at 72 degrees. It has warmed a degree or two each day, but action should get faster when it reaches the magic temperature of 80 degrees.
Fly anglers fishing with me this week have had some quality shots at tarpon and had a few bites on Enrico Puglisi’s Black Mullet and tarpon bunny flies. We worked 2 or 3 schools a day early in the week along Siesta and Casey Keys and by the weekend we were working 6 or 8 schools a day. Brett Yantis, from Kansas City, fished a couple of days with me early in the week and had a take on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet one day. Tim Dunagan drove down from Mexico Beach, FL to fish a day with me and Rick Happle and Shawn Borgeson, both from Tampa, also fished a day. Rick got bit a couple of times on a black and purple tarpon bunny.
Bill and Sandy King, from Osprey, FL, fished with me on Saturday, which was a windy day. With wind out of the east at 15 to 20-mph, we anchored tight to the beach and took shots at tarpon schools moving past us going fast to the south. Sandy jumped her first tarpon with a live crab and Bill got bit on a black and purple bunny.
Next week should be good as the moon phase waxes toward a quarter phase coming off last Wednesday’s new moon. As the water temperature warms to 80 degrees and higher, tarpon will bite more aggressively. The best bite should be at first light in the morning, but I also like fishing shallow water from mid morning until the sea breeze comes up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor |
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