Sarasota fishing report 4/15/09

[captjim]

Fishing remains steady, despite the breezy conditions. The water is cloudy, especially in the area around the passes, but Spanish mackerel to 4 lbs, bluefish to 3 lbs, pompano to 2 lbs, speckled trout to 20", ladyfish, and small jack crevelle hit free lined live shrimp and Cotee jigs on the grass flats out in front of marina Jack and Bird Key. The docks along Bird Key and the north side of Siesta Key in Big Pass still have decent numbers of sheepshead on them, though the size has gone down some. They are averaging 2 lbs or so, with some 10"-12" mangrove snapper and small grouper mixed in. Live shrimp is the bait of choice. The west side of the bay from New Pass up to Buttonwood Harbor has been quite productive for spotted seatrout and the occasional pompano. 3" Gulp shrimp on a 1/8 oz Cotee jig head produced plenty of keeper trout in the 15"-18" range. We caught snook to 20", trout to 18", snapper to 14", and a 5 lb goliath grouper working oyster bars, cuts, and mangrove shorelines in Roberts Bay on live shrimp and Gulp shrimp.