Updated: Thursday, August 13, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, August 20, 2026
This Sarasota fishing report covers mid-August, when the fishery settles fully into its August pattern: a hot, short morning bite and a long, quiet afternoon. Inside water pushes 90 by noon, and fish move to the deeper grass, the passes and the nearshore hard bottom. Gag grouper and mangrove snapper lead the offshore side on the ledges and artificial reefs. The new moon at the end of the week puts real current through Big Sarasota Pass and New Pass, and that current does most of the work.
What’s Hitting
Gag grouper and mangrove snapper carry the offshore side, holding on the ledges and artificial reefs in 40 to 80 feet. Inshore, speckled trout feed on the deeper grass at first light before the water heats. Redfish sit tight to the mangrove roots on the top of the tide, and snook stack in the passes on the outgoing; harvest is closed, so plan on catch-and-release. Spanish mackerel and a few kingfish work the bait pods just off the beaches on calm mornings.
Where to Find Them
Big Sarasota Pass and New Pass are the two most productive spots on the strong outgoing tides. The grass edges in Roberts Bay and Little Sarasota Bay hold trout in 4 to 6 feet at dawn. The mangrove shorelines along Siesta Key and the back side of Casey Key produce redfish on high water. Offshore, the artificial reefs off Lido and Venice are the reliable grouper and snapper structure, because ledges and reefs offer cover and draw the baitfish grouper ambush.
Tides & Conditions
Inshore water runs 86 to 90 degrees, and nearshore sits at 84 to 86. New-moon tides mean a big swing and hard current through the passes, particularly on the evening outgoing. Expect morning seas of 1 to 2 feet, building with afternoon storms that fire most days by 2 p.m. Water clarity is good in the passes and off-color in the back bays after rain.
Tackle & Tactics
Live bait drives the program inshore and out:
- Trout: live scaled sardines are the currency inshore. Chum a few over the grass and the trout come to you. A quarter-ounce jighead with a soft plastic covers the deeper edges when the wind is up.
- Pass snook: a live pinfish or a heavy bucktail on 40-pound fluorocarbon.
- Gag grouper: a knocker rig with a live pinfish or a fresh threadfin on 60-pound leader. The sinker slides down to the hook and keeps the bait close to the bottom.
- Mangrove snapper: drop to 30-pound leader, since these fish get leader-shy in clear water.
Local Intel This Week
Ken Thompson Park on City Island and the Turtle Beach ramp are the practical public launches for pass access, with Ken Thompson Park sitting right at New Pass. Blackburn Point Park gets you into Little Sarasota Bay quickly for the dawn trout grass. Shore anglers can work the North Jetty at Venice for snapper and mackerel. Fish concentrate in the passes and on the deeper grass edges rather than the shallow interior flats. Gag grouper, snook and several reef species carry seasonal restrictions. Check current FWC and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
If the trout bite dies at 9 a.m., don’t run in. Run out. Slide to the 6- to 8-foot grass edge instead of the 3-foot interior. In August the fish rarely leave the area; they just drop into the deeper, cooler water within a few hundred yards.
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