Sarasota’s June tarpon fishing is wide open this week, with fish lined up along the beaches and pouring through the passes on the tides. The snook spawn has the passes loaded, and the trout bite is holding strong on the deeper grass in the morning cool. Here is the local rundown.
What’s Hitting
Tarpon are migrating along the beaches and using the passes as funnels — Big Sarasota Pass and New Pass are both holding fish. Snook have gathered in the passes for their summer spawn, providing excellent action on the catch-and-release-only fishery (Gulf snook season is closed June 1 through August 31). Spotted seatrout are on the deeper grass flats early, and mangrove snapper are stacking around the passes, bridges, and rock structure. Spanish mackerel are blitzing bait pods along the beaches.
Where to Find Them
Look for rolling tarpon in the beach troughs off Lido and Siesta and at the mouths of Big Sarasota Pass and New Pass. Snook are thick in the passes themselves and along the adjacent beaches. Work 4–7 feet of grass for trout, and fish the pass edges, rock piles, and bridge shadows for snapper. Watch for diving birds along the beach for mackerel.
Tides & Conditions
A moving tide through the passes is the key for both tarpon and snook — the outgoing flush in the morning has been especially productive. Get on the water early; the bite slows hard once the summer sun is high and the afternoon storms build.
Tackle & Tactics
Live crabs and threadfins fished on circle hooks produce on the beach and in the passes for tarpon. For snook in the passes, a live pilchard or a white jig worked in the current along the structure is deadly. Trout will eat a popping cork rig or a soft-plastic over the grass, and a long shank hook with a steady chum line turns on the snapper. A fast-retrieved spoon or Gotcha plug handles the mackerel.
Spots & Access This Week
Launch from Ken Thompson Park on City Island or the Turtle Beach ramp on Siesta Key for fast access to Big Pass and New Pass and the beachfront. The City Pier and the area jetties give shore anglers a real shot at snook and snapper. Tarpon are working the Gulf beaches off Lido and Siesta in the morning calm, and snook are packed into the pass cuts on the moving tide. Check current FWC regulations before keeping any fish — Gulf snook are catch-and-release through the summer.
Working the Beach Run
Beach tarpon are a sight game, so idle the shoreline at first light watching for rolling or daisy-chaining fish, then set up ahead of the string and let it swim to you. Lead cruising fish with a live crab or a small swimbait and keep the boat’s shadow and wake off them. When the sea breeze chops up the surface, shift to the passes and bridges where snook and snapper keep the rods bent. If the passes get crowded with boat traffic, slip inside to the Sarasota Bay docks and bridges, where snook and a few bigger trout hold in the shade through the heat of the day.
This Week’s Tip
The snook in the passes are spawning and concentrated, which makes them vulnerable — fight them quickly, keep them wet, and release them promptly so they can finish the spawn. The fishery you protect now is the one you enjoy this fall.