Redfish Fishing in Sarasota: Best Time, Where & How
This guide covers how to catch Redfish in Sarasota, including seasonal patterns, best locations, and techniques that work in local conditions.
Current Redfish Activity
Status: Fair this week
Based on seasonal patterns and recent conditions.
How to Catch Redfish in Sarasota
- Cast gold spoons or topwater plugs early in the morning near mangrove points
- Use live pinfish or shrimp under a popping cork in the potholes
- Target the edges of oyster bars during the rising tide
Where to Find Redfish
Redfish are commonly found in Sarasota inshore, flats, particularly in the inshore zones where moving water concentrates bait.
The narrow configuration of Sarasota’s bays creates predictable travel corridors for redfish that are easier to pattern than the vast, open marshes of the Everglades. Our oyster bar systems are also more fragmented, requiring more precise casting.
Redfish Seasonal Pattern
- Peak Activity: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
- Sarasota Context: Local movements are highly tidal and temperature-dependent.
Why Redfish Fishing Is Different in Sarasota
Sarasota's unique geometry, featuring deep passes like Big Pass and extensive seagrass meadows, creates specialized feeding lanes for Redfish that differ from other Gulf Coast regions.