Saltwater Fishing Report for Sarasota, Florida.

Grouper in close Gag grouper have moved in close and are on the (I) reefs! Wednesday and Thursday we found plenty of large grouper in 25' feet of water on the artificial reefs off of Lido Beach. The offshore and Bay fishing was on the slow side so I opted to work the closer reefs. We started to fish the bottom with large live shrimp and had very little action but when we dropped a live Threadfin herring down, we got hammered. The herring are plentiful around the reefs and can be caught on the gold hook bait rigs. Pulling grouper off this structure is not for the weak. You should use at least twenty pound test line and lock the drag down on your reel. We lost some on fifty pound test line by not being able to stop them before they got under the structure. I use sixty to a hundred fifty pound test mono leader with a 5/0-6/0 extra strong hook but no more than one and a half ounces of lead. Fish straight down and just off the bottom so that you do not get hung-up when the boat swings. Along with the grouper, you may find some large flounder. This is the time of year for the (I) reefs to pickup so don't pass them up. You can find more details on grouper digging on my web site under "Tackle n' Tails". Enjoy and Protect