The Column on the left are some of the most common fish caught on the Bay and in Coastal water around the Sarasota Area.
| Barracuda, Great Black Seabass Bluefish Catfish, Saltwater Cobia Drum, Black Flounder Grouper, Black Grouper, Gag Grouper, Goliath Grouper, Red Grunt, White Gulf Kingfish, (Whiting) Hogfish Jack Crevalle Ladyfish Little Tunny Mackerel, Cero Mackerel, King Mackerel, Spanish Oysterfish Permit Pompano Porgy Redfish Sharks Sheepshead Snapper, Gray Snook Spot Croaker Sting Ray Tarpon Triggerfish Triple Tail Trout, Gray Trout, Spotted Sea
Many of the fish may overlap they're normal territory. For instance, large sharks could be caught on the bay and snook and tarpon while deep-sea fishing. Grouper are normally caught offshore but sometimes we have a good run of gag grouper on the bay.
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My standard answer for this is "what ever is on the bite on the day you pick". I know that this is not a satisfactory answer for most people unless you are familiar with South Florida fishing. The southern half of Florida has the largest number of fishable species in the USA. Most of the species can be caught year round but may be better at different times. Others do migrate in the spring and fall. Now this is where it gets hard. Our seasons are not easily definable by the month. Some winters are cold and some are warm, some are long and some are short. This will dictate the water temperature and when and what fish will run. We also need to look at the baitfish and how well they are doing because they may determine how long the predators might stick around. The abundance of each species will change each year and reach a low every 10 years. The species will also play off each other and push one another out. Large or small fish, it is the numbers that rule. Some years a species may stick around for months and some times only a week. With so many species in the area at the same time and the climate also unpredictable, it would be unrealistic for me to try to predict what you would catch or fish for in any given week. The wind and water condition will also dictate what we fish for. My boat and tackle is designed to fish both inshore and offshore and allows us to take advantage of what ever Mother Nature offers. When using live bait, you never know what you are going to hook-up with. While fishing for a 15" trout, you could hook-up with a 5' tarpon. That is what makes it so much fun. Below is a chart of some of the more popular species, this may help you paint a better picture. I also have my Old fishing reports posted on my web site, back to 1997. You can pick out a week and see what we did in the past. Click name to view. Click "Back" from toolbar or from right click to return here.
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