A thump at the end of the line was the indication that something had taken an interest in Captain Rick Grassett’s DOA Shrimp. Setting the hook with a quick jab of the rod, we watched as a fat 20-inch trout came to the surface in an attempt to shake the lure. The trout made a couple of short runs, returning to the surface on two more occasions to try and dislodge the hook. A couple of minutes later, we landed the trout, took a couple of quick pictures and released it back to the bay.

Grassett’s brother Kirk and I were also getting bites. Rick was using a DOA Deadly Combo, his brother was throwing a fly and I was throwing a DOA Cal jig. Action was consistent over the deep grass in the middle of north Sarasota Bay.

We were alternately connecting with ladyfish, trout and bluefish. Considering it was late morning in July, the action was surprisingly good. Generally by that time of the day, the heat has slowed the action and a hot bite is hard to find. Of course, our luck could have had something to do with the weather.

Grassett had deployed a drift anchor to slow the boat over the deep grass flats in mid-Sarasota Bay. The wind was blowing a constant 15 miles an hour with gusts to 20. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, rain squalls had been blowing in from the Gulf and thoroughly soaking us.

This wasn’t a day we would have chosen to fish, but Kirk was visiting from Delaware and was in town for only three days. The intention was to fish for tarpon, but that was out of the question after three plus days of hard west wind. Instead, we decided to fish the bay rather than sit at home.

Weather is a constant concern for anglers during the summer. On rare days there is no threat of thunderstorms, but most days fishermen need to keep an eye on the sky. While rain really poses no danger to an outing, lighting is a hazard worth paying close attention to.

We had started early, and the conditions looked reasonably good but deteriorated quickly as the sun heated the atmosphere, kicking off squalls and thunderstorms. Since the action was steady, we donned our rain gear and fished through the rain squalls until lightning made a lunch break at the Mar Vista a more inviting alternative.

A reprieve from the thunderstorm, and delicious grouper sandwiches made for a good move, and when we finished, the weather had improved to the point that the sun was trying to break through the clouds. Returning to the area we had been fishing, we found that the improved weather conditions were not as agreeable with the fish.

After several fruitless drifts, we decided to explore a shallow flat nearby while the sun afforded some visibility. We poled a shoreline for about 10 minutes and suddenly started to see redfish and snook. While the fish provided some great casting practice, they were hard to see in time for a stealthy presentation and spooked off of or avoided our flies and lures.

On our way back to the ramp on City Island, we made a couple of quick stops, but the action was sparse, and a new line of squalls were stating to threaten. Instead of risking another soaking and lightening, we decided to call it a day.

While the conditions were challenging and the best action occurred during the worst of the rain squalls, fishing turned out to be a better alternative than sitting home watching the radar. The day was a reminder that fishing can be very productive during inclement weather. It’s always worth a try if you don’t mind getting wet. It can actually be a nice reprieve from the scorching summer sun, as long as there’s no threat of dangerous lightening. I think the take home message at the end of the day was why not give it a try, weather or not.