| January |
Snook, Sheepshead, Seatrout |
Warm discharges, dock pilings, grass flats |
Sheepshead on hard structure; snook near warm water at dawn |
| February |
Sheepshead, Seatrout, Snook |
Fiddler crabs on structure, soft plastics |
Best sheepshead month; seatrout in deeper bay grass |
| March |
Cobia, Spanish Mackerel, Snook |
Sight-casting cobia, topwater plugs |
Cobia following rays; Spanish mackerel arrive at the passes |
| April |
Cobia, Snook, Seatrout |
Live bait, topwater plugs at dawn |
Cobia migration; snook pre-spawn building; seatrout on flats |
| May |
Snook, Tarpon (building) |
Live pilchards, topwater |
Snook feeding aggressively; first tarpon in New Pass |
| June |
Tarpon, Snook |
Live mullet and crabs at New Pass |
Tarpon active in New Pass and Big Pass; snook spawn offshore |
| July |
Tarpon, Snook, Redfish |
Live bait, jigs, topwater at dawn |
Tarpon still active; excellent dawn topwater snook and redfish |
| August |
Snook, Redfish, Flounder |
DOA jigs, gold spoons, soft plastics |
All-around excellent inshore month; flounder building in passes |
| September |
Snook, Redfish, Pompano |
Topwater, jigs, live shrimp |
Snook reopens Sept 1; redfish schooling; pompano in surf |
| October |
Redfish, Seatrout, Snook |
Gold spoons, popping corks, soft plastics |
Best overall fall month in Sarasota — all three primary species active |
| November |
Seatrout, Snook, Pompano |
Soft plastics under corks, surf fishing |
Seatrout active on grass flats; pompano in Gulf surf |
| December |
Sheepshead, Snook, Seatrout |
Crab on structure, warm discharges |
Winter sheepshead season begins; snook near warm water |