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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 211
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 13, 2009 - 1:40 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/7 through 11/13/09
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, bluefish and pompano on jigs and flies on a couple of trips this week. We fished deep grass flats on both sides of the bay as we dodged wind from Hurricane Ida, which was passing us by in the gulf.
Dick Meeker, from Aspen, CO, and his son-in-law, Jeff, fished Sarasota Bay from Stephens Point to Long Bar with me on Tuesday. They caught and released a dozen or more trout to 22” on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. Jeff also hooked a large bluefish, but it was able to bite through our heavy fluorocarbon leader before we put out hands on it.
With the wind clocking around to the west, Norm and Francie Boardman, from Sarasota, fished the west side of the bay with me on Wednesday. The afternoon was better than the morning, but they caught and released 12 or 15 trout to 22” and a 4-pound pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies.
Next week’s negative low tides in the morning should be good for reds, snook and catch and release trout in potholes of Sarasota Bay. Look for action with little tunny and Spanish mackerel to get hot off the beaches when the coastal gulf calms. CB’s Saltwater Outfitters will be holding their Fishing Extravaganza on Saturday, November 21st from 9 AM to 4 PM. The event will feature seminars, including Mark Nichols of DOA Fishing Lures, fly casting, fly tying, fishing boats on display and clothing and fishing tackle on sale. Contact CB’s at (941) 349-4400 for more info.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 210
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 06, 2009 - 10:12 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/26 through 11/6/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had great action with little tunny, Spanish mackerel, jacks, trout, bluefish and pompano during the past couple of weeks. The best action was in the coastal gulf with little tunny, Spanish mackerel and jacks on flies.
Jason Rhind and Ryan Bellittera, both from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Oct. 26th. They caught and released trout to 18”, bluefish to 3-pounds and jacks on CAL jigs with shad tails and grubs on the east side of Sarasota Bay from Stephens Point to Long Bar.
My brother Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, and a friend, Nick DelleDonne from Lancaster, PA, visited and fished with me the rest of the week. Nick owns The Evening Rise fly shop in Lancaster, PA (www.theeveningrise.com). Nick, Kirk and I fished albies together in the fall with a group of guys at Harker’s Island, NC for several years. Since that area is much more prone to bad weather in November than we are here in Sarasota, this trip was planned as an alternative to fishing there and it didn’t disappoint!
We fished several days in the coastal gulf off Sarasota, Boca Grande and Tampa Bay. The best action was off Lido and Longboat Keys and at the mouth of Tampa Bay near Egmont Key. They caught and released numerous little tunny to more than 10-pounds, Spanish mackerel to 5-pounds and jacks to 4-pounds on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate fly lines. They caught more than a dozen little tunny on one of their best trips of the week off Lido. A couple of trips in Sarasota Bay produced trout to more than 20”, blues to 4-pounds, Spanish mackerel and pompano to 3-pounds on Clouser flies fished on intermediate and intermediate sink tip fly lines.
I fished the 5th annual MCFF/CCA “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” on Saturday, Oct. 31st. A total of 33 fly anglers competed in 2 divisions in the catch-photo-release format tournament. The event, which promotes the sport of fly fishing and benefits MCFF”s scholarship fund and CCA’s conservation efforts, was sponsored by Orvis, CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, Economy Tackle, Discount Tackle Outlet, Cook’s Sportland, Fisherman’s Edge, New Pass Grill and Bait Shop, Tampa Angler and Simms. It’s a great day of fly fishing fun and friendly competition.
Larry Jamieson, from Sarasota, FL, took a fly casting lesson with me and then fished a ½ day in Sarasota Bay on Thursday, Nov. 5th. We worked on casting different types of fly lines from floating to intermediate sink tip and full sinking intermediate. We fished the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to Long Bar, where he caught and released trout, bluefish, catfish and ladyfish on Clouser flies. Action should continue in the coastal gulf and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay through November. In addition, shallow water action should pick up as the water cools.
I will be the instructor at an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Saturday, November 7th. Cost for the school, which includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book, instructional DVD and lunch is $150 per angler. Contact me for more info or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. CB’s Saltwater Outfitters will also be holding their Fishing Extravaganza on Saturday, November 21st from 9 AM to 4 PM. The event will feature seminars, including Mark Nichols of DOA Fishing Lures, fly casting, fly tying, fishing boats on display and clothing and fishing tackle on sale. Contact CB’s for more info.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 209
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 10:25 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/10 through 10/25/2009
Hey! Hey! Hey! Fat Albert! Anglers fishing with me recently on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, reds, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. The best action was with Spanish mackerel and little tunny in the coastal gulf off Sarasota and Boca Grande.
Bob Cole and a friend, from Venice, FL, and Bob’s son, Neal, from Boston, MA, fished Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay with me on Saturday, Oct. 10th. They caught and released trout and a couple of snook on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Chad Allen, from the Detroit area, and his brother Brett and daughter, Lauren, from Bradenton fished with me on Sunday, Oct. 11. We fished the coastal gulf off Siesta Key where they caught and released several Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds on top water plugs. Numerous sharks, mixed with the mackerel, attacked our hooked fish making for some exciting action!
Mike Sprague, from NJ, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. He caught and released several trout to 21” on CAL jigs with shad tails and a nice red on a gold spoon near Bishops Point. Peter Varga, from Sarasota, FL and a guest, Joshua Miller, fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. We found very little surface activity in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel, so we fished Sarasota Bay. The action was slow, but they caught a few trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and flies. Fly angler Alex Ericsen, from CT, fished Blackburn Bay with me before dawn on Friday morning. He caught and released 8 or 10 snook to 23” and a redfish on Grassett’s Snook Minnow and Skitterbug flies. The Skitterbug is similar to a Gartside Gurgler, but tied to resemble a shrimp. A front blew through late Friday causing windy conditions for a few days, forcing me to cancel a couple of fly fishing trips.
Fly angler Nick Reding, from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. We mainly waded and targeted reds, but the action was slow. However, Nick caught and released a slam near Long Bar consisting of a red, a snook and several trout on my Grassett’s Flats Minnow and Clouser flies.
The best trips of the week were with little tunny (a.k.a. bonito, false albacore or fat Albert). One trip was in the Boca Grande area with Jon Yenari and Kyle Ruffing, both from Sarasota, FL. We fished the coastal gulf outside of Gasparilla Pass on Wednesday and found lots of little tunny. They were moving fast and were hard to get on, but once we got dialed into them we had fast action. They caught and released numerous little tunny to more than 10-pounds on Enrico Puglisi style and Crease flies. We headed into Gasparilla Sound for the last couple of hours of the day and waded a sand bar where Jon caught and released a nice red on a black crab fly pattern that was swimming on the back of a large ray. Sweet!
Ed Chiles and Skip Raddick, from Anna Maria Island, got in on the action with me on Friday. This was a trip that I donated to a silent auction for the “Slaw Dog” fishing tournament to benefit Mote Marine Laboratory and Ed was the successful bidder. We fished the coastal gulf off Anna Maria Island and had fast action with little tunny and Spanish mackerel on Clouser flies. Friends Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, and Jim Knowles, from Bradenton, FL, fished along with us in Rusty’s boat and also had fast action. We are in one of my favorite times of the year for fishing the coastal gulf, flats and snook at night. Water temperatures have cooled into the mid 70’s and many species of fish are on the move.
There are a few upcoming events that you may be interested in. I will be hosting a group of fly anglers at Andros South bonefish lodge from May 1-8, 2010. Please contact me if you are interested in joining the group or for more info. I will also be the instructor at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Nov. 7th. Cost for the school, which includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book, instructional DVD and lunch is $150 per angler. Contact me for more info or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
If you are looking for something fun to do, the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association’s “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” is Saturday, Oct. 31st. Anglers will fish for snook, reds, trout and more in a digital photo-release format. Cost for the event is $50 per angler and includes an awards BBQ. Contact me for more info.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Username: Capt_bob_smith
Post Number: 31
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 12:17 pm: | |
October 20, 2009
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Finally some cooler weather is coming our way! As we see the Gulf water temperature drop, we should see the fishing improve. When the water temperature is in the low seventies, I think that is the best for all around fishing. For now, we have some seatrout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, Jacks, ladyfish, and an occasional flounder in the shallow water on the Middle Ground grass flats. Live pilchards, shrimp and the DOA artificial 3” shrimp are some of the baits that have been working well.
The best methods of fishing the grass have been free-line or popping cork and drifting or anchoring or a little of both. I like the Eagle Claw 202, Size 4/0, Gold Aberdeen hook for fishing with live bait on the flats. About 3 or 4 feet of 30 pound test clear mono leader on 10 to 12 pound test line and you have a very good grass-flats rig. Of course ultra-light and fly also will work well, but you may need to upgrade your skill level.
We have had some slow days fishing lately, but on the whole, the summer was good inshore and offshore. More than I can say for the economy.
We should see the King mackerel start offshore this month and the pompano and blue action should pickup on the bay. Things start to happen when the weather starts to change.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 208
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 09, 2009 - 9:47 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/23 through 10/9/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released Spanish mackerel and trout on a couple of trips recently. The best action was with Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf. I also spent some time in Delaware visiting family and had an opportunity to fish the Chesapeake Bay for stripers.
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, and I fished the mouth of the Choptank River out of Tilghman Island, MD in his new 18’ Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman, which is a great boat for light tackle and fly fishing in bigger bodies of water such as Chesapeake Bay. We were on “breaking” stripers and blues most of the day. Although they weren’t large, they were plentiful and great fun on 6 and 7-weight fly rods. We caught them on Crease flies, Clouser Floating Minnows and Clouser Deep Minnow flies. A great day!
After returning to Florida, fly angler Ladd Weinberg from CT, fished with me on Sunday, Oct. 4th. He caught a Spanish mackerel and several trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We were feeling the effects of the full moon, which sometimes causes fish to feed at night rather than during the day. The action picked up later in the week when Greg French and Justin Stewart, from Newfoundland, Canada, fished with me. We found Spanish mackerel plentiful in the coastal gulf off Siesta Key. There were also lots of sharks mixed in with them. They caught and released more than 20 Spanish mackerel to 4-pounds on Crease flies, poppers and surface walking top water plugs. Justin had a big Spanish mackerel eaten by a large shark and had it on for a few minutes until it chewed the mackerel off his fly. Great action!
Fishing flats and the coastal gulf should improve as we get further away from the full moon. Fish the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel, little tunny, cobia and more or Sarasota Bay for trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, snook and reds. I will be the instructor at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters first Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school of the season on Nov. 7th. The school will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and roll casting. Hours of the school are from 8:30 AM to 4 PM and will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Cost is $150 per angler and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a text book, instructional DVD and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 207
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 12:18 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/14 through 9/22/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had action with a variety of species during the past 10 days. Fly anglers caught and released snook, trout, bluefish, little tunny (false albacore), Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish. Spin anglers also got in on the action catching and releasing snook.
Frank Angelona, from Oak Hill, WV, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tues, Sept. 15th. He caught and released trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line near Buttonwood Harbor.
Jeff Bell, from Sarasota, FL and his son, Tom Bell, just back from a tour of duty in Iraq, snook fished with me in “snook alley” near Venice before dawn on Saturday morning. We found snook feeding selectively on glass minnows and small shrimp. They caught and released 5 or 6 snook to 23” on DOA Tiny TerrorEyz and CAL jigs with jerk worms. Jim and Angela Labauve, from Tuscaloosa, AL, fished the same area with me on Sunday morning. Snook were even pickier than the day before, but they caught and released 2 or 3 snook on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I fished Tampa Bay on Monday, 9/21. We fished Tampa Bay near Egmont Key and found schools of Spanish mackerel and little tunny (false albacore) marauding bait schools. We caught and released 8 or 10 little tunny and about a dozen Spanish mackerel on Grassett’s Snook Minnow, Ultra Hair Clousers, Crease flies and Bubblehead poppers. Fish fed throughout the entire incoming tide and we left them biting after 3 PM. A great day!
Action should improve on both flats and in the coastal gulf as days continue to get shorter and the water cools. Snook usually feed more aggressively as we head into fall and deep flats should have plenty of action with trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and more.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 206
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 13, 2009 - 7:07 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/4 through 9/13/2009
Anglers fishing with me recently on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, snook, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, ladyfish and jacks on jigs and flies. The best action and variety continues to be on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Ladyfish will begin feeding in glass minnow schools and if they stay on the surface long enough other predators will join the fray. Out of these feeding frenzies, we have caught ladyfish, jacks, trout, blues, Spanish mackerel and even had shots at tarpon. Look for diving terns, clustered low to the surface of the water to find the action. Best conditions are after the sun gets bright when there isn’t much wind. Anglers fishing with me have also caught a few snook on the flats and around lighted docks. We have also had shots at tarpon feeding on shadow lines before dawn, but they have been very finicky.
Jack Satterfield, from St. Petersburg, FL, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Friday, Sept. 4th. He caught and released trout to 18” and a 23” snook on CAL jigs with shad tails. One of the best trips was on Sunday, Sept. 6th with fly angler Gary Mintz, from CO. Gary fished Sarasota Bay with me and caught and released snook before dawn on Siesta Key docks with my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly. We moved to the flats near Buttonwood Harbor where he caught and released numerous trout to 23”, bluefish to 3-pounds, ladyfish, jacks and mangrove snapper on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly.
Pete Walacko and Richard Ives, both from MI, fished the same area with me the next day. We found the action a little slower than the day before. Windy and overcast conditions kept the bait down and the feeding action never got started.
This is a great time of the year to fish. Even though there aren’t a lot of people around now, fishing can be very good. Generally speaking you need to fish early in the day for the best action. Some of the best action will be before dawn around lighted docks and bridges for snook and tarpon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 204
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 23, 2009 - 7:36 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/13 through 8/23/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jumped a tarpon on several trips recently. The best action continues to be with trout on deep grass flats. We are also catching ladyfish and the occasional bluefish or Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Tarpon are feeding in glass minnow schools in the same areas. Snook and tarpon before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders are also a good option when there is a good tide.
Fen Sartorius and Steve Machen, both from NM, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, 8/14. They caught and released a few trout on flies deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor. Mark Desimone and his son Aaron, from Florida’s east coast, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 8/15. We worked some tarpon for a couple of hours in the morning, but didn’t get them to bite. We moved to deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor where ladyfish schools had glass minnows “balled up”. They caught and released trout and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails. Tarpon also joined the fray as they gorged themselves on glass minnows.
I attended the annual DOA Fishing Lures Writer’s Festival (www.doalures.com) in Stuart, FL from Aug. 16-18. The event pairs DOA Pro Staffers with outdoor writers from around the country for a couple of fun days of fishing and socializing. There were many noteworthy catches including snook of 25 and 30-pounds and numerous tarpon. The new 5 ½” BFL (Big Fish Lure) accounted for many of the big fish. We had a good bite on Tuesday morning when Capt. Pat Dineen, from Destin, FL, and outdoor writer, Pete Barrett, from Jupiter, FL fished with me. We caught and released numerous trout to 3-pounds and a couple of snook on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms while wading a flat in the Indian River near River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp. If you’ve never stayed at River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp (www.riverpalmcottages.com) you should check it out. It is “a cool place to stay”!
Justin Mills, from Bradenton, FL and his dad, Mike Mills from Pittsburgh, PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, Aug. 19. They caught and released trout on CAL jigs with shad tails near Buttonwood Harbor and Bayshore Gardens. I was the guest of my friend, Steve Gibson (www.kayakfishingsarasota.com), on a beach snook fishing trip near Englewood, FL on Friday, 8/21. Gibby is a master at beach snook fishing and kayak fishing in both fresh and saltwater. He had the hot hand that day catching and releasing 5 snook to 27” on DT Special flies.
Fly angler Dave Barger, from NY, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday, 8/22 and had a good trip. Dave was a student in my April ’09 Orvis Endorsed Fly Casting School at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. We started our day at 4:30 AM and jumped a tarpon on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly around a bridge. Although this fly was designed for snook, it will catch whatever is feeding on glass minnows (tarpon, little tunny, trout, Spanish mackerel, etc). I tie the fly on a 1/0 Owner AKI hook when targeting larger fish.
We moved to lighted docks on Siesta Key where Dave hooked up a couple of times and landed a snook on a smaller version of the same fly. After dawn we hit the flats, where we caught a released trout, ladyfish, jacks and mangrove snapper with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly.
This is a great time of the year for variety (tarpon, snook, reds, trout and more). The best action is early in the day so you can have great action and be home for lunch.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 203
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 7:47 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/31 through 8/12/2009
Anglers fishing with me the past couple of weeks on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught reds and had a few shots at tarpon. Although I was gone on a family vacation for most of this time frame, fly anglers continue to have anywhere from a few to more than a dozen shots at tarpon in the coastal gulf off Sarasota and Manatee counties per trip. Not bad for the middle of August!
In addition, Sarasota Bay is still producing great action on deep flats for trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish with jigs and flies. Snook fishing before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders with flies has also been a good option. Reds, mixed with large blues and jacks, are beginning to school in Sarasota Bay but have been tough for anglers to get on.
Capt. Tom Stephens, Sr. from Bradenton, FL, and his son-in-law, Brian, from Riverview, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor and Gasparilla Sound with me on Tuesday, 8/11. We worked some juvenile tarpon from 10 to 30-pounds for a couple of hours first thing in the morning. Although we had a couple of “bumps” on DOA TerrorEyz and DOA shrimp, we didn’t hook up. We moved to skinny water, where they caught and released a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. This was a trip that I donated to the Sarasota chapter of Coastal Conservation Association’s fund raising banquet last fall, which raises money for their conservation efforts.
Tarpon numbers are diminishing along the beaches, but anglers are still seeing as many as 20 tarpon per trip and getting shots at many of them, which I feel is still worth the effort. They are also starting to show in areas of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor, so anglers fishing those areas should be prepared for big fish. A good option this time of the year is to fly fish for snook before dawn, hit shallow or deep flats at first light for reds, trout, blues, pompano and more. Since tarpon are least affected by warm water, you could spend some time tarpon fishing at mid day when the light and visibility are best. This is a time of the year when you might get a “super slam”-tarpon reds, snook and trout on the same trip.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 202
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 30, 2009 - 3:12 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/18 through 7/30/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon, trout and snook recently. Tarpon are still fairly plentiful and are a good option; particularly fly fishing for them in shallow water. In addition, we also caught a few bluefish and Spanish mackerel while fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.
Justin and Melissa Jones, from TX, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sunday, July 19th. We fished deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor where they caught and released trout on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. My friend Capt. Bryon Chamberlin, from Land O’Lakes, FL, tarpon fished with me on Monday, July 20th. We fished shallow water near Siesta and Lido Keys and had excellent action. Tarpon were plentiful and we probably had more than 30 shots at fish, 6 bites, 4 jumped and one of them landed. A great day!
My friend, Steve Gibson from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished with me the next day but the tarpon weren’t as aggressive. We had almost as many shots with a fly but no bites. Nick Coote and his son, George, both from near London, England fished with me on Tuesday. We spent half of our trip fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay near Buttonwood Harbor where they caught and released trout to 22”, bluefish and a Spanish mackerel on Clouser flies, DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs. Once we had good sunlight, we headed for the gulf to try our hand at tarpon. They had a couple of shots, but no takers.
The action continued on Thursday when my son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton joined me to tarpon fish. Andy put a fish in the air with a traditional style tarpon fly (chartreuse grizzly with an olive collar) and we had more than 20 shots. Alfredo Hernandez and his friend, Santiago, both from Miami, FL, tarpon fished with me on Friday. We snook fished around lighted docks on Siesta Key for an hour or so before dawn and they caught and released 4 or 5 snook before we headed for the gulf. Alfredo jumped a tarpon on a threadfin off Siesta Key, but that was the only action we had. Fly angler, Al Cuneo from Ellenton, FL, tarpon fished with me on Saturday. We had more than a dozen good shots but no bites. We had a hard follow but the fish ran out of water and spooked off the boat before he had a chance to eat.
The action continued into this week. I was off on Monday and planned to do some errands and office work but conditions were too good for me stay home. With an afternoon appointment to work around, I only had a couple of hours to spare but it was worth it. I had more than 20 shots at tarpon off Siesta, Lido and Longboat Keys and landed one on a black Deceiver. My friends Capt. Rick Depaiva and David McCleaf, both from Ft. Myers, joined me to fish on Tuesday. We had great conditions and more than 30 shots at tarpon with a fly in shallow water. David had the hot hand that day with 2 hook ups, one on a black Deceiver and the other on a black and red Tarpon Rat fly. One came unbuttoned right away, but the other fish gave us 5 jumps and a 10 minute battle before the leader somehow broke with the fish close to the boat.
I was the guest of friend and client Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, on Wednesday. The day started off great with good conditions and we had 6 or 8 good shots. Then the clouds rolled in and ruined our visibility. We stuck it out, even though the shots we were getting were not good ones. I got lucky when I jumped a fish that showed up right at our transom and flared off the boat. I made a cast to where the fish was headed with a black and red Tarpon Rat fly and hooked up. A knot came up and snagged a finger as I was clearing line and broke the fish off on a jump. Oh well!
Tarpon are starting to thin a little, but this action should continue for another week or two, possibly longer. After that, tarpon will move to inside waters where you may get a shot at them around bridges or on deep grass flats. Snook before dawn and reds, trout and more on shallow grass flats early in the day will also be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 - 1:10 pm: | |
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
First light Sea trout on DOA artificial shrimp! Scott Gifford and his son tied into trout on the Middle Ground grass-flats first thing in the morning. Scott’s fish was 22”. The bay flats and bridges have been producing some nice fish but you may need to cover some ground to find them. Spotted sea trout, bluefish, Gray snapper, flounder and pompano are just some of the fish coming in. Large schools of jacks, ladyfish, and bluefish may start the water boiling at any time. The fish keep moving so you need to keep moving. I find most of my fish along the edge of the deep grass and repeat my drift until they move off. The 3” DOA shrimp are working best for me while holding the pinfish at bay. Pinfish are good for the bay but not good for your live bait.
During the summer, first and last light are best for fishing and night is better than day. None of this is carved in stone and the fish could bite at any time. I am just talking about the probability. I like to start just before daybreak and quit by 10:30am. At night, I like to fish starting just before dusk, an hour before, and an hour after the tide change. This all looks good on paper, but the truth is that those of us who have been bitten by the fishing bug will spend all our free time fishing regardless of what the fish are doing.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com
 |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 17, 2009 - 2:23 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/6 through 7/17/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continue to have good action fly fishing for tarpon. A couple of trips last weekend had more than 20 shots per day and a total of 5 fish jumped and 2 landed in 2 days of fishing. We fished shallow water off Lido and Longboat Keys with a variety of flies on intermediate sink tip fly lines. I fished with my friend, Rusty Chinnis from Longboat Key, FL, on Saturday. He hooked up a couple of times on a brown Toad and I landed a tarpon on a black Deceiver. My son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton, jumped one on a chartreuse Toad and landed one on a traditional style Purple Death tarpon fly while fishing with me on Sunday.
The action continued into this week. We fished shallow water off Lido and Longboat Keys and action was slower at the beginning of the week. However, it picked up later in the week. My friend, Steve Gibson from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Tuesday. The wind was up out of the west again and we only had a few shots. Richard Taylor, from Mobile, AL, fished with me on Wednesday and with the wind back out of the east he had more than a dozen shots. Tarpon were back in an eating mood on Thursday when Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, and Orvis store manager, Paul Range from Atlanta, GA, fished with me. They had more than 20 shots at tarpon, 1 hookup and another bite, both on a tan Toad. After our trip they snook fished in the surf (from the beach) on their own off Siesta Key and landed several snook on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly.
This is my favorite time of the year to fly fish for tarpon. With most fish already spawned out, their focus changes from spawning to eating. Large schools give way to singles, doubles and small schools that are prowling shallow water looking for something to eat. We use intermediate sink tip fly lines on12-weight rods with a variety of crab and baitfish fly patterns. I look for this action to continue for the rest of the month and possibly into early August, although fish will start to thin out at some point. After that, snook before dawn around lighted docks and bridges and tarpon of all sizes in some of the same areas will be good options. Fishing deep grass flats for trout, bluefish and pompano should also be good and reds will begin schooling at any time.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 5:10 pm: | |
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The offshore waters have been inundated with red snapper for the past month! Look for them around most of the deep artificial reefs and good bottom. Light tackle with a small jig and tipped with shrimp has worked very well. Keeper size red grouper are hitting good in a hundred feet of water or better. Live pinfish or grunts fished on the bottom will do the job.
Inshore fishing has been good with a mixed bag of fish coming in. Large spotted sea trout is the most abundant species on the grass-flats. Along with the trout we are catching pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, snapper, flounder and much more. Around the docks and bridges it has been redfish, snook, large jacks, snapper, sheepshead, and occasional tarpon.
Live bait will work but is very hard to keep on your hook with all the pinfish and other small fish attacking it. I do very well wit the DOA 3” Near Clear Shrimp, #312. This artificial works so well that my only problem with it is that the fish like to swallow it. Then it can be hard to get the hook out of the fish. The DOA is so easy to use that just drifting the flats with my rods in the rod holders can produce fish. Some times you need that on a guide boat.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 05, 2009 - 10:26 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/22 through 7/5/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had action with tarpon, snook and trout during the past couple of weeks. A persistent west wind has forced us to fish in areas other than the coastal gulf. Although we spent some time fishing bridges and passes for large tarpon, the best tarpon action was with juvenile tarpon from 10 to 35-pounds in canals. Anglers fishing Sarasota Bay with me had good action with snook before dawn and trout on deep grass flats.
Wayne Dedyne, from MI, and his friend, Paul Broughton, fished canals in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda with me on Monday, 6/22. Since fishing the coastal gulf was not an option due to west winds, we chose to target smaller tarpon with lighter tackle. Wayne had the hot hand that day with a pair of fish jumped and one landed, a 35-pounder. Both fish ate rootbeer DOA TerrorEyz fished slowly along the bottom.
Tuesday was blown out so fly angler Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, bumped back to Wednesday due to a cancellation that day. Since Hal was fishing the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club All-Release tarpon tournament, big tarpon were our target. He already has a good one entered in the fly fishing division of the tournament and was hoping to upgrade, but it wasn’t in the cards that day. We fished shallow water near the mouth of the Manatee River and only had a few shots.
Dan Bryant and his young son, Adam, both from NJ, fished with me on Friday and Saturday. We drifted big Pass early each day and had no bites. They jumped a pair of fish in the 10 to 20-pound class in a basin with live pinfish, but we couldn’t get it going with the larger fish.
Craig Notari and his son, James, both from IL, tarpon fished with me on Monday. We targeted large tarpon early and moved to the flats later in the morning due to no tarpon action. James tried his hand at fly fishing and did well, catching and releasing several trout to 18” on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Double hauling can be challenging for beginners, but James grasped the concept and was successfully double hauling before the end of our trip.
I was blown out of tarpon fishing a couple of more days on Tuesday and Wednesday, but was back on the water on Thursday morning with Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL. We fished lighted docks along Siesta Key before dawn and caught and released 6 or 7 snook to 6-pounds on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly. Mark Torkos and sons, Evan and Ross, from Jacksonville, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday morning. They had fast action near Buttonwood Harbor with trout to 3-pounds on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.
When the wind decides to switch back to the east and allows us to fish the coastal gulf, we should have some great tarpon action remaining during the month of July. Although tarpon schools will be smaller and will require different fishing techniques, they usually feed better after they have finished spawning.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 5:53 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/7 through 6/21/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon from Siesta Key to Anna Maria Island on both fly and spinning tackle during the past couple of weeks. The best action was towards the end of this week as we approached a new moon on June 22nd.
George and Laura Kommick, from Palmetto, FL, fished off Siesta Key with me on Monday, June 8th. We dodged a few thunderstorms that morning, but it was worth it. Although tarpon weren’t showing very well on the surface that day, they were plentiful. They jumped 4 tarpon and got two of them to the boat on live pinfish drifted under a float.
A fly trip on Longboat Key on Wednesday had 3 hookups and one fish to the boat. The fish that was landed was only 75-pounds but was ornery. It ate a black and red Toad while the other two fish ate chartreuse and yellow Toads. Fly angler, Hal Lutz from Parish, FL, fished a couple of days with me at the end of that week and had plenty of shots at fish from Longboat Key to Anna Maria Island. Jon Yenari, from Sarasota, FL, joined Hal on Friday. Jon was up first and jumped a tarpon on a black and purple Toad at first light. Although tarpon were plentiful that day, they got smart after that. Jon also had another eat on Candy Corn Toad (yellow and orange) in shallow water.
A couple of fly trips earlier this week had lots of shots but no bites. That changed on Wednesday when Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and her son, Mason Tush, fished Longboat Key with me. The fish were plentiful but challenging that day. We worked several beautiful schools of tarpon with live crabs, pinfish and DOA 4” shrimp and Baitbusters for hours with no bites. Finally we gave them up to search for some new fish. With only 15 minutes of time left and Mason with a flight to catch, we returned to one of the original schools and Mason immediately hooked up on a live crab. Go figure. He landed the fish, a 75 or 80-pounder, in 10 or 15 minutes and made his flight on time!
Fly angler, Dennis Desmond from New Jersey, fished the same area with me on Thursday and Friday. We plenty of shots at fish on Thursday, but no takers. Dennis persisted and hooked up early on Friday morning on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet fly (black and purple). He fought the fish close to the boat for almost an hour and a half before the fish wore through his 80-pound bite tippet with the sink tip in his tip top rod guide. Close enough!
Hal Lutz was back on the boat on Saturday morning with a little luck from his sister, Lyndi Lutz, from Dallas, Texas. They also fished Longboat Key with me and had lots of shots. Hal jumped and landed a 90-pound tarpon (31” girth X 69” length) on an Enrico Puglisi Black Mullet fly. It was a single, swimming down the edge of a bar and Hal’s fast, accurate cast resulted in an eat and an aerial display right next to the boat. He kicked the fish’s butt in less than 15 minutes as a crowd cheered him on from the beach! Lyndi wasn’t about to be left out of the action, getting 3 bites or hookups including one jumped tarpon on a pinfish under a float.
When fly fishing for tarpon, it must be the right presentation to the right fish. The beauty about fly fishing for tarpon in shallow water is that you can see the body language of the fish as it reacts to your fly. Most times you’ll get a little wiggle right before the bite. Although many people think tarpon fishing will be winding down soon, we are in the best part of the season. July is a great month! With many tarpon finished spawning, schools will be smaller but hungrier providing great shallow water action with a fly.
I look for tarpon action to continue as long as the weather cooperates, i.e. predominantly east wind and good sunlight. West winds make it rough and difficult to fish the coastal gulf waters. Also, fish don’t show well on the surface in those conditions.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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June 14, 2009
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The weather had been what I call, a little squirrelly but now has smoothed out. A light east wind in the morning will make it a lot easier to spot the tarpon schools running the beaches.
This has been an excellent year on the bay for gray snapper. The average size is about 14” and a few have been up to 16 and 18 inches. They like to hang out around docks, rocks and bridge fenders. I have found the New Pass Bridge very productive for the larger snappers. They move around in schools close to the bottom and love live shrimp drifted past them. If you hook one, you should get more in the same spot however, they will move around. I like to let my bait drift past the spot with only a quarter ounce split shot attached just above the hook. I fish my line loose so that it will drop. Then I watch the line closely for any subtle pickup. You could get a snag but my motto is, “Treat all snags like fish and you lose nothing. Treat a fish like snag and you could loose a good fish.”
We are also getting Spanish mackerel, large jacks and occasional tarpon around the bridge. Snook and redfish can be found around some of the docks this time of year. Snook are also being caught in the surf and are best at first and last light.
Most of the grass-flats around the bay are producing some nice seatrout and it is not hard to get a mixed bag of fish. We have also caught pompano, flounder, mackerel, bluefish and many more different kinds of fish on the grass-flats. I like to use the 3” DOA shrimp with a popping float or on a free line. Work this lure slow if at all. Sometime just a few pops of the line is all it takes. The fish actually eat this lure, so give them time. They very seldom drop it and run away, maybe when a bigger fish is looking at them.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 06, 2009 - 3:54 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/25 through 6/6/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon the past couple of weeks. Tarpon schools have been plentiful in the coastal gulf off Sarasota. Some tarpon schools were as large as more than 100 fish, which are more common early in the season as they prepare to spawn. These schools of fish are sometimes difficult to get to eat since they are more focused on spawning than feeding.
However, anglers fishing with me the last couple of weeks had good action. Larry Ford, from Longboat Key, FL, fished a couple of days with me during the week of 5/25. Pete Molinari, from Sarasota, FL, joined Larry on Tuesday. They had several hook ups with live bait and jumped one. Tom Creel, from Sarasota, FL, joined Larry on Thursday, had several bites and jumped 2 tarpon, one on a pinfish and another on a threadfin. Rough conditions in the gulf on Thursday kept us in the bay for most of the morning, where one of the tarpon was jumped around a bridge. A tarpon fly trip that week had lots of shots and several follows, but no takers. West winds forced the cancellation or rescheduling of a couple of tarpon trips towards the end of that week.
Fly angler Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, fished with me on Sunday, May 31st. We had lots of shots at tarpon, a couple of bites and one in the air with a black and chartreuse Deceiver type tarpon fly. Cliff Ondercin, from Sarasota, FL, and his dad, Dennis Ondercin, from Middleburg Heights, OH, fished with me Monday through Friday of last week. They had lots of action fishing the coastal gulf from Siesta Key to Lido Key. They had a total of 15 bites or hook ups with a variety of live baits, DOA baits and a fly. They jumped 7 tarpon and landed one, a 95-pounder, on a live pinfish under a float.
Tarpon ate live crabs, pinfish, threadfins, DOA baits and a fly. They ate DOA shrimp and Baitbusters almost as often as live baits. We spent only a couple of hours one afternoon fly fishing for tarpon, had 7 or 8 shots and one bite on a black and chartreuse tarpon bunny fly. The wind switched to the west again on Friday, roughing up the gulf. We were able to fish for a few hours in the gulf, but it was very tough handling the boat in those conditions.
Tarpon will probably be less plentiful early next week due to tomorrow’s full moon. Many tarpon will be offshore spawning, however as we get further away from the full moon they will return to normal patterns along the beaches. With a front passing through this weekend, by the time winds switch back to the east we should be returning to a normal pattern with tarpon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
  |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 25, 2009 - 10:48 am: | |
May 25, 2009
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The tarpon run is on and the fishermen were out in droves. Before all the rain, most of the action for tarpon had been north of us near Tampa. Now the water is very cloudy on the bay from all the runoff. This should pass soon and we will be back to normal and our good spring fishing.
Drifting the grass flats around the bay on Sunday, we found some nice trout but it was hard and the pinfish had no trouble finding us. The big ten pound jacks accompanied by some Spanish mackerel have taken up residence under the New Pass Bridge. Drifting along the center pilings with weighted live bait will get you in to some great light tackle action. A ¼ oz. split shot should do the job. There was too much boat traffic Sunday for me to take advantage of that.
This is our best time for catching a large variety of fish both offshore and inshore. Little tunny and Spanish mackerel have been caught just off the beach. It is also the time you could hook-up with a Sailfish in fifty feet of water off shore or find a school of small dolphin in the same area. I won’t go down the long list of possible fish you could catch, but it is a good time to go fishing and a mixed bag of good fish is not uncommon during April, May, and June.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 24, 2009 - 8:35 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/10 through 5/24/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, the past couple of weeks had plenty of shots at tarpon, numerous bites, a couple jumped and one landed. As is often the case early in the season, action was inconsistent.
Anglers fishing with me during the week of May 10th didn’t have many shots early in the week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we only worked one school of tarpon each day off Lido and Longboat Key. I worked further north towards the end of the week and it paid off. Thursday’s fly trip had more than a dozen shots at tarpon, a couple of follows but no takers. That all changed on Friday and Saturday when Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, and his mom, Andrea Lutz from Atlanta, GA, fished with me. We worked a huge school of more than a hundred tarpon of Longboat Key both days, as well as several other smaller schools. When tarpon wouldn’t eat our live crabs or Tarpon Toad flies, we tossed in a live pinfish and Andrea immediately jumped a nice tarpon. We switched Hal to an Enrico Puglisi pinfish pattern and he hooked up right away and landed the first tarpon of the season on my boat!
Last week Keith McClintock and Barry Slee, from Lake Forest, IL, Barry’s nephew Paul, from England, Dave Kinnamon from Milwaukee, WI and John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, FL, fished with Capt. Kelly Stilwell, Capt. Jack Hartman and me. A front moved through and stalled for most of the week with rain, clouds and windy conditions. Fortunately the wind was out of the east, so we were able to tarpon fish in the gulf all but one day. We found fish moving fast and not showing very well most of the time, although we did have shots at several “happy” schools. The group had numerous bites on live crabs and pinfish, several jumped fish and 2 fish, a 90 and a 120-pounder, landed by Paul while fishing with Capt. Jack.
Conditions were much rougher in the gulf on Thursday, so we opted to fish Sarasota Bay. We caught and released trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and surface walking top water plugs at Stephens Point and near Bayshore Gardens. An extreme high tide made targeting reds and snook tough. Fly angler, Toby Newkirk from Atlanta, GA, fished with me on Saturday. We had shots at 3 or 4 schools and had one bite on a fly off Siesta Key and the action slowed. With a 4’-6’ swell due to thunderstorms churning in the gulf all week, tarpon just weren’t showing well.
I expect tarpon fishing to improve when sea conditions settle and we head towards the first quarter phase of the moon later in the week. Be ready at first light in the morning as there is usually a push of fish for the first hour or so and then it will slow down. Sunlight later in the morning or early afternoon may allow you to see tarpon schools below the surface. So far, they’ve been eating baitfish better than crabs so make sure you have a variety of baits, lures and fly patterns.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 11, 2009 - 8:46 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/27 through 5/1/2009
Anglers fishing with me during the week of 4/27 on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook and trout. Reds continued to be challenging but we caught and released a couple.
Bill Beauchamp and his brother-in-law, Chuck, both from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, April 27th. They had good action with trout along the east side of the bay, including several in the slot, on CAL jigs with shad tails. We spent a lot of time targeting reds that wouldn’t eat and finally caught one on a CAL jig with a shad tail.
Renno Peterson and Jay Crouse, both from Sarasota, FL, fished the same area with me on Wednesday with similar results. Renno fly fished while Jay threw CAL jigs and they caught and released trout on deep grass flats along the east side of the bay. We were on a “pile” of reds in north Sarasota Bay, had several follows on my Grassett’s Flats Minnow fly and Jay finally caught one on a CAL jig with a shad tail.
One of the best trips of the week was when Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, fished Blackburn Bay with me on a night snook trip on Thursday evening. We fished my Grassett’s Snook Minnow and epoxy shrimp fly patterns on intermediate sink tip fly lines with 6-weight rods. The light fly rods and small flies allowed us to make delicate presentations around docks. We caught and released more than a dozen snook to 26”, including a couple that weighed 6-pounds.
Even though tarpon are beginning to show up and many anglers will start to target them, fishing on deep and shallow grass flats will continue to be good for quite a while until afternoon heat starts to become an issue.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 26, 2009 - 10:42 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/13 through 4/26/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action recently with trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and flies on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. In addition, we also caught a few snook, pompano, blues and reds.
Fly angler Paul Dixon, from MI, and Todd Banner, from Bradenton, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 4/13. They had steady action with trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies, CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos along the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor. The next day fly angler Terry Rychlik, from CT, fished the same area with me. He caught and released several trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line. A front was bearing down on us and forced us off the water by 10 AM. My new Garmin 545s GPS/Sounder combo unit with XM weather is great! We monitored the approaching front on the radar screen on my boat and were safely on the trailer as the front punched through. What a valuable tool!
The next day’s trip was blown out as a strong northwest wind churned the area of the bay we had planned to fish. I was back on the water on Thursday with Marc Chiapperino and his son, Marc, from NJ. They had steady action with trout and a bluefish on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. Marc caught and released a big red on my Grassett’s Flats Minnow fly along a mangrove shoreline north of Long Bar.
Howard and Jason Rosenbecker, from Bradenton, FL, fished with me on Friday morning. Wind was an issue as it has been most of this spring, but they still had some action. They caught and released several trout on CAL jigs with shad tails and Clouser flies along the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to Bayshore Gardens. Jason used his new Orvis TLS fly rod and Battenkill Mid Arbor reel and christened it by catching a few fish. Detlev and Stephen Korff, from Germany, fished the same area with me that afternoon. The wind dropped a little and the action picked up. They caught and released numerous trout to 21” and a pompano on CAL jigs and Clouser flies. Longtime friend and customer Pat Campbell, from Toronto, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. The action was slow to start but it finally picked up when the wind shifted to the west and allowed us to fish the west side of the bay. We caught and released several trout on CAL jigs and Clouser flies near Buttonwood Harbor.
We found reds and snook on the flats to be very challenging last week. Fly angler Jim Strouth, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We caught a few trout on Clouser flies near Buttonwood Harbor, but couldn’t get reds and snook to bite. Fly angler Denis Clohisy, from WI, and his friend, Brian McInnis, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me for the next 3 days. We fished Little Sarasota Bay on Tuesday afternoon and evening. They caught and released trout, jacks and ladyfish before dusk on flies and jigs and 6 or 8 snook after dark on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly. We fished hard for reds and snook the next couple of days, but just couldn’t get it going. They caught and released mostly trout with a few other species (jacks, ladyfish and blues) along the way.
My friends Mark Nichols, owner of DOA Fishing Lures, and his wife, Jenny, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, we participated in the 14th annual Sarasota “All Release Challenge” fishing tournament. This is a fun, low stress tournament that also raises money for conservation. DOA has been a sponsor or donor, since the beginning of this event. You couldn’t fish any harder for reds and snook than we did, but they didn’t cooperate. We caught and released trout to 21 ½”, jacks, ladyfish and bluefish on CAL jigs with grubs, jerk worms and shad tails.
Next week’s two tide days are strong early next week and will get weaker by the end of the week. Trout fishing has been strong and reds and snook will have to begin eating sometime. Keep your eyes open for the first tarpon of the season, which should start showing around Sarasota Bay any time now.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 194
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 9:59 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/30 through 4/12/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continue to have fast action with trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay, reds and snook recently. A persistent wind has made fishing tough lately.
Bill Moore, from Libertyville, IL, and his step-grandson, Shane, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, March 30th. They had steady action on the east side of the bay with trout and jacks. The following day Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished the same areas with me. They caught more than 20 trout, including 7 or 8 in the slot, and a bluefish. Best areas were at Stephens Point, Bayshore Gardens and near Long Bar.
Fly angler Nick Reding, from Longboat Key, FL, fished with me on Wednesday, April 1st. It was a windy day, but we found some protection from it. We waded a mangrove shoreline north of Long Bar and had lots of shots at reds and snook. Nick caught and released a snook on a Clouser fly. Late in the day we made a couple of drifts near Buttonwood Harbor and caught several trout to 4-pounds and a Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Bruce Kulp and his wife, Ronna Romney, from Longboat Key, fished the west side of Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They did well on trout, catching and releasing more than 15 trout to 21”, including 6 or 7 in the slot, on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos near Buttonwood Harbor.
Friday’s fly trip was blown out and we had our last Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school of the season at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Saturday. We should have the schedule for next year’s schools completed by late summer or early fall. Info will be posted on my web sites as soon as it is available. Wind and another front passed through early in the week causing a couple of more cancellations.
Perry Greene and his son Dirk, from MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me a couple of days later in the week. The action was steady with trout and Spanish mackerel. They caught and released about 15 trout, a Spanish mackerel and a nice red on Thursday. It was Perry’s first red on a fly. Congratulations! On Saturday, the action was similar except no reds. Dirk caught the big fish that day, an over-slot trout. All fish were caught on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails along the west side of Sarasota Bay. The best areas were near Buttonwood Harbor and Long Bar.
We are at a prime time for reds, snook and trout on shallow flats. In addition, resident tarpon should begin showing up on deep grass flats. Deep grass flats will have the most variety and action with trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano. If you’re looking for bigger fish, fish shallow water for reds and snook.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 193
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 3:22 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/16 through 3/29/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. In addition, we also caught Spanish mackerel and pompano on deep grass flats, a few reds is skinny water and snook at night. The most consistent action continues to be on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay.
Longtime friend and customer, Rick Peregord from Southgate, MI, fished 3 days with me during the week of March 15th. We fished a couple of days in Sarasota Bay and a day in Terra Ceia Bay. We found plenty of reds, but they weren’t very aggressive. Rick caught and released a couple of reds, trout and a pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails. Stephen Lewis and his son, Danny, from New York City and brother-in-law, Murray, from Austin, TX, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, 3/18. They had fast action with trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. The best action was at Stephens Point and near Bayshore Gardens. On Friday, 3/20, Greg Baumeyer, from the Chicago area and Jeff Farris from Sarasota, fished Sarasota Bay with me in the morning and Al Kraska, from Venice, FL, and his son, Tim Kraska, from CT, fished with me in the afternoon. They caught and released trout, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails fishing deep grass flats.
Sarasota winter resident Frank Watson and his grandson, Eric Watson, from St. Petersburg, FL, fished with me on Sunday morning, 3/22. They had fast action in Big Pass with large Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails. Dick Egan, from Chicago, fished with me that afternoon. He had steady action with trout to more than 20” on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point, Bayshore Gardens and near Long Bar. Bob Harness and Nick Reding, both from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, 3/23. It was an overcast, windy day and we almost quit at noon when it started sprinkling rain. Then the sun popped out and we had some good shots at reds with flies in the afternoon, but none of them wanted to eat. We caught and released a few trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point and near Long Bar.
Sarasota winter residents, Norm and Francie Boardman, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The action wasn’t fast, but they caught Spanish mackerel and a few trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. The last trout of the day was a 4-pound, 23” trout caught and released on a CAL jig with a shad tail near Long Bar. Dave Macomber and his guest, Dave, both from MN, fished Blackburn Bay with me on Wednesday afternoon and evening. The action was slow to start, but they caught a few ladyfish on flies before dark. After dark, they caught and released about 6 snook to 24” on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow and Enrico Puglisi’s Micro Minnows. The biggest fish of the night couldn’t be turned as it made a long run and pulled the hook as it got up against a bridge fender.
Dave Laubisch, from NY, and his son Scott Laubisch, from Oldsmar, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They had steady action with trout to more than 20” and Spanish mackerel on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Wind was an issue as an approaching front caused the wind to blow hard from the south. It was more of an issue on Saturday morning when fly angler Bill Hettrick, from CT, fished the same area with me. By 11:00 AM the wind was above 20 mph, so we invoked the “fun rule”, if it’s not any fun, don’t do it!
Action should get even better as we head into April. Look for reds and snook feeding on shallow flats and trout, pompano Spanish mackerel and more on deep grass flats. Keep your eyes open and be prepared for early season tarpon, which will start to gather on deep grass flats and around bridges close to passes.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 192
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 15, 2009 - 4:24 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/2 through 3/15/2009
Fishing has been hot! Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, reds, trout, pompano, Spanish mackerel and blues the last couple of weeks. The best action continues to be on deep grass flats for trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano. We also caught Spanish mackerel, blues and pompano in Big Pass and Spanish mackerel on the Silvertooth Reef in the coastal gulf off Lido Key. Reds are becoming more active in skinny water and snook are staging on shallow flats.
Bernie Feinberg and David Schofield, both from Sarasota, FL, and David’s son, Mike from NY, fished a night snook trip with me near Venice on Tuesday evening, March 3rd. It was a cool, windy night with the temperature in the high 40’s by the time we got off the water. However, it didn’t affect the snook bite that much. They caught and released about a dozen snook to 24” and a bonus 4-pound trout. All fish were caught on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly. Michelle Ford, from Nokomis, FL, her dad, Ray Ford from Brogue, PA and a friend, Cathy, fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. They caught trout and blues on deep grass flats at Stephens Point and near Long Bar and Buttonwood Harbor on CAL jigs with shad tails. Fly angler Seth Jaeger and his girlfriend fished the same areas with me on Friday and caught trout and blues on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
I was a seminar speaker at the Sarasota Florida Sportsman Show the weekend of March 7th and 8th. I did a Power Point presentation, incorporating Google Earth satellite photos, on “How to Find Fish in Sarasota Bay”. The focus of the presentation was on why fish are in certain areas and how to fish those areas, so that anglers can find their own hot spots. The weather got even better the next week and the Spanish mackerel came on strong! Marty and Christine Enger, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me on Monday. They had steady action with trout, blues, and Spanish mackerel in Big Pass and on deep grass flats from the Middleground flat to Buttonwood Harbor.
Sarasota winter resident, Harry Beaty, and a guest fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday morning. They had fast action with Spanish mackerel in Big Pass and trout at Stephens Point on CAL jigs with shad tails. Doug Boardman, and his young daughter, Ashley, fished Big Pass and the west side of the bay in the afternoon. They caught trout and pompano on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Mike Sprague, from NJ, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. The action was a little slower, but we finished the day strong with some very nice trout caught on CAL jigs with shad tails near Long Bar. Dick Hume, from MN, and his son-in-law, Chris Leu from TX, fished Big Pass, the coastal gulf, the Radio Tower and Middleground flats and near Buttonwood Harbor with me on Thursday. They had steady action with Spanish mackerel, trout and pompano on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, came in for a few days on Thursday. He fished on his own and with our friend, Rusty Chinnis from Longboat Key, for a couple of days in Sarasota Bay and had great action with trout to 25”, pompano and Spanish mackerel on flies. We all fished together on Friday after noon and had a good bite with trout and pompano near Buttonwood Harbor. Kirk finished the day with a nice red on a Crab Clouser fly (olive, tan and white with gold flash) near Long Bar.
I was the instructor for another CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly casting school on Saturday. It’s a lot of fun for me when the students “get it” and start having success with their casting. There is one more school left for the season on Saturday, April 4th. Cost for the school, which runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 and includes an instructional video, a textbook, the use of premium Orvis fly tackle and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Next week’s tides are not the best (2 tide days with one high and one low) but fishing should still be good. Fishing is exploding as we head into spring. Look for more Spanish mackerel and little tunny to move into our area, fishing for reds and snook should get better as snook stage on shallow flats and reds get hungrier. Deep grass flats should be hot with trout, pompano, Spanish mackerel and more. Also, keep your eyes open for tarpon as the first fish of the season should begin to show up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 191
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 10:21 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 2/15 through 3/1/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action the past couple of weeks with reds, snook, trout and bluefish. The fastest action continues to be on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout, bluefish and a few pompano. We also had a few good trips with reds in skinny water and snook at night.
Dick Reece from Dayton, OH and Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished with me a couple of days in Sarasota Bay. They had good action with trout and blues on CAL jigs with shad tails on a trip on Tues, Feb. 17th. They caught and released lots of trout and 5 reds to 24” around oyster bars along a mangrove shoreline in north Sarasota Bay the following week. Sarasota winter residents, Norm and Francie Boardman, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Weds, Feb. 18th. They had steady action with trout to 19” on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails along the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor.
I fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor on Thurs, Feb. 19th with Ismo Uosukainen, from Helsinki, Finland and his two sons. They caught and released trout and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. We spent some time working mangrove shorelines and potholes for reds and snook but a strong wind made it tough. Bob Harness, from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, Feb. 20th. We caught and released more than 15 trout to 18” on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Sarasota winter resident, Phil Rever, and his guest, Eric Dobkin from NY, snook fished with me in the ICW near Venice on Sunday evening, Feb. 22nd. They caught and released about a dozen snook to 24”, a couple of blues and several ladyfish on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly. Dan Lynch, from Alburg, VT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. He had good action with more than 20 trout to 19” and a pair of reds to 28” on CAL jigs with shad tails near Long Bar. Jordan Hecktman, from Longboat Key, FL and his grandson Joey, from Chicago, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They had good action with trout to 18” and a few blues along the east side of Sarasota Bay on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos
I was on the casting pond at the Frank Sargeant Outdoors Expo on Friday afternoon giving a seminar and casting demonstration on “Saltwater Fly Rodding”. It is one of the best outdoor shows in the state. It’s always good to see old friends and new products. DOA Lures (www.doalures.com) will soon have available a 5 ½” BFL (Big Fish Lure), which is a jointed, soft plastic mullet that swims like the real thing. New from Wang Anchor (www.wanganchor.com) is a quick release surface mounted bracket that will allow their stake out pole to be deployed from anywhere on the boat. The Wang Anchor on my new Action Craft 1720 flats skiff is sweet! It’ll quietly stop my boat on a dime in up to 5’ of water and weighs almost nothing.
We had another successful Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday. The course is for beginners and intermediate casters and covers basic casting, shooting line, roll casting and more. Students also learned leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Dates for the two remaining schools for 2009 are March 14 and April 4th. Cost for the school, which runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 and includes an instructional video, a textbook, the use of premium Orvis fly tackle and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Snook season reopened today after being closed for 3 months and next week’s tides will be favorable for fishing the ICW for snook at night. As the water warms, we should also find more snook on shallow flats, particularly on warm, sunny days. Trout, blues and pompano on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay or reds and trout in skinny water should also be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 190
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 1:55 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 2/1 through 2/14/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, for the past couple of weeks had good action with trout and bluefish. In addition, we’re still catching a few pompano and large Spanish mackerel made an appearance in Sarasota Bay the last couple of days.
A strong cold front pushed through early in the week of Feb. 1st. We had a couple of near freezes in our area, but no damage was done to the fishery. It was 34 degrees on Thursday morning, so Orvis Regional Business Manager Robert Bryant and I decided to wait until about 10 AM to start our trip. Due to a strong north wind, we fished Little Sarasota Bay, which offered some protection from the elements. Despite tough conditions we caught and released numerous ladyfish and 3 or 4 trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate and Depth Charge fly lines. We found the fish right in the ICW channel near old Midnight Pass.
The next day Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his cousin, Jack McCulloch from Englewood, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me. We caught some very nice trout, including a couple over the slot, around spoil islands and sand bars in Gasparilla Sound on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. Keith also fished Sarasota Bay with me and his guest, Bill Garrett from Naples, FL, on Wednesday, Feb. 11th. They had steady action with trout and a few blues on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms near Buttonwood Harbor.
Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The action was a little slow in the morning with a few trout and blues on CAL jigs. The action picked up in the afternoon when Carter Fox, from VA and his 3 guests fished with Capt. Roy String and me. The group caught numerous trout, including 8 slot-size trout, bluefish and a pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos near Buttonwood Harbor.
Fly anglers, Marshall Dinerman from Atlanta, GA, Josh Fine from CT, and Brian Green and Keith Lindberg, from Canada, fished with me on three different trips on Thursday and Friday. They caught trout, blues, pompano and big Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate and intermediate sink tip fly lines. Marshall caught a pompano and several trout on Thursday morning.
Josh had an excellent trip with numerous nice trout, Spanish mackerel and blues near Buttonwood Harbor and Long Bar on Thursday afternoon. We were surprised when big Spanish mackerel showed up in a heavy sea fog (less than 100’ visibility) that stayed with us all day. We caught a couple and got cut off once and at one point were catching a trout on every cast. Brian and Keith had good action with trout on Friday. They also caught a pair of big Spanish mackerel first thing in the morning at Stephens Point.
Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week when we’ll have negative lows early in the morning. Reds, trout and snook in potholes should be a good option as well as tailing reds on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound. Trout, blues, pompano and Spanish mackerel on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should also be a good option and has been providing the fastest action. Also, look for mackerel in the coastal gulf when conditions are good. There is still space available in CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Feb. 28th. I will be the instructor for the course, but you’ll need to contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. Cost for the school, which runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, is $150 and includes the use of premium Orvis fly tackle, a textbook, an instructional DVD and lunch.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 189
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 01, 2009 - 5:54 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 1/19 through 1/31/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout and bluefish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay recently. In addition, we caught larger trout in Sarasota Bay and reds and snook in Gasparilla Sound in skinny water. Water temperatures cooled to the high 50’s and low 60’s early in the week of Jan. 19th, slowing the pompano bite that was going on prior to that. However, fishing for trout and blues on deep grass flats remained good.
Rick Stoneman, from Toronto, Ontario, and a couple of friends fished a cool, windy afternoon on Weds, Jan 21. Despite poor conditions they had good action with mostly ladyfish and trout at the Radio Tower and Marina Jack flats. Keith McClintock and Hal D’Orazio, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday. The action was slow to start, but they finished the day with 4 reds to 24 and a few nice trout on CAL jigs with shad tails. Carter Fox, from VA, and a guest fished a ½ day in Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We were still feeling the effects of cool water, but they managed trout and blues on several deep grass flats in north Sarasota Bay with CAL jigs.
I was the instructor at a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, Jan 24th. The next class, which includes a textbook, instructional DVD, the use of premium Orvis fly tackle and lunch is scheduled for Feb. 28. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
My sister, Michelle Mumford, and her friend, Bill Walterhoefer, both from Dagsboro, DE, visited me the following week. We fished Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound on several trips. My wife, Karen Grassett, joined us on one of the trips in Sarasota Bay. We caught more than 15 trout to 17” and a dozen bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at the Middleground flat. A trip in Little Sarasota Bay produced trout and ladyfish. Another trip in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor was a little slow in the morning but got better in the afternoon. Bill caught and released a 34” snook that weighed 11 ½-pounds on a CAL jig with a jerk worm in Turtle Bay. Nice fish!
Harry Beaty and Paul Rotz, both from Toronto, Ontario, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. The morning was slow with short trout and blues, but the afternoon got better. After lunch we moved into skinny water, where we sight fished trout in potholes. They landed about ten trout from 17” to 20” on CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms near Long Bar. This time of the year when the water is cool, fishing is often better in the afternoon when the water warms a few degrees.
Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a full moon on Feb. 9th. A cold front this weekend and a reinforcing front early in the week will probably cool the water again and slow fishing for a few days. Fish protected water in the afternoon for the best action.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Post Number: 26
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 8:39 am: | |
January 21, 2009
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Hold on to them Ladyfish! That seems to be the only action since the temperature drop, but it will pass. The fish will acclimate and if the temperature stays low, they will move to deeper water and start to feed.
When the water gets cold, only the snook may leave and go up the rivers. Most of the other fish stay in the area throughout the winter, regardless of change. The weather will turn them on and off.
We expect to find trout, pompano, bluefish, redfish, flounder, mackerel, sheepshead, snapper, grouper and many more species throughout the winter months.
One of our favorite fish is the Pompano and they had been cooperative before the bad weather. Pompano feed on sandy bottom, from the Gulf beaches to the grass flats and channels around the bay. They can also get very hot in the passes. When we fish the passes, we drift and bounce a pompano jig on the bottom. I like to tip the jigs with a very small peace of shrimp. I make a short cast, leaving the bail open and letting the jig free-fall until it hits the bottom and then close the bail. Without reeling in line, I give the jig a short hard snap up and let it free-fall back to the bottom. This will send up a small puff of sand, simulating a crab digging in. If you are doing it right, you will soon see the paint disappear from the jig, but the tail will hold some color. I like yellow or chartreuse best.
Live shrimp with a large splitshot will also work; just let it drift along the bottom without snapping.
Pompanos favorite bait of all is live sand-fleas. You seldom find live sand-fleas for sale, so you need to catch them yourself. They live in the surf and you need a sand flea rake to catch them. They will drown in a bucket of water but do well in about an inch of wet sand. You need to catch them just before you go fishing.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 188
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 11:16 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 1/4 through 1/18/2009
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, bluefish, pompano and reds during the past couple of weeks. The best action continues to be on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout, blues and pompano. Anglers fishing Charlotte Harbor with me also had good action with reds, snook and trout.
Fly angler Nick Reding, a Sarasota winter resident, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Jan. 5th. We had fast action at Stephens Point with trout, pompano and blues on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. We also waded a sand bar on the west side of the bay near Bishops Point and caught and released 7 or 8 nice trout to more than 20” on Grassett’s Flats Minnow flies. Later in the week, Keith McClintock and his son-in-law, Rick Anderson, from Lake Forest, IL and Victor Feldman from Champagne, IL, fished the same areas with me. They had fast action with pompano, blues and trout on CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos. On Friday, Mac Arnold and Paul Moore, both from Henderson, KY, fished Sarasota Bay with me. They had good action on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout and blues.
Fly angler, Bob Harness from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Jan. 12. Since it was overcast, we stuck to deeper water where Bob had steady action with trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. The best action was at Stephens Point on the east side of Sarasota Bay. Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Victor Feldman, from Champagne, IL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. They had fast action with trout to more than 20”, 5 reds to 32” and a pair of snook on CAL jigs with shad tails. A front pushed through late in the day, dropping temperatures into the 40’s at night.
Pete Makowski, from Sarasota, FL, and Frank Vener, from Westport, CT, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. They had steady action with trout to more than 20” and a pair of pompano on DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. I gave a presentation on “Winter Fishing with Lures and Flies” at the Florida Fishing College in Manatee County on Friday and Saturday. Bad fishing weather is great for fishing shows and I was pleasantly surprised when there were more than 200 people at my presentation at 1 PM on Friday afternoon.
It has been cool for the last several days, dropping water temperatures in shallow water into the 50’s. Deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay should continue to produce trout and blues. However, pompano are questionable with the water this cool. Trout and reds in potholes of Sarasota Bay and in Gasparilla Sound should also be good options. Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a new moon on Jan. 26th. Negative low tides will concentrate reds and trout in potholes and reds may tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla Sound. Deep grass flats should hold trout, blues and possibly pompano depending on water temperature.
If you are interested in learning to fly fish in saltwater. I will be the instructor at a CB’s Saltwater Outfitters Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, Jan. 24th. Cost is $150 for the course, which runs from 9 AM to 4 PM, and will cover basic casting, shooting line, roll casting, leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. Students will be provided with a text book, an instructional DVD, lunch and the use of premium Orvis fly tackle. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Username: Capt_bob_smith
Post Number: 25
Registered: 10-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 12:12 am: | |
January 6, 2009
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Kingfish are being caught offshore! That is not normal in January but they are scattered around and can be found. Most of the action offshore has been Grey snapper on jigs tipped with shrimp. Natural bottom in 40’ to 60’ has been best. There are too many predator fish on the artificial reefs. Goliath grouper love to wait until you hook the snapper so that they don’t have to run after them. Keeper gags and red grouper are also being caught on live pinfish.
It has been spotty on the bay with spotted sea trout on the grass-flats. Pompano, snapper, bluefish, black seabass, sheepshead, ladyfish, and lots of short grouper are scattered all around the bay and passes. We have found some slack times but most of the time we can keep the rods bent. This is also the time that keeper size grouper start coming into the bay, so hold your rod tight.
Fresh caught live pinfish and grunts make excellent bait on the bay for the larger fish like grouper. On the bay, I like to free-line my pinfish. Pinfish normally dive to the bottom, but if you see him dancing on top, you know you’re on a good spot.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 187
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 5:19 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/21/08 through 1/3/09
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, blues and pompano during the past couple of weeks. In addition, we also caught a few reds.
I fished 3 days in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor during the week of Dec. 22nd with Rick Happle and his family, from Tampa, FL, Damon Dunn, from IL and Harry Davis, from Dalton, GA and Fen Sartorius, from NM. We found the reds to be challenging. Fen connected with a red that was tailing on a bead chain Clouser fly on one trip and we had plenty of other shots. We caught a few trout and bluefish on deep grass flats with flies and jigs. Scott and Scotty Heidler, from Hudson, OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday of that week. They had good action with trout, blues and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point and along the east side of Sarasota Bay
Kevin Bonasera, from Bozeman, MT, his dad Tom, from OH and guest, Tim from Sarasota fished lower Tampa Bay with Reid Zoller, of Loop Fly Tackle and me on Saturday, Dec. 27th. Kevin is with Turneffe Flats Lodge and works for them in Bozeman. We had a brief window in the morning for tailing reds and Kevin and Reid had a few shots but no takers. Tom, Tim and I had some action with trout and ladyfish on jigs and flies in the Terra Ceia Bay area.
We had lots of action with trout, blues and a few pompano in Sarasota Bay last week. Brian and Joanne Shenstone, from MI, fished with me on Monday. Brian caught and released trout, ladyfish and a pompano on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly. Ray Hutchinson and his brother-in-law, Craig Kinzer, both from OH fished with me on Tuesday. They caught and released lots of trout, bluefish and a red on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Sarasota winter resident, Nick Reding, fished with me on Wednesday. We waded a flat near Long Bar where Nick caught and released a big trout on a black Grassett’s Flats Minnow fly. In the afternoon, we picked up his two grandsons, Nicholas and Andrew, and they had fast action with trout, blues and ladyfish on DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point. On Friday, Jim Essig, his grandson, Chris and Ken Kolinski, from OH, had fast action with trout to 18”, blues and pompano on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point.
Next week’s tides are favorable towards the end of the week for reds in potholes or tailing on shallow grass flats of Charlotte Harbor. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should have plenty of action with trout, blues and pompano.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Captain Rob Salimbene (Mangroveman)
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Username: Mangroveman
Post Number: 5
Registered: 3-2007
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 22, 2008 - 5:49 am: | |
Tampa Bay is alive and well and the fish are coming through in great numbers. Snook have been feeding actively around the solunar periods in all of our local canals, and rivers. With our current warm conditions, the snook bite has been producing some great catches, but look for these fish to slow down slightly when the next cold front roles through. I have been using freelined greenbacks, or live shrimp on a No. 1 circle hook and the fish have been averaging 18 to 23 inches.
Trout are grouped up in huge numbers on all our local grass flats as they begin to spawn. I have been targeting these fish using DOA deadly combo's in either glow or golden bream color. Although trout are out of season to keep, they offer a great fun and are perfect for a day on the water with kids, where most of the time quantity is more important that quality. The trout have been averaging 16 to 18 inches with a few coming in at over 23 inches.
Redfish are producing well after cold fronts when they are becoming more active. I have been fishing the lowest tide I can find and working the incoming water period. The fish have been shallow, I mean real shallow, so get your boat, or wade in as close as you can to the shore around oyster bars or deep troughs and let the water rise. I find that as the mullet go, so do the redfish, so as the water rises and the areas get deeper look for the mullet and the redfish shouldn't be too far behind.
All in all the fishing is going great...so tight lines and good fishing!
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 186
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2008 - 11:37 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/7 through 12/20/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught trout, bluefish, little tunny, ladyfish and pompano during the past couple of weeks. In addition, we had lots of shots at tailing reds in Gasparilla Sound.
Several trips in Sarasota Bay during the week of Dec. 8th had good action on deep grass flats. Nick Reding, from St. Louis, MO, caught trout and bluefish with me at Stephens Point on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and Crease flies. Walt Poxon, from MN, and his brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Sue Poxon, from Sarasota, also fished the same area with me that week. They had fast action with trout, blues and a pompano on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Mark and Olivia Fisher, from Houston, TX, fished a couple of instructional fly fishing trips in Sarasota Bay with me and became proficient enough to catch a few trout with Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
The following week Glen Urban, from MA, Mike Perez from IN, Jeff Hanna from Englewood, FL and Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL fished several days with me in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Although we spent lots of time targeting reds and had plenty of shots, they didn’t eat for us. We targeted reds in potholes in Sarasota Bay and tailing on shallow grass flats in Gasparilla Sound with flies. We caught and released trout, blues and ladyfish on deep grass flats with Clouser flies.
On Friday, Dec. 19, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Outdoors Editor, Steve Gibson, fished with me. Little tunny and tripletail on flies was our goal and we were successful. We covered a lot of water to find a few fish but it paid off. We found a large area of bait, deep in the water column, with birds rafted up sitting on the bait off Casey Key. We waited them out and eventually small schools of little tunny began to blitz through the area giving us a few shots. We hooked 3 fish on Gibby’s Myakka Minnow and my Snook Minnow fly fished on intermediate and intermediate sink tip fly lines and landed one, about 10-pounds. We also found and hooked a 10 to 12-pound tripletail on a crab trap float in about 30’ of water off Siesta Key. The fish was hooked on a chartreuse Clouser fly but managed to pull the hook loose when the leader snagged the crab trap float line. It was a nice one!
Tides will improve next week as we head towards a new moon on Dec. 27th. Reds should be tailing in shallow grass flats of Gasparilla sound and should be in potholes of Sarasota Bay. The fastest action should be with trout, blues and ladyfish on deep grass flats. I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
New member
Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 185
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 07, 2008 - 9:56 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/24 through 12/6/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, bluefish and reds during the past couple of weeks. Reds and trout moved into shallow water recently following several fronts that dropped water temperatures into the high 50’s and low 60’s. Negative low tides concentrated fish in potholes along sand bars giving us some sight casting opportunities. In addition, trout and bluefish have been plentiful on deep grass flats.
Parker Platt, from Brevard, NC, and Bernard Matthey, from Switzerland, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Nov. 24th. They caught and released trout and bluefish on deep grass flats and a redfish on CAL jigs with shad tails on the east side of Sarasota Bay. Paul and Petra Schultz, from PA, fish the same areas with me on Tuesday. Since reds and snook were our goal, we fished skinny water along the east side of the bay. They caught a redfish and a couple of nice trout on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Mike Penny and his daughter’s boyfriend, David, both from Atlanta, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Wednesday. They caught a pair of reds and a few trout on CAL jigs with shad tails fishing sand bars near Bull and Turtle Bays. One of the reds was sight fished out of a small school of reds cruising on white sand on top of a sand bar. Bill Beauchamp and his daughter Noelle, both from Bradenton, FL and Noelle’s boyfriend Richard, from Arizona, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They caught and released trout, bluefish and a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. We fished deep grass flats at Stephens Point and Bishops Point for the trout and blues and skinny water near Long Bar for the reds.
Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, Dec. 2nd. They had action with trout and blues at Stephens Point and one red along the east side of the bay. The best trip of the week was with Charlie Rutherford, from Blacksburg, VA. We spent most of our time in shallow water along the east side of the bay hunting for reds and we found lots of them. Charlie caught and released 4 reds to 30”, a pair of trout to more than 20” and a small snook to complete his slam. With reds and trout under our belt, I ventured into a creek where we found several snook along a sunny, protected mangrove shoreline.
We are at a great time of the year for fishing reds and trout in skinny water. Negative low tides concentrates them in potholes providing sight casting opportunities. Tides will improve next week as we head towards a full moon on Dec. 12th. Reds may tail on shallow grass flats in Gasparilla Sound and will be concentrated in potholes in the same area and also in Sarasota Bay.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Username: Capt_bob_smith
Post Number: 24
Registered: 10-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2008 - 8:18 am: | |
November 30, 2008
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
We had a good day last Friday. The wind was calm and the temperature was just perfect. We anchored up on the first artificial reef just south of New Pass. It was dead low tide and we had non stop fish on for about four hours. We were using live hand picked shrimp, (the larger shrimp of the day) and fished the bottom with a small split-shot. Most of what we caught was bluefish, but we did get a variety of fish. We also caught lots of short grouper, some Spanish mackerel, black seabass and two nice redfish, 26.5” and 24.5”. We had reports of some nice grouper, snapper and king mackerel being caught in deeper offshore water.
After about four hours, we moved into the bay to fish the grass-flats on the east side of the bay. We used DOA shrimp for more fun and to stay away from the pesky pinfish. We caught some large Spanish mackerel, sea trout and had a number of cut-offs. Then we hooked a fish we could not stop. We chased it for about 500 feet before it through the hook. We got the DOA back, but never saw the fish.
There seemed to be plenty of baitfish by the last marker out of New Pass plus I saw carpets of baitfish on “Lost” reef just east of the Lynn Silvertooth reef. I call it Lost because it is not on the charts.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 184
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 8:23 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/10 through 11/14/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay during the week of Nov. 10th. Nick Reding and Bob Harness, both from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. Although we spent a good portion of the day hunting for reds, we had some action in deeper water with trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies.
My friend, Capt. Mel Berman of 970 WFLA’s Capt. Mel Show, fished with me on Tuesday afternoon and spoke at the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club meeting later that evening. We had fast action with trout to 20”, bluefish and pompano to 3-pounds and ladyfish at the Middleground Flat, Stephens Point and Bishops Point on jigs and flies.
Sarasota winter resident, Tom Lamb, fished with me on Wednesday afternoon. We had fast action with trout, bluefish and pompano at the Middleground Flat and Bishops Point on CAL jigs with shad tails. Dennis Bolte and Jack Motica, both from CO, finished the week out with me on Friday. They also caught and released trout, bluefish, gag grouper and ladyfish on Clouser flies at the Middleground Flat and near Buttonwood Harbor.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for Turneffe Flats Lodge, Belize, 11/15 through 11/22/2008
Early Saturday morning, a group of 5 other anglers and I headed for a week of fishing for bonefish and permit at Turneffe Flats Lodge in Belize. Capt. Frank Rhodes, from Auburndale, FL, Les Fulcher, from Longboat Key, FL, and Sarasota winter resident, Norm Boardman and I departed from Tampa and met up with John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, FL, in Miami. Doug Boardman, from Richmond, VA, met up with us in Belize City. Although I host groups of anglers to various fishing destinations several times a year, this was my first visit to Turneffe Flats Lodge. The lodge was highly recommended by several friends whom have visited Turneffe Flats Lodge multiple times, so I felt very comfortable with the trip.
Turneffe Flats Lodge is one of the nicest fishing lodges that I have ever visited. Our meals were restaurant quality complete with linen napkins. Breakfast featured a special each morning with an option for eggs, bacon or sausage cooked to order. Dinner menu items included beef, fish and lobster with exquisite made from scratch breads and desserts. Lunch orders for the following day were taken at dinner each evening.
Our group stayed in the Garden Villa, which was perfect for a group of 6 (2 anglers per guest room with a living room and kitchenette with satellite TV). A workout room was on the ground floor below us, definitely not the kind of amenities you expect to find in a fishing lodge. The lodge caters not only to fly anglers, but to scuba divers and eco/adventure tourists (kayaking, snorkeling, bird watching, etc) as well. One evening several of us were treated to a crocodile sightseeing tour. We cruised around and spotted several crocs up to 6’ or 8’ long!
We arrived in beautiful conditions on Saturday evening just in time for dinner. We were awakened before dawn on Sunday morning by a driving rain storm. Unfortunately, weather conditions were poor most of the week. A front or low pressure system sat on top of us causing wind and clouds with occasional rain on and off throughout the week. The sun popped out a few times during the week giving us hope that conditions would improve.
We found the bonefishing challenging, but had some success mostly wading flats on the outer edge of the atoll. Dubs, Dion and Mark were our guides and they worked hard for us all week. On the better days up to 6 or 7 bonefish were caught and released by a couple of anglers in our group. On the slower days, only a couple of fish were caught by our group. We had a few shots at permit, also on the outer flats where we mostly targeted bonefish. Frank had a take from a permit, but missed hooking up. We were not able to fish the lagoon area on the inside of the atoll where large schools of permit roam the flats due to persistent wind and lack of sun. I was surprised that a couple of the permit that I cast to let us take multiple shots at them before they spooked. I had a permit tail up on my bonefish fly while wading a flat on the south end one day, but it didn’t eat. I spoke with several other anglers whom had visited Turneffe Flats Lodge multiple times with great success. My guide for most of the week, Dubs, landed 4 permit on his boat the day before we arrived. I know that the weather was our problem and I would certainly return again to try and get my first permit on a fly.
In addition to the fine guide staff, Betty, Martha and Claudia took great care of our group in the dining room. Management staff members Linbert, Lourdes, Jeff and Jake were also on top of everything making sure that our visit was enjoyable. On the first day when it was pouring rain, Jeff hosted a knot tying session following a very detailed fishing orientation. I look forward to visiting Turneffe Flats Lodge again soon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Username: Capt_bob_smith
Post Number: 23
Registered: 10-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2008 - 4:05 pm: | |
November 16, 2008
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Fishing is still good but the coming cold front may slow it down. A large variety of fish is showing up on the Bay and Gulf. Large bait-fish are hard to find offshore, but trolling spoons and plugs is doing the job for King mackerel and Spanish mackerel. Smaller white bait has been plentiful along the beaches and will work if you can net them.
Some nice grouper and snapper are starting to show at the fifty foot depth offshore. Live bait is best including shrimp for the snapper.
We have been finding redfish, large trout, pompano, mackerel, bluefish and flounder on the bay. The redfish have mainly been in the deeper water, like Zwicks canal and most of the other fish have been on the grass-flats.
Hot Grouper spots! Why a secret?
Like any place else, most of our area anglers are eager to share when, where and how they caught fish, but grouper is the exception! When fishing in saltwater, it is possible to catch a nice grouper any place in the Bay or Gulf.
Don¡¦t expect anglers to give you their hot spots! Hot spots are what we call grouper stacked-up on the bottom. They also could be in, under or around a structure. In other words, it is a lot of keeper size grouper in a very small area.
An experienced grouper digger will take a few nice fish, put the spot, if new, in his GPS and move on to/or find another hot spot. This takes a lot of discipline because it can take a lot of time, work, and luck to find these spots. This way, the spot may be good for a month or much more. If he hammered the fish, it could be over in a day or so. The fish would just move to avoid all the outside activity. Due to the popularity of grouper, if he went public or shared the GPS location, he could expect to find the spot covered with dive boats and/or inexperienced grouper fishermen the next day. That could be the end of that hot spot. Some Grouper diggers will stop fishing or move out of the area if they see another boat coming towards them. Don¡¦t stop and ask. ƒº
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 183
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 10, 2008 - 2:26 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/24 through 11/9/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in the coastal gulf with Spanish mackerel and reds, snook, trout and blues on the flats of Gasparilla Sound and Sarasota Bay recently. Fishing was best for Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf during the week of 10/27. Water temperatures cooled by 5 degrees or more following a front and then fishing in shallow water got hot.
Fly angler Jeff Romine, from Tulsa, OK, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, Oct. 24th. It rained hard in the morning but we finally got our trip underway at about 11 AM. We fished into the afternoon and caught a few fish on deep grass flats with Ultra Hair Clouser flies before conditions deteriorated again later in the day. John Skivington, from NY, fished the coastal gulf off Siesta Key with me on Mon, Oct. 27th. He had fast action with big Spanish mackerel and little tunny on flies, CAL jigs and top water plugs. Cliff Ondercin, from Sarasota, FL, and his dad, Dennis Ondercin, from OH, fished the same area with me the next morning but the wind kicked up and forced us to fish inside after catching a couple of little tunny on a top water plug and a CAL jig. They caught a couple of reds and trout on CAL jigs in Roberts Bay in the afternoon. Finding a spot to fish out of the wind was a challenge.
Brenda Sandifer, from Tampa, FL, and her brother Jimbo Sandifer, from Lithia, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Wednesday. They had steady action catching numerous trout and 5 reds on DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Fly angler Clark Keator, from Orlando, FL, fished with me on Thursday. We fished deep and shallow grass flats and while the action wasn’t fast we caught a few fish. Fly anglers Mark Eddy, from CO, and his guest Andy, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me on Friday. They caught numerous Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate fly lines.
I fished the 4th annual Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association’s “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” on Saturday. I was also a co-director of the tournament along with Steve Gibson. MCFF club president, Bob Parker and former president, Capt. Pete Greenan also were part of the tournament committee. 33 anglers competed in two divisions and caught good numbers of a variety of species. At least 5 slams (snook, red and trout) were reported from north Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound. The event was followed by an awards BBQ, catered by The Oaks, at the Sarasota Outboard Club. Winners received handsome plaques and gift certificates from tournament sponsors Orvis, CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, Economy Tackle, Casey Key Anglers & Outfitters, Cook’s Sportland, All About Fishing, Fisherman’s Edge, Discount Tackle Outlet and New Pass Grill & Bait shop. The top prize in each division was an 8-wt Orvis Helios fly rod donated by Orvis. The event, which is designed to be a low key, friendly fly fishing tournament, also raises money for CCA’s conservation efforts and MCFF’s Scholarship Fund. Full results can be viewed at http://mangrovecoastflyfishers.com/tournaments.php.
The following day Orvis held their Southeastern Guide rendezvous in Sarasota. Orvis-
Endorsed fly fishing guides and dealers from all over Florida and as far away as South Carolina were brought up to date on new products and received schooling in guide techniques. A special thanks to Orvis ELOG director (Endorsed Lodges, Outfitters and Guides) for the eastern US, Scott Mcenaney, for making the donation of the Orvis Helios rods for the ”Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” possible.
I was back on the water Tuesday morning with outdoor writer Frank Sargeant. Frank is recently semi-retired from the Tampa Tribune, but will still write a weekly column, as well as being an editor for Florida Sportsman Magazine. We fished the coastal gulf off Lido Key for a couple of hours and caught a few mackerel on top water plugs and CAL jigs before it got sloppy. We headed into Sarasota Bay where we caught and released more than 15 trout to 23”, bluefish and a red on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Wednesday’s fly fishing trip in Sarasota Bay produced a couple of hookups with a red and bluefish.
Thursday’s trip was a lot of fun when Jerry Clapp, from IN, and his friend, Gary Burbank, from OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me. Gary is a talented DJ and musician whom you may know as radio’s “Earl Pitts, Umerikan”. They caught and released numerous trout and an estimated 26” snook on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails. Jon Yenari and Kyle Ruffing, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Gasparilla sound with me on Friday. The action wasn’t fast but they caught a few quality fish including bluefish, a jack and a nice redfish on flies. We waded during the afternoon and cast to lots of reds that weren’t interested in eating. Bryan Beebe and his friend, John Damico, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. They had fast action with trout to more than 22” and bluefish to more than 4-pounds at Stephens Point, north of Long Bar and Bishops Point on flies, fly poppers and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Fishing should be good as tides will improve as we head towards a full moon on Nov. 13. The coastal gulf and deep and shallow grass flats of Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound should all be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
e-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
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Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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October 31, 2008
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
This weekend with a predicted NE wind, the mackerel fishing should still be good along the beaches! The techniques we are using to catch them are much the same and we have been covering that extensively for the last few weeks.
So I would like to cover another possibility along the beach reefs. Thanks to all the mackerel, sharks and barracuda, the area has been well chummed for the last month. Add a temperature drop in the Gulf and I start looking for keeper size gag grouper and large flounder to move in to the beach reefs. Most all baits will catch some gags and flounder, but my favorites are live pinfish and pigfish. I find I have a big edge if I catch fresh bait just before I go out instead of buying the ones that have been in the bait shop tank overnight. The grouper will be in the structure and the flounder will be on the sand around the structure. Any cobia if around, will be all over. Depending on the weather and size of fish, the tackle I use is twenty to fifty pound test line, 60 to 150 pound test mono leader. For grouper, I like to fish over the structure and let the bait straight down holding the bait just above, but not into the structure. I also lock the drag to keep the fish from pulling me into the rocks. If you hook a different fish that needs to run, you will then need to back-off on the drag. When fishing over sand bottom, you can let your bait sit on the bottom. Most of the time in thirty feet or a less, one once of lead works for me.
The bay has been active for a variety of fish - trout, redfish, snapper, flounder, mackerel and more. If windy, be ready to anchor or fish in the lee. Large live shrimp and baitfish or DOA artificial shrimp have all worked for me.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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October 26, 2008
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
King and Spanish mackerel are still going strong along the beaches! Live sardines, pilchards and shrimp on free-line are working best.
Diamond jigs and deep running plugs are working best with trolling and casting. Don’t forget your Sabiki bait rigs for the larger bait-fish. We have had barracuda, little tunny and black-tip sharks mixed in with the mackerel along the beaches and out to about the thirty foot depth.
The standard live bait rig for the above is a 4/0 to 6/0 hook, six inches of #5 or #7 coffee wire, black swivel, three to four feet of forty to sixty pound mono leader attached to double line with a blood knot. I like to double my line with a Bimini or spider hitch. I use this on twelve to twenty pound test line. Some anglers like to add a stinger hook for less missed fish.
If the fish get picky or I just want to pick up the action, I use a 4/0 Aberdeen 202 light long shank gold hook with thirty to forty pound mono leader without the wire leader. I use this rig on twelve pound line. Yes! They eat a few more hooks but I put more fish in the boat and have more fun.
The bay fishing has been good on the deeper Middle ground grass flats. A mixed bag of, seatrout, mackerel, bluefish, flounder, snapper, jacks, and ladyfish is being caught, just to name a few. Live bait, shrimp and fish is working well. Artificial lures like the DOA shrimp will help you pick out the better fish and not feed the pinfish.
I know that the small pinfish and grunts can be agitating, but this is the sign of healthy grassflats and is what will draw the better fish to the area.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 9:25 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/13 through 10/23/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with Spanish mackerel and little tunny recently in the coastal gulf off Sarasota. Action in Sarasota Bay slowed but anglers fishing the bay with me still caught trout on deep grass flats. One angler had a slam fishing the east side of the bay with me one day consisting of a red, a snook and several trout.
Luther Penny, from NC, and Beth Harrison, from VA, had good action in the coastal gulf and Sarasota Bay on a couple of days. They caught Spanish mackerel off Siesta Key and trout and bluefish in Sarasota Bay from the Marina Jack flat to Stephens Point on the east side on Diamond Jigs, top water plugs and flies.
Later in the week on Oct. 16th Bill Taylor, from NH, and Robb McDonald, from OK, fished the same areas with me. They had fast action in the gulf with Spanish mackerel and little tunny on jigs and top water plugs. They even had a king skyrocket on a top water plug right next to the boat! We moved into the bay in the afternoon where they caught a few trout near Stephens point. Robb had a slam consisting of a red, a snook and several trout caught with DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs.
Phil and Brenda Rever, from Sarasota, FL, fished the coastal gulf with me on Monday, Oct. 20th. They had fast action in the coastal gulf off Siesta Key with Spanish mackerel on Diamond jigs and CAL jigs. They also hooked a pair of little tunny and landed one. The little tunny have been much tougher to fool than the Spanish mackerel due to their keen eyesight and selective feeding on glass minnows.
I was the guest of my friend, Steve Gibson from Sarasota, FL, on Wednesday. In addition to being the Outdoors Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Steve is also a successful kayak fishing guide (www.kayakfishingsarasota.com). We fished Lake Manatee, east of Bradenton on Rt. 64, and caught numerous bluegill and stump knockers on 1 through 5-wt fly rods on popping bugs and nymphs. The freshwater fishing in our area is virtually untapped and Steve knows it well. In addition to fishing many freshwater locations, he also does well fishing many other areas in saltwater.
Next week’s tides are favorable for fishing the flats as we head towards a new moon on Tuesday, Oct. 28th. In addition, the action in the coastal gulf should continue for Spanish and king mackerel and little tunny. If you are looking for something fun to do, you might consider fishing the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” on Nov. 1st. The event, which pits fly anglers fishing against each other in a catch, photo and release format for a variety of species, is a laid back, low stress fishing event that also features an awards BBQ and a raffle. Contact me for more info.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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October 18, 2008
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
It has been a good week for fishing along the coast in twenty to thirty feet of water. The high winds and full moon did not deter the fishing. Fishing just off Lido beach and out of New Pass, we caught plenty of Spanish mackerel up to six pounds or more. They were coming in all sizes, from twelve inches and up, and most were good size.
King mackerel also made a good showing and were mixed in with the Spanish. The kings were running ten to twenty pounds. One boat did land a forty pound king on a half of a Spanish mackerel while fishing for sharks.
Other fish mixed in with the mackerel were barracuda, bluefish, black-tip sharks and some cobia were spotted. Baitfish of all kinds was easy to catch with gold hook rigs, sometimes on the bottom and sometimes on top. Live baitfish, a 5/0 hook, six inches of #5 coffee wire and four feet of forty to sixty pound test mono leader connected to the line with a blood knot, not swivel worked well for us.
When the mackerel were on top and boiling the water, we had a lot of fun casting or pulling small Diamond jigs. This was very fast action when the opportunity presented itself. I do not use wire or swivels, just a forty pound test mono leader connected with a blood knot. A trailing swivel is something other fish will snap at and cut your line. Keep the jigs moving fast and don’t stop. This should save you some jigs. I lose some but most end-up looking like a Brillo pad before I lose or retire them.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com
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Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 11:43 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/22 through 10/12/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action recently fishing deep grass flats in Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf waters off Siesta Key. Spin and fly anglers caught and released trout, bluefish, jacks, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Our fall fishing seems to be getting off to an early start.
Brighthouse Sports Network’ “Hooked On Fishing” host, Capt. Bill Miller and I fished on Wednesday, Sept. 24th. It was blowing more than 20 mph out of the northeast that day, so fishing was challenging. However with the barometer moving, fish responded favorable. We had non stop action with trout to 18” on DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point. I joined Bill in the studio the following Tuesday when the show aired live in the Tampa/Orlando area.
Fly angler, John Evans from the UK, fished with me the next day. We started before dawn and hit lighted docks for snook at the north end of Siesta Key. John hooked several and landed a couple on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow (a.k.a. Grass Minnow) fly. After that we fished deep grass flats on the east side of the bay and at the Middleground flat where John caught and released several trout and bluefish on a popper/dropper combination consisting of a Bubblehead popper and a small Clouser fly about 30” behind it.
Capt. Jack Hartman and I fished a group of anglers from the Chicago and WI areas on Friday and Saturday. Jeff Higgins and Greg Swanson fished with me one day and Greg and their friend, Pat, fished with me another day. Greg and Pat fished the coastal gulf with me and caught and released several little tunny, jacks and Spanish mackerel on Diamond jigs, top water plugs, fly poppers and Clouser flies. The LT’s were the most challenging, but we finally got them figured out. The next day Jeff and Greg spent some time fishing in the coastal gulf and then we came into the bay where we caught and released trout and bluefish on flies, jigs and DOA Deadly combos. Capt. Jack’s anglers had fast action both days and also caught a couple of nice reds of 25” and 26” on jigs.
David Sugar, his young son, Max and family friend, Campbell Fee, all from Sarasota, fished with me on Sunday, Sept. 28th. We caught and released a few trout and small grouper at Stephens Point before heading into the gulf. They finished the day with several nice Spanish mackerel and a few jacks caught with Diamond jigs and top water plugs.
I was in Delaware visiting family from Oct. 1-7 and had an opportunity to do some fishing while I was there. My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, and I fished a couple of days in the Chesapeake Bay out of Crisfield, MD. We were the guests of our friend, Capt. Matt Tawes (www.chesapeakeangling.com) one day and had great action. We fished points and cuts in shallow water with Clouser flies and jigs and caught more than 20 stripers to 20”, bluefish and several nice flounder. Kirk and I fished the same area on our own another day with similar results. Kirk also caught a 20” spotted sea trout, which was a noteworthy catch for that area, since it is the northern extreme of their range. The best fishing was in the afternoon on an incoming tide.
I was back on the water right away after I returned from DE. Rick Happle, from Tampa, FL and Marc Fratello, from Tierra Verde, FL, fished with me on Weds, Oct. 8. We found lots of little tunny feeding on the surface in the gulf just off Siesta Key. They landed 7 or 8 little tunny and a couple of bluefish on Diamond jigs, top water plugs and a Crease fly. We spent the last hour or so of our trip catching a few trout on flies and DOA Deadly Combos near Bishops Point.
The action was still hot the next day when Bob Kahlor, from SC, fished with me off Siesta Key. He caught and released several little tunny and Spanish mackerel on Diamond jigs and top water plugs. Even though fish were in a feeding frenzy, we had to “match the hatch” with something the same size as the glass minnows that they were eating. Fridays’ trip was similar with numerous Spanish mackerel and several little tunny caught on Clouser flies, Crease flies, diamond jigs and top water plugs. We finished the day catching more Spanish mackerel and several trout on deep grass flats near Bishops Point
I look for this action to continue in the near future as long as there isn’t a significant change in weather. Tides improve next week as we head towards a full moon on Tuesday, so flats fishing should also be good.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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October 7, 2008
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Large Spanish mackerel are still hot along the beaches and it is expected to stay that way for some time. We have a lot of baitfish in the bay and coastal waters and it is holding the predator fish. Kingfish, barracuda, shark, little tunny and bluefish are just some of the fish being caught in the mix. You never know what you might hook-up with during the Spring and Fall runs. I like to free-line live fish or large shrimp on a 12 pound test line with about a 4 foot 40 pound mono leader and 6” of #7 or less coffee wire with 3/0 to 4/0 hook. When the kings start to get over 20 pounds, I like to move up to 20 pound test line. If using larger baits, like bluerunners, you need to use larger hooks. 6/0 to 7/0 is what I use. When I am only fishing for Spanish mackerel, I like to use a 4/0 #202 gold long shank hook without wire leader. If you miss a fish with a gold hook, keep the hooks moving fast and the mackerel may hit a bare gold hook.
Trolling with artificial bait is also working. Casting into a feeding frenzy with artificial baits will also work. Fishing around the artificial reefs and watching for bird activity should keep you on the fish.
On the bay in the deep channels, we have had good action with redfish on live bait and a small splitshot. Not large but keeper size snapper and flounder are in the same area. I took a run over to Harts reef in the middle of the bay looking for more snapper and black seabass. I found no snapper or seabass but it was loaded with red grouper. Not keeper size, but large enough to snatch a light rod out of your hands if you were not holding tight. I also hooked a four and a half foot tarpon. A short run and a high jump that sent my hook well behind me. I fish Harts reef a few different ways. The reef has a number of rock piles that can hold fish but it is only about ten feet deep. This time I marked one of the rock piles and anchored within casting distance but not over the rocks. I rigged with 30 to 40 pound mono leader, a splitshot and 3/0 hook and baited with live shrimp. When the fish hits, you need to pull hard and reel fast to keep the fish out of the rocks. You never know what size it will be.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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September 28, 2008
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Saturday morning at first light, we anchored up at the south end of Zwicks channel where the channel starts to choke down. We had none-stop redfish action until we got tired of catching them. Most of the redfish caught where in the slot. We also caught some keeper size flounder and snapper. Live bait, shrimp, or fish with a small splitshot worked well.
Kingfish and Spanish mackerel are hot along the beaches from New Pass to Point of Rocks. Small kings and large Spanish are taking live bait and artificial lures. For now, you just need to look for the birds to find the fish offshore or fish around the numerous artificial reefs within three miles of the beach. Along with the macks, we are finding barracuda, sharks, and little tunny. Sometimes a keeper size grouper would not be unusual.
We have had good runs of kings along the beaches in September for the last few years. I feel this is due to the mild winters that allowed large schools of baitfish to remain in the bay all during the winter. The Redtide also gave the baitfish a head start three years ago by killing off most of the predator fish. That first summer after the Redtide, the shrimp never left the bay and got too large to be good live bait. Give me “Hand-Picks” meant, find me some smaller shrimp.
We are also seeing an increase in some species on the bay like look-downs, Bermuda chubs, 12” barracudas, etc. I don’t mean that we never caught them before; we are just doing it more often. Some fishermen have told me that they had to start carrying a fish identifier book. Not a bad idea for anyone new to the area. If you like to eat fish, it is nice to know if you have a large black sea bass or a small black grouper.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 22, 2008 - 11:42 am: | |
Crane Meadow Lodge, Twin Bridges, MT Fishing Report for 9/13 through 9/19/2008
I was in Twin Bridges, MT last week hosting a group of fly anglers at Crane Meadow Lodge (www.cranemeadow.com) on what was our 7th trip there. The timing was just right this year with the weather being perfect, frost on the ground or mid 30’s in the morning, warming to the mid 70’s with almost no humidity. Unlike several other years when water flow was an issue, we had plenty of water this year due to a good snow pack last winter and spring.
Before I left I fished a few days in Sarasota during the week of Sept. 8th. Fly anglers fishing with me fished deep grass flats on the east side of Sarasota Bay where we caught and released trout, ladyfish, jacks and bluefish on Clouser and Enrico Puglisi flies. We also scored with DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.
On Saturday, Sept. 13, Nick Reding, Bob Harness and Bob Reynolds, all from St. Louis, MO, Mike Perez from Richmond, IN, Bill King from Osprey, FL and I all met up in Bozeman, MT. After collecting our gear, we made the 1 ½ hour drive to Crane Meadow Lodge. Dennis Kinley from NJ joined us on Sunday. The best fishing was on the Beaverhead, Ruby and Big Hole Rivers and on Mill Creek, a tributary to the Ruby River (private water). We rotated anglers, guides and fishing locations daily. The Madison River was not a good option this year due to a gate being stuck open at Hebgen Lake causing an extremely high water flow. Other than that, we were able to fish everywhere else including the Jefferson and Big Hole rivers which have been closed in years past.
I fished a couple of days on the Beaverhead and had great action. Guide Tom Caffrey and I floated from Henneberry to Grasshopper Creek one day and had great action with brown trout to 18” on hoppers and hopper/dropper combos. Mike Perez and I waded with guide Dave King one day at the High Bridge on the Beaverhead and had fast action with browns and rainbows to more than 20”. Most fish were caught on nymph rigs but a few were on dry flies. Mike caught a 24” fish another day, which I think was one of the largest of the trip.
Nick Reding and I fished private water on the Beaverhead one day and his best fish of the day was a big rainbow. He and Mike Perez fished the Ruby another day and had good action. Mike fished a new bamboo rod that performed beautifully for him. The biggest fish that I caught were browns that were close to 20”, which were caught with hoppers on my 4-weight Orvis TLS rod, when Bob Harness and I waded a section of the Ruby River and Mill Creek with guide Tom Caffrey. Bill King and I also floated a day with Tom on the Big Hole and caught a few nice fish. Dennis Kinley had one of his best days ever on the Ruby and Mill Creek on the last day of our trip.
It’s great to watch them blast the hopper as it floats along a current seam! If you’re saltwater angler, these may not sound like big fish, but believe me when you put a fat 18” to 20” brown or rainbow trout in fast water on a 4 or 5-weight rod, you may have your hands full. Proprietor Cody Meine, his staff of guides, Sue (who almost single handedly runs the place) and Chef Nick did a great job. It’s like a home away from home for a week and the wildlife and scenery are incredible. I’m sure I missed several bites while the scenery distracted me from my fly. Whitetail deer, elk, moose and hundreds of the lodge namesakes, Sandhill Cranes, abound. If you are looking for a great western trout fishing experience that has a good mix of floating and wading, you should check out Crane Meadow Lodge.
Back at home, we’ve had a little taste of fall weather with the passing of a front on Thursday. With shorter days and slightly cooler mornings, fishing should get even better in the next few weeks. Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a new moon on Sept. 29th. Fishing deep grass flats for trout, blues and Spanish mackerel, reds in skinny water and snook in the surf or around lighted docks and bridge fenders should all be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide service, Inc.
FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.snookfin-addict.com and www.flyfishingflorida.net |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 10:58 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Florida Keys & Sarasota Fishing Report for 8/30 through 9/7/08
August and September is a slower time of the year for business, although generally speaking fishing is good. I usually take advantage of that and take some time off. After a family vacation to the cool mountains of North Carolina, I headed to the Florida Keys to participate in the Islamorada-Sarasota Shootout fishing tournament. I squeezed a couple of days of fishing in Sarasota in before I left.
My good friend, Capt. Mel Berman, of 970 WFLA’s Capt. Mel radio show spent a day fishing Sarasota Bay with me and we had fast action. We fished deep grass flats along the west side of the bay from Longboat Key Moorings to Buttonwood Harbor. We caught and released trout to 18”, bluefish to 3-pounds, gag grouper to 17”, jacks and ladyfish on a variety of jigs, plastic baits and flies.
I also took Sarasota residents, David Sugar and Don and Campbell Fee, out to fish Sarasota Bay on Labor Day weekend. David and Campbell had recently returned from an Orvis fly fishing school in North Carolina and wanted to give it a shot in the salt. The wind was out of the east that day, so we fished the east side of the bay from Stephens Point to Bayshore Gardens. They caught and released trout, bluefish, jacks and ladyfish on Clouser flies, DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs with shad tails.
My wife, Karen, and I headed for the Keys on Tuesday morning where I would participate in the Islamorada-Sarasota Shootout fishing tournament. It is a low stress, fun fishing tournament with lots of social activities in the evening hosted by a group of anglers headed up by Capt. Pete Lutz in Islamorada and members of the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club from Sarasota. My wife, Karen, and Judy Lutz, from Islamorada, run much of the festivities handling all the weigh ins, raffle prizes, etc.
Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, and I fished 3 days with good friend and fellow Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide, Capt. Duane Baker, from Tavernier, FL (www.keysflatsguide.com) . We usually do well when fishing with Capt. Duane and this trip was no exception. Actually, it was better than ever since Aledia and I each caught and released our biggest bonefish ever! On Wednesday, fishing Florida Bay west of Islamorada with a 20- mph plus wind, Aledia caught and released an 11-pounder with a live shrimp and I caught and released a 10-pounder (both fish weighed on a Boga Grip) on a crab fly pattern. The tournament didn’t start until the following day, but with fish like that who cares! Conditions were better on Thursday, but fish were scarcer and didn’t eat. However, we did have 3 or 4 shots at permit as big as 17 or 18-pounds. On Friday, conditions improved enough to allow us to fish the ocean side near Key Largo. Aledia landed a bonefish big enough to win the bonefish division of the tournament on a live shrimp and I landed a pair of smaller bonefish on flies to come in second.
The tournament is based on a point system for each place won by an angler. The final tally was Islamorada 19 and Sarasota 17. Islamorada won by a nose! With Hurricane Ike spinning towards the Keys like a buzz saw, visitors were ordered out of the Keys on Saturday morning. Hopefully, it will stay far enough south to give us and Keys residents a break.
Next week’s tides improve as we head towards a full moon on the 15th. Fishing deep flats for a variety of fish, reds in skinny water, snook around lighted docks and tarpon in upper Charlotte Harbor should all be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 178
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 - 4:41 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/11 through 8/16/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with snook, tarpon and trout during the week of August 11. The best action continues to be on deep grass flats with a variety of species including trout, bluefish and mangrove snapper. We also had action fishing lighted docks for snook before dawn and large tarpon around bridges and on the flats after daylight.
Charlie and Linda Alexander, from Osprey, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We had steady action with trout to 4 ½ pounds and bluefish on DOA Deadly combos, CAL jigs and Clouser flies along the west side of Sarasota Bay near Buttonwood Harbor and Long Bar.
A couple of other fly fishing trips later in the week produced tarpon and snook. After a 4-hour trip on Wednesday morning, I scouted Sarasota Bay and found tarpon feeding on glass minnows that they had balled up around bridge pilings. I jumped a pair of 75-pound tarpon on my Snook Minnow (a.k.a. Grassett’s Grass Minnow). I tie this fly on a 1/0 owner AKI hook, instead of the normal Mustad 34007 #4 hook, when I throw it at larger fish.
Montana fly fishing guide, Harrison King from Bozeman, MT, fished with me on Friday. We fished lighted docks on the north end of Siesta Key before dawn and he landed several snook, including a 28” fish, on my Grassett’s Snook Minnow. We headed for the tarpon that I had located on Wednesday at dawn and found them crushing glass minnows around bridge pilings. It required finesse and timing to connect with them, but Harrison was up to the challenge. I had him drop his fly in the fray when tarpon busted glass minnows at the surface and a fish inhaled his fly the instant it touched the water! After a 45-minute battle, including numerous jumps, Harrison had the estimated 60 to 70-pound tarpon alongside the boat. Great job!
This type of action should continue into September. There should also be good action with schooling reds in lower Tampa Bay, north Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound and with tarpon of all sizes in upper Charlotte Harbor.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 177
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 1:08 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/28 through 8/10/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with tarpon, trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel the past couple of weeks. Tarpon action slowed along the beaches due to fewer tarpon and poor sight fishing conditions (rough water and lack of sunlight); however they moved inside around bridges and on the flats. The best action has been on deep grass flats along the west side of Sarasota Bay.
Fly angler Hugh Scott, from Atlanta, GA, fished a couple of days with me during the week of July 28th. We fished around bridges before dawn and found tarpon feeding on shadow lines. Hugh had several bites, hooked 3 fish and landed one about 15-pounds on a chartreuse Toad fly. We were actually able to sight fish to tarpon, ranging in size from 10 to 75-pounds, as they cruised and fed along shadow lines. He also had action with trout and bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and Enrico Puglisi flies near Buttonwood Harbor.
Fly angler Rick Happle, from Tampa, FL, fished the same areas with me on Thursday of that week. The tide was poor before dawn and tarpon didn’t feed very well. However, after daylight the tide began to move and we found tarpon crushing glass minnows that they had in a tight ball under a bridge. It was tough to “match the hatch” but after changing flies about 5 or 6 times, I finally tied on my Snook Minnow night snook fly (a.k.a. Grassett’s Grass Minnow). I warned Rick that the #4 Mustad 34007 hook probably wouldn’t hold a big tarpon. Despite long odds, Rick hooked and fought a tarpon of about 60-pounds through numerous jumps while running a gauntlet of crab trap gloats and bridge pilings. After about 30-minutes, we had her alongside the boat. Great job! Rick also caught and released several trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies near Buttonwood Harbor.
Fly anglers Carl Bettinger, from Albuquerque, NM, and Dave Mayers, from MO, fished with me on two different trips during the week of Aug. 4th. They had action with trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish on Ultra hair Clouser flies from the Middleground flat to Buttonwood Harbor. We found tarpon busting ladyfish as they fed on the surface one morning but they were up and down too quickly to get on them.
Bill Colton, from Longboat Key, FL, his son, Bill, and son-in-law, Paul, had similar action using spinning tackle with CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos. Later in the week Allen, Angie & Tori Anaya, from Albuquerque, NM, fished Sarasota Bay with me. They had steady action with trout, bluefish, ladyfish and jacks on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs near Buttonwood Harbor.
Fly angler Braton Machleit, from TN, fished for the 1st time in saltwater with me on Friday. He started the day off with a 10-pound or more juvenile tarpon caught from under a dock on a Grassett’s Snook Minnow fly. The fish banged its head under a boat lift when it jumped, but Braton successfully maneuvered the fish out from under the dock. We fished deep grass flats later in the morning near Buttonwood Harbor where he caught and released ladyfish and trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Saturday’s trip was plagued with thunderstorms and wind. We had a few shots at feeding tarpon before dawn and spent the rest of the trip running away from rain and lightning before cutting the trip short just before a big downpour.
Next week’s tides are favorable for tarpon and snook before dawn and fishing deep grass flats for trout, bluefish and more. Fishing action usually slows by late morning unless it is overcast, so start and finish early for the best action.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 176
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 27, 2008 - 10:25 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 7/14 through 7/27/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout and bluefish in Sarasota Bay during the past couple of weeks. In addition, tarpon are still available in the inshore Gulf of Mexico off Sarasota. Fly anglers had numerous shots at tarpon, several bites and jumped a couple, although sea and sunlight conditions weren’t good.
Visibility was poor and the wind blew from the west most of the week of July 14 slowing tarpon action. We spent portions of each day fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. Anglers fishing with me caught trout to 21”, bluefish to 3-pounds and mangrove snapper on flies, CAL jigs and DOA Deadly Combos. We spent the early part of each day fishing the flats and shifted to the coastal gulf for tarpon by mid morning when the sunlight was the best. Fly anglers Al Cuneo, from Ellenton, and his friend Buzz, from NJ, fished with me on Thursday. They caught and released trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies along the west side of Sarasota Bay near Bishops Point. Newlyweds Dave and Erin Fetco, from KY, fished with me on Friday and caught and released numerous trout and bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and DOA Deadly Combos.
Conditions improved the following week, but only for a day. Fly anglers jumped a pair of tarpon on Monday, one on a chartreuse Toad and another on a floating Enrico Puglisi fly. Another boat fishing nearby also jumped a tarpon on an Enrico Puglisi fly. We were surprised to find the gulf very rough on Tuesday morning due to Hurricane Dolly churning the gulf all the way from Texas. We fished the bay the rest of the week taking a look for tarpon each day. Fly anglers Mike Delaney, from WA, and his brother Bob Delaney, from NY fished with me on Wednesday. They had steady action with trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and Enrico Puglisi flies along the west side of Sarasota Bay. Sea conditions were still rough through Friday, but visibility improved drastically.
Fly angler Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me a few days last week. On Friday we counted about 50 tarpon, mostly singles, doubles and a few triples-not bad for the end of July. He got shots at about a third of them, had several follows and a bite on a chartreuse Toad fly. Conditions were even better on Saturday, but we only saw about a dozen tarpon. However, we got shots at most of them, had a couple of follows and another bite also on a chartreuse Toad fly. We made sure we were off the water in time to attend the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club Tarpon tournament awards banquet that evening. Hal was the winner of the fly fishing division with a fish that he caught while fishing with me earlier in the season. Hal is a dedicated tarpon fly angler and works hard to be successful. Congratulations, Hal!
Although tarpon fishing can be inconsistent in the gulf in late July, it can also be fantastic. It is always worth spending some time to see what’s happening. I always say, you don’t know unless you go. Fishing the flats for trout, bluefish, reds and more early in the day and snook in the surf or around lighted docks and bridge fenders should also be good options the next couple of weeks.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 175
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2008 - 10:45 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/30 through 7/13/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, continued to have action with tarpon on fly and spinning tackle over the past couple of weeks. In addition, fishing deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay has also had good variety and action.
The Notari’s tarpon fished a couple of days with me on June 30 and July 1st. They always seem to have good action and a high percentage of fish landed. Terry Notari, from Longboat Key, FL, his son, Craig, and grandson, James, both from IL, fished with me on Monday, June 30th. They had great action landing 3 out of 3 tarpon jumped including a 110-pounder that Craig landed on a chartreuse Toad fly. On Wednesday, James sat out and his younger brother, Josh, got in on the action. We had 3 bites that day, 2 on live crabs including one that Josh double teamed with his dad, Craig, and another hook up on a chartreuse fly that broke off when the fly line wrapped around the foot of the reel. They landed a total of 4 out of 6 fish over 2 days, which is far above average.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoors editor, Steve Gibson, fished with me on Tuesday, July 1st. The goal was a tarpon on a fly in shallow water and we were successful. We had lots of shots, but fish were deep that day which made it tougher to get the fly in front of them. Steve made a long cast to a single and led the fish by 20 feet. When the fish intercepted the fly, all it took was a single strip and the big fish inhaled Steve’s chartreuse Toad fly. After about 30-minutes we had her alongside the boat. She taped out at a 35” girth and 69” long-close to 120-lbs.
Justin and Brandon Bunting, both from CO, fished with me on July 4 and 5. We spent a couple of hours in the morning each day tarpon fishing and had a few shots, but no bites. They opted to fish Sarasota Bay near Bishops Point later in the morning each day. They caught and released trout, bluefish, mangrove snapper and a big red on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Fly tarpon trips on Monday and Tuesday, July 7 and 8, had lots of shots at tarpon in shallow water, several follows and one fish jumped, again on a chartreuse Toad fly. If you’ve never cast a fly at a 100-pound fish in clear shallow water, you won’t understand the thrill that it is. It’s not for everyone, but it is definitely how I prefer to catch them!
I had a group of 4 anglers on Wednesday. Steve and Liz Stallard, from MI, fished with me and Freddie Parish and Cece Woolf, from Land O’Lakes, FL, fished with Capt. Jack Hartman. Anglers fishing with Capt. Jack jumped 6 fish and landed a pair of tarpon of 100 and 130-lbs. Liz landed a 120-pound fish right away on my boat with a live crab and had another hook up that resulted in 4 or 5 beautiful jumps before the fish jumped off. We headed for shallow water by 9 AM, where Steve had numerous shots at tarpon in shallow water. We had a couple of follows, but no bites.
We had lots of shots at tarpon with a fly in shallow water over the next couple of days, several follows but no hook ups. I subscribe to the theory that being successful with tarpon on a fly is making the right presentation to the right fish. The best candidates are usually high in the water column and moving slow. I prefer singles, doubles and small schools since they are usually post spawn fish at this time of the year.
Bill and Sandy King, from Osprey, FL, fished with me on Saturday. Sandy hooked up right away with a nice fish that was making a long run when it wrapped the line around a half submerged crab trap float and cut us off. Sandy also hooked up with what appeared to be a 7’ or 8’ tiger shark that ate a live threadfin twice. The first time the hook pulled and the second time the big fish chewed through the 80-pound leader. Bill also had some action, getting a couple of bites on the same cast from an aggressive tarpon that tried to eat his Dinner Mint Toad fly (black, chartreuse and olive).
Hopefully tarpon action will continue for the rest of the month. As we get later in the month, tarpon numbers will dwindle as they move to inside waters to feed. Snook in the surf and around lighted docks before dawn or reds, trout and more on shallow flats will also be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 174
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2008 - 11:32 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/16 through 6/29/08
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, jumped and landed several tarpon during the past couple of weeks. We were plagued with west wind for a few days during the week of June 16th, which caused us to fish the bay a couple of days. Jim Ewoldt, from St. Louis, MO, and Bob Maddocks, from AZ, fished with me from June 16 through 18. Jim hooked up briefly with a tarpon on a black and purple Enrico Puglisi fly off Lido Key on Tuesday. The wind turned to the west on Wednesday forcing us into the bay. Jim caught and released trout, ladyfish and bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies near Bishops Point. Gary and Garret Visser, from Charleston, SC, fished with me on June 19th. After a 2-hour rain delay in the morning, we poked our nose into the gulf and found conditions not too bad. However, it didn’t last long. We worked a few schools of tarpon and then the wind switched to the west forcing us into the bay. The action wasn’t fast, but they caught and released trout on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with shad tails at the Marina Jack Flat and near Longboat Key Moorings.
Fly angler Glenn Maddalon, from Danville, CA, tarpon fished with me Friday, Saturday and Monday. He landed a feisty 60-pounder on a black and red bunny fly with bead chain eyes off Lido Key. It was the perfect fish to catch late in the day- a couple of jumps, one long run and then back on the fly line and landed in about 30-minutes. A spin angler fishing with me had a couple of bites and one hook up with a tarpon off Siesta Key on a live crab on Tuesday, June 24th. Tarpon in shallow water were very spooky, spooking on dark flies that were cast as far as 20-feet away from fish.
I had a chance to stand on the bow on Wednesday when Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, fished with me. After several fish spooking on dark and chartreuse flies, we switched to a small tan shrimp pattern. I had a head on shot at a single that pounced on the fly the first time I cast it. I got the fish, an estimated 90-pounder, to the boat in about 35 or 40-minutes. My first of the season! A strong line of thunderstorms chased us off the water early on Thursday. The rest of the week had numerous shots at tarpon with flies, but no eats. Visibility was poor, so many of the fish were on top of us before we could see them, making it tough.
Tarpon will probably thin out as we head away from Tuesday’s new moon, but should resume their normal patterns later in the week. I usually tarpon fish most of July, which offers some of the best fly fishing action of the season for tarpon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 173
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 15, 2008 - 6:41 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 6/8 through 6/15/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had great tarpon action this week. We landed 5 out of 16 tarpon jumped for the week, including a couple jumped on flies. With the 1st quarter of the moon last Tuesday and a full moon on June 16th, tarpon were plentiful and aggressive. We saw numerous large schools of tarpon of 50 or more fish as well as singles, doubles and small schools traveling both north and south. The pattern has been to have a push of tarpon schools at first light for an hour or so and then the action slows until late morning. Once we get a good angle with sunlight, tarpon schools can be spotted crossing light colored bottom in shallow water (4’ to 10’). We also found “laid up” schools of tarpon (sitting still with tails and fins out of the water) at first light several mornings.
Cliff Ondercin, from Sarasota, FL, and his dad, Dennis Ondercin from Middleburg Heights, OH, fished their annual tarpon week from Monday through Friday with me. We had steady action all week long with lots of fish and opportunities. They landed 4 out of 12 tarpon hooked/jumped for the week. We also ran into a big school of nice jacks one day and caught one on a top water plug. Instead of eating mostly live crabs, tarpon switched their diet preference to live pinfish. We only hooked up a couple of times with live crabs and all of the rest of the bites were on live pinfish or a threadfin. Since tarpon were not always showing well on the surface, a live pinfish drifted under a float scored numerous times. Several fish that we cast to were caught or jumped in shallow water, so we got to see the fish eat! The fish landed ranged from 60 to 90-pounds.
The most memorable trip of the week was on Saturday with Hal Lutz, from Parrish, FL, his sister, Lyndi Lutz and her boyfriend, Trent DeWald, both from Dallas, TX. The main goal was to get Lyndi and Trent, who experienced their first saltwater and tarpon fishing trips that weekend, hooked up. Lyndi was first, jumping and landing a feisty 60-pounder on a live crab in about 15-minutes off Siesta Key. She also had another hook up on a live crab in the same area. With a fish under Lyndi’s belt, we headed for shallow water at about 10:30 AM to try and get Trent hooked up and Hal a fish on a fly. Hal hooked up out of a big school with a black and purple Enrico Puglisi Peanut Butter fly only to have the fish come unhooked after it ate the fly and continued to swim toward the boat.
With only 15-miutes left in our trip, Trent had expressed a desire to learn to cast a fly rod, so I gave him a short course. I stood on the bow with him and after 5 or 10-minutes had him false casting about 25 or 30 feet of line with the proper form. That’s when it happened-a single tarpon approached at 10 o’clock position to the bow giving him a perfect “head on” shot. With the fly line already in the air, I had Trent drop the fly in front of the fish and strip it (we hadn’t even covered stripping the fly yet). However, due to his watching Hal fish earlier in the day and watching “Chasing Silver” videos, he instinctively knew what to do. The fish charged the fly and ate only about 15 feet from the boat, Trent strip struck the fish, successfully cleared the line and we were tight! After a 15 or 20-minute battle including numerous jumps, the estimated 90 or 100-pound fish wore through 80-pound bite tippet with the fish only 20-feet from the boat. Awesome! They finished the day landing one out of 4 tarpon hooked/jumped, including 2 on flies.
We are having a good tarpon season so far. Tarpon have been plentiful, although not always eating. If you’ve ever tarpon fished, you know that being successful is a matter of the right presentation to the right fish. Except for a couple of weeks of west wind during the middle of May, conditions have been good and we have had good shots most days. There are more tarpon this year than I can remember recently. Tarpon action should be good as we approach next week’s full moon on Wednesday.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 6:51 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/26 through 6/7/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had action with tarpon during the past couple of weeks. Following a persistent west wind during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of May, the wind finally switched back to the east and allowed us to fish the gulf for tarpon. We had several bites, a couple of hook ups and one fish landed during the week of May 26th. Fly angler, Rick Happle from Tampa, FL, hooked up on Wednesday on a chartreuse Toad fly only to have the hook break causing him to lose the fish. After casting a black and purple Toad into a beautiful school of tarpon about a dozen times, we changed anglers and the color of the fly and he hooked up on his 3rd cast. Fly angler, Hal Lutz from Parrish, FL scored on Saturday, May 31st with an estimated 60-pound tarpon for an entry into the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club tarpon tournament. We found a laid up school of tarpon along Siesta Key at first light and Hal hooked up on his 2nd cast with a black and purple Enrico Puglisi Peanut Butter fly.
The action continued into the following week when fly anglers Mike Merritt and Ron Gager, both from Boulder, CO, fished with me on Monday. Mike had the hot hand that day as he jumped a pair of tarpon on a black Deceiver. One of the fish was on for about 20-minutes and broke off on a jump. The other fish ate the fly in shallow water, so we got to see the bite. Very cool!
Anglers fishing with me the rest of the week were mostly fly fishing except for a couple of spin anglers. Although fish were plentiful, they didn’t bite that well. A new moon on Tuesday, June 3rd, probably had them more focused on spawning rather than eating. Several other anglers that we saw fishing with bait jumped and landed a few fish, but the action wasn’t fast. We also missed a few bites on a DOA Baitbuster, flies and a live crab.
We are entering a good time frame for tarpon. As we move further away from the new moon towards the 1st quarter next week, tides will improve and tarpon should bite better. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for good fishing conditions in the gulf.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 25, 2008 - 6:21 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 5/12 through 5/25/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past couple of weeks with reds, snook and trout on the flats of Sarasota Bay. Due to a persistent west wind, tarpon fishing got off to a slow start. Tarpon arrived in force, but the west winds made the gulf too rough to fish. However, on the 3 days that I was able to get out into the gulf in the past 2 weeks, we saw lots of tarpon.
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, stayed over a couple of days after our Andros South trip and fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, May 12th. He caught and released a pair of snook to 26” and a nice trout near Buttonwood Harbor and north of Long Bar on Crab Clouser flies (olive, tan and white with lots of gold flash). Bill King, from Osprey, FL and Mike Mallod, from Sarasota, FL, fished with me the following day and caught and released about 15 trout on a DOA Deadly Combo near Buttonwood Harbor.
The best day that week was on Wednesday when Kyle Ruffing and Chopper Johnson, both from Sarasota, FL, tarpon fished with me. The wind laid down and the coastal gulf calmed enough to allow is to tarpon fish and we found tarpon schools pouring down the beach. They had more than 15 shots before Chopper hooked up to a feisty 80 or 90-pounder with a chartreuse Toad fly, which is when the real fun began. Chopper was clearing his fly line when a large knot came up through his guides and separated the fly rod in the middle. Chopper fought the fish through numerous jumps with only the butt section of the rod. We got the fish back on the reel, recovered and reassembled the tip section of the fly rod, picked the knot out of the fly line and had the tarpon close to the boat putting some real heat on the fish when a large bull shark showed up and ate the fish!
Patrice Camillieri, from France fished with me on Thursday and Friday and the wind kicked back up out of the west. We did get into the gulf briefly one day and he landed a nice king mackerel on a free-lined blue runner. Although catching a tarpon on a fly was our goal, conditions wouldn’t allow it. In addition to the king, Patrice caught and released snook and trout on Clouser flies in Sarasota and Terra Ceia Bays.
Keith McClintock and Barry Slee, from Lake Forest, IL, Dave Kinnamon, from Milwaukee, WI, Paul from the UK and Steve, from NJ fished with me, Capt. Kelly Stilwell and Capt. Jack Hartman during the week of May 19. The wind blew out of the west all week long ruining our chances for tarpon but fishing in Sarasota Bay was good. Keith, Steve and I got into the gulf briefly one morning and caught a nice false albacore on a jig and Keith landed an 80-pound tarpon in the bay another morning. The group had steady action with reds to 28”, snook to 26” and trout to more than 20” with CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and flies.
When the weather calmed at the end of the week, we found tarpon plentiful in the coastal gulf but not eating very well. This should change by next week as we get further away from last week’s full moon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 18, 2008 - 1:44 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Andros South, Bahamas Fishing Report for 5/3 through 5/10/08
I hosted a group of 9 other anglers during the week of May 3rd through 10th at Andros South Bonefish Lodge on South Andros in the Bahamas. This was my 6th trip to Andros and my 3rd visit to Andros South, one of the best lodges that I have visited anywhere. My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, Bill King from Osprey, FL, Hal Lutz from Parrish, FL, Walt Durkin from Tampa, FL, Frank Rhodes from Auburndale, FL, Harry Davis and Dan Combs from Dalton, GA and Richard Miller and David Dempsey from Atlanta, GA joined me for the week.
The group met at the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport on Saturday morning and anxiously awaited our 1-hour Lynx Air flight over to Congo Town. The level of anticipation was high as group members swapped stories, compared flies and checked their gear over. After arriving, we were picked up at the airport and driven 20-minutes south to the lodge. Andros South is located in the settlement of Kemp's Bay on the eastern shore of South Andros Island in the western Bahamas. South Andros is the southernmost portion of Andros Island, the largest and least-inhabited island in the Bahamas.
South Andros is flanked to the east by The Tongue of the Ocean, a deep-water trough that drops to more than five thousand feet not more than a mile offshore. Along the edge of the drop lies the third largest barrier reef in the world. South Andros Island itself is riddled with innumerable tidal creeks and inland flats, all home to hundreds of thousands of hungry bonefish.
After getting settled, we learned that legendary singer and songwriter, Jimmy Buffett and a few friends would also be visiting for most of the week. Although they would be staying on his 130-foot yacht, the Continental Drifter III, they would be sharing guides with us. Jimmy’s yacht arrived on Saturday afternoon followed by his Grumman Goose and Cessna Caravan float planes and private jet. Although we never had a chance to meet him, we did meet his 1st mate Brian and had numerous fly bys during the week. Frank and I along with our guide, Fredlon, drove up to the yacht, anchored off Jackfish Channel, on the way back to the lodge one afternoon and were in awe of the huge yacht and the Hell’s Bay Marquesas flats boat tethered to its stern. Although we hoped to meet and share a Landshark beer with him, it was fun keeping up with their daily catches through guides Josie and Charlie.
We had a lot of fun during the week. Fishing was fantastic some days and just like anywhere else, was slow a few days. Most anglers averaged 4 or 5 fish per person per day. Some of the best parts of the trip were the fantastic meals, sharing a cool drink at the Slack Tide Tiki bar each evening and swapping fish tales.
Some of the more memorable events of the week were when Richard jumped an 85-pound tarpon on a bonefish fly with an 8-weight while fishing with guide Lonix. Richard and Dan also had non-stop action while wading a lagoon with Torrie one day. Richard and I fished the Jackfish Channel flats, Water and Curly Cut Cays with guide Fredlon on our last day and had lots of action. We doubled several times while working a large school of bones at the Water Cays. David and Harry fished with guide Torrie one day and David landed a memorable 4-pounder that ran into the mangroves but was still landed. Harry also had a good day that day landing a 7-pound fish, one of the largest of the trip. David and Harry encountered some permit while fishing with guide Ellie and Harry saved the day by grabbing Ellie’s push pole out of mid air as it bounced out of the boat while they were running.
Hal and Bill fished a few days with guide Torrie and Hal landed a 4-pound bone on his first day with his new Orvis Helios rod. Bill also caught a nice bonefish of 4 ½ -pounds that snuck up on them while they were targeting tarpon. My brother Kirk and I fished together with guide Josie on the first day. We waded all morning long on a large flat in Grassy Creek and encountered a large school of bones on a point. Kirk caught a big single that day and together we caught and released 12 to 15 quality fish. Kirk also caught a couple of big ‘cudas on top water plugs with spinning tackle. Josie was cleaning one at the boat when a big shark charged from under the boat cutting the ‘cuda in half only 10” from his hand!
Dan caught 4 nice bonefish out of one school while fishing with Harry and guide Josie. He also fished with guide Norman one day and got some helpful casting tips. Walt had several good days. He landed a 5’ blacktip shark one day and hooked another that had to be over 7’ in length and more than 100-pounds on a popper with a 10-weight rod while he and I fished with guide Lonix. He also hooked a legitimate double digit bonefish one day. Walt and Kirk fished with guide Ellie and had nonstop action with a school of over 500 bonefish on a point. They also encountered some tailing permit that day.
Frank and I had one of the best days of the trip when we fished the “airplane flat” on the southwest corner of Andros with guide Fredlon. The broad flat, which is well offshore of Fish Key, has a crashed airplane on it left over from past drug smuggling days. We fished one of the largest schools of bonefish that I have ever seen-thousands of fish! We caught about 30 fish each for the day and most were 3-pounds or more. Frank stood in one spot and cast 17 times and landed 17 bones-a great day! David and I had a good day fishing the west side with guide Norman. One of the more memorable fish was when Dan and I fished Grassy Creek with guide Timothy. I cast to 3 large bonefish that were cruising a mangrove shoreline on a flood tide. A wind gust pushed the end of my fly line over a small mangrove bush just as I released the cast, but that didn’t stop the biggest fish in the group from charging and eating my Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp fly. Then the real fun began as the fish weaved its way through another 5 or 6 mangrove bushes. I bailed out of the boat and ran the fish down finally landing it way up in the mangroves!
A few other memorable events of the trip were the multiple “blue holes” with sharks, tarpon, jacks, ‘cudas and more in them, Gloria’s cooking, taking care of LD (short for Little Dog) with leftovers at Little Creek each day, stalking big bonefish singles, doubles and massive schools. Torrie saying at the end of the day, can’t you hear that sound, “Kalik-Kalik”, coming from the cooler? Frank has been to many fishing destinations around the world and he rates Andros South as one of the best lodges he has visited. All in all it was a great trip. I can’t wait to go back again next year! I should have a full slide show posted on my web site within the next few days.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 169
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008 - 12:32 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/28 through 5/2/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout, bluefish and snook during the week of April 28th. The best action was on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay with trout and bluefish.
Fly anglers Jack Sinton and Dave Duerson, both from Bend, OR, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, April 28th. They had action with trout and bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor. The best fish of the day was a 26” snook that Dave sight fished with a Clouser fly along Sister Key.
Quent Daggett and his fishing partner Dave, both from Portland, OR, fished the same areas with me on Tuesday and Wednesday. Fish thinned out and the action slowed in skinny water following a front on Monday afternoon, but they had some action with trout and bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies on deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor.
Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL and his brother, Brian, fished the same areas with me on Thursday. They caught and released trout and bluefish on DOA Deadly combos and CAL jigs with shad tails in the same areas that produced for us earlier in the week. Despite fishing hard for reds and snook in skinny water, they didn’t cooperate.
I spent Friday getting myself packed for my annual trip to Andros South Bonefish Lodge. The lodge is one of only a few lodges on the south end of Andros Island. I’ll follow up on that trip in a separate report within a few days.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 168
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 27, 2008 - 9:17 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/13 through 4/27/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past couple of weeks with reds, snook, trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. The best action was in Sarasota Bay with trout and reds.
Fly angler Rob Cecil, from CA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on a blustery day on Monday, April 14. It was very windy, so we fished protected water south of the Ringling Causeway and in Roberts Bay. Rob caught and released a few trout and ladyfish on Clouser flies on his first saltwater fly fishing trip.
We were plagued with wind most of that week. Tuesday’s trip was cancelled due to winds above 20-mph. Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoors editor, Steve Gibson, and I traveled to Stuart on Tuesday afternoon to fish a day with DOA lure maker Mark Nichols. We were hopeful for good conditions, even though the forecast was bleak. Unfortunately the forecast was correct as the wind blew 25 to 30-mph. Our plan was to target trophy trout, but that wasn’t in the cards that day. We retreated to canals in the Indian River near Sewell’s Point where we caught and released several snook, jacks and a flounder on DOA shrimp and CAL jigs with shad tails.
Bill and Sandy King, from Osprey, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They had steady action with trout and bluefish on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and Clouser flies. The best action was near Buttonwood Harbor. I was the instructor at an Orvis-Endorsed fly casting school out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Saturday, April 9. Several students participated and now have a solid foundation to build their fly casting skills on. I was back on the water on Sunday morning with fly anglers Peter and Nini Seaman, from CA. We caught and released ladyfish, trout and Spanish mackerel at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor before heading into skinny water north of Long Bar where they had numerous shots at reds and snook in skinny water. The highlight of the trip was when Nini landed a nice snook on a Clouser fly along a mangrove shoreline. Her first snook on a fly!
Fly angler Dave Andrews, from El Jobean, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. He caught and released a dozen trout to 18”, a nice Spanish mackerel and a red on Clouser flies near Devilfish Key. Lew Armitage, from Piney Point, FL and his son, Gary, from Texas fished snook on a night trip with me on Wednesday evening. They caught and released ladyfish and trout before dusk on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and one snook after dark on a Grassett’s Grass (Snook) Minnow fly in Blackburn Bay.
I had the pleasure of having Mark Nichols of DOA Fishing Lures and his wife, Jenny, fishing with me on Friday and Saturday. We participated in the Sarasota CCA “Photo All-Release” Challenge on Saturday. Friday was a great day with over a dozen reds, numerous trout and several snook caught and released in Sarasota Bay. Trout were caught on deep grass flats at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor on DOA shrimp and CAL jigs and more than a dozen reds and snook were caught in skinny water on CAL jigs north of Long Bar. With a plan in place we fished the same areas on Saturday. Fishing was slower on Saturday, but we entered a few reds, snook and trout. I had a slam, but it wasn’t strong enough to win anything. This event, which is in its 13th year, is a fun filled, low stress fishing tournament that also raises money for CCA’s conservation efforts.
Next week’s tides are favorable for fishing flats or the coastal gulf, particularly towards the end of the week. Look for tarpon fishing to take off as we approach a new moon on May 5th. Also, with water temperatures approaching the upper 70’s, tarpon should begin schooling along our beaches any day now.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 167
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 8:08 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 4/7 through 4/13/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with a variety of fish during the past week. Anglers using spin tackle caught and released reds, trout, bluefish and a pompano. Fly anglers scored with trout, ladyfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and a red. The best action was with reds in north Sarasota Bay towards the end of the week.
Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club members, Nick Colantonio and John Cornacchia, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released trout, ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel at the Middleground flat, Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor on a variety of flies. The action wasn’t particularly fast, but was steady. A couple of fly trips proved to be very challenging. Sight casting to reds and snook in skinny water in Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound was tough. We had numerous shots, particularly in Sarasota Bay, and only got a pair of reds to eat.
Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They had good action with trout to 18”, bluefish and ladyfish at the same spots we fished on Monday. The best action in Sarasota Bay was with reds at the end of the week. Jim Essig and Ken Kolinski, both from OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We found lots of reds in Sarasota Bay north of Long Bar. There was a mix of rat reds (17” to 20”), which were much more aggressive and large reds up to 30”, that were much smarter. Ken and Jim caught and released a dozen reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. Sight casting CAL jigs to reds in skinny water and working them slowly along the bottom was most effective.
John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, Fl, and his daughter, Chris Ryan, fished the same area with me on Saturday morning. After watching the reds behavior for several days, we really got dialed into them that day. Smaller reds wanted a CAL jig crawled slowly along the bottom in skinny water and bigger reds were less spooky and easier to catch in deeper water. They had a banner day, catching and releasing numerous trout and a pompano at the Middleground flat and Stephens Point before moving on to reds in skinny water. We fished the same shallow area north of Long Bar where they caught and released 20 or 25 reds to 30”. With a very high tide, reds were tight to a shoreline and feeding on crabs around oyster bars. A great day!
Next week’s tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a full moon next weekend. Fishing should be good in shallow water for a variety of species. Many anglers are still waiting for the coastal gulf to turn on after a few spurts of activity recently.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 166
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 9:00 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/26 through 4/6/2008
Anglers fishing with me for the past 10 days had good action with a variety of species. Reds, trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel were caught and released by anglers using fly and spin tackle. The best action continues to be on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. A couple of schools of large reds provided fast action in Sarasota Bay until fishing pressure made them disappear. Fly anglers had limited success sight casting to cruising reds and snook.
Fly angler, Denis Clohisy from WI, and Brian McInnis, from Sarasota, FL, fished 3 days with me from March 26-29. We fished Little Sarasota and Blackburn Bays the first day on an afternoon/evening trip. They caught and released ladyfish and a few trout on flies and CAL jigs on deep grass flats late in the afternoon. After dark we fished lighted docks and despite a good outgoing tide, snook didn’t cooperate.
The next 2 days we fished Stephens Point, the Middleground flat and near Buttonwood Harbor in Sarasota Bay where they had good action with trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails. The best action was on Friday when we got on a large school of oversize reds in north Sarasota Bay near Bayshore Gardens. They caught and released more than 10 reds to 30” with 7 of them caught on large white flies (Clousers, Deceivers and Mirrolure flies). The flies matched the white bait (pilchards) that the school was feeding on. The reds, one of a couple of schools that had been around for a couple of months, finally disappeared due to excessive pressure.
I was a seminar speaker at the National Fly Fishing Exposition in Lakeland, FL, on the weekend of March 29 and 30. The successful event featured fly tackle vendors, seminars and casting demonstrations. Sarasota winter resident, Gary Wagner, and a guest fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, March 31st. They had fast action with trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel caught on CAL jigs with shad tails on both sides of the bay at Stephens Point, the Middleground flat and along the west side of the bay from Longboat Key Moorings to Buttonwood Harbor.
The rest of the week was spent with fly anglers mostly fishing the Terra Ceia area and it proved to be a challenging week. Sight casting to reds and snook in shallow water was our goal and we found them very finicky. Numerous fish would put their nose right on the fly and follow it but wouldn’t bite. They were in a better mood on Wednesday when Longboat Key winter resident and friend, Nick Reding, fished with me. We fished the Terra Ceia area where Nick hooked 4 reds and landed 3 of them on a chartreuse over white Clouser fly. He sight cast to cruising reds while I poled my flats skiff and while we waded shallow flats. Although this is one of the most challenging types of fishing, it is also one of the most rewarding. It requires accurate casting, but when everything is right you can watch a fish’s body language as it reacts to your fly and eats.
Tides are good as we head into the first few days of next week. I expect flats fishing for reds, snook and trout to get better as the weather gets more stable and baitfish become more plentiful. April is usually one of the best months of the year for fishing the flats. In addition, action in the coastal gulf waters should get better with Spanish and king mackerel, cobia and tripletail. There is still space available in CB’s Saltwater Outfitter’s Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday, April 19. Cost is $150 and includes a textbook, instructional video and lunch. I will be the instructor, so you can contact me or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 3/16 through 3/26/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the past 10 days. Anglers using spinning tackle scored with snook, reds, pompano, Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Fly anglers caught and released trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano and reds. The best action was with snook on the flats of Terra Ceia and Sarasota Bays.
Fly angler, Stephen Lewis, and his son, Danny, from Brooklyn, NY and brother-in-law, Murray, from Austin, TX, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sunday morning, March 16th. They caught and released ladyfish, trout, Spanish mackerel and pompano, including a 4 ½ pounder that Murray caught on a CAL jig with a shad tail at the Radio Tower flat. That afternoon fly anglers, Dick Stevens, from Enfield, CT and his son, Sean Stevens, from WY, fished Sarasota Bay with me. They had fast action with Spanish mackerel, trout and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephens Point. We then headed to the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor where they caught and released a 4-pound pompano and a 30” red, both on Ultra hair Clouser flies. We encountered a large school of oversized reds, much like you would find in late summer. It’s good to be in the right place at the right time!
Long time customer and friend, Rick Peregord from Southgate, MI, fished with me on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (March 17, 18 and 20). Rick fishes 3 days with me every year in the middle of March. He is a bass angler and can cast well around docks, etc, which means he is usually successful targeting snook and reds. We fished the Terra Ceia area on Monday where he caught and released 7 snook to 23” on CAL jigs with shad tails. The following day we fished Sarasota Bay where he caught and released 4 reds and 3 or 4 snook to 27”. On Thursday conditions were perfect with a good tide and a front just passing through. Rick had a personal best day in Sarasota’s Roberts Bay with about 15 snook to 25” and 3 reds to 24”, all on CAL jigs with shad tails. Best colors were Arkansas Glow Shiner and Stark Naked. The tally for the 3 days was about 25 snook and 7 reds.
Fly angler Kirk Norris, from Des Moines, IA, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Wednesday. We had a south wind of 15 to 25-mph, which made things very challenging. Kirk caught a few ladyfish and trout, but reds and snook were too tough that day due to conditions.
Mike Sprague, from NJ, and his brother-in-law Rick, from GA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. The best action was with bluefish and ladyfish at Stephens Point. They caught and released about a dozen blues to 3-pounds on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Fly angler, John Wolfstaetter and his dad, Paul Wolfstaetter, both from NY, fished the Terra Ceia area with me on Saturday, March 22nd. It rained most of the day and poured for the last 4 hours of the trip. Despite miserable conditions, they hung in there all day. It paid off for John with a red and a nice trout on a chartreuse/white Clouser fly. Fly angler, Dave Macomber from St. Paul, MN, fished Blackburn Bay and “snook alley” with me on Monday afternoon and evening. Despite 20 to 25-mph winds, fishing was good. Dave caught and released about a dozen ladyfish and a couple of trout before dark with an Estaz Marabou fly. We shifted to fishing docks after dark where he caught and released more than 10 snook to 24” on my Grass (Snook) Minnow fly.
The next morning, fly angler Marc Chiapperino, and his son, Marc, from NJ, fished Sarasota Bay with me. It was cold, 49 degrees, when we started at 9 AM but fishing was steady. They caught and released ladyfish, about a dozen trout to 18” and a bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails at Stephens Point.
The weather should be more stable as we head into April, which will make fishing more dependable. With fronts still pushing through, water temperature fluctuating up and down and lots of wind, fishing has been challenging especially after the passing of a front. Both skinny water and coastal gulf fishing should improve with more stable weather in April.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 15, 2008 - 7:17 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 2/25 through 3/15/2008
Anglers fishing with me the past several weeks had good action in Sarasota Bay with trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and pompano on flies and jigs. Anglers fishing Charlotte Harbor scored with trout and reds. Despite water temperatures being up and down with the passing of several fronts, fishing has remained fairly consistent.
Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, and Brian Green, from Ontario, Canada fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Feb. 25th. They had steady action with bluefish in Big Pass and trout, Spanish mackerel and blues at the Middleground Flat and at Stephens Point on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad and grub tails. Mike Perez, from Richmond, IN, and Jeff Hanna, from MI, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday, Feb. 26th that week. They caught and released trout, ladyfish and a red with CAL jigs and flies on deep grass flats and around sand bars. Mike also fished Sarasota Bay with me later that week. We found the action a little slower, but the best action was on deep grass flats with Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
I attended the Florida Guides Association’s annual meeting and did a Saltwater Fly Fishing seminar at the Frank Sargeant Show on Sunday, March 2nd. Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me and had fast action with blues in Big Pass and bluefish, Spanish mackerel and trout at the Middleground flat and Stephens Point on CAL jigs on Monday, March 3rd. Dick Reece fished the next day with me in Sarasota Bay before heading back north. The action was a little slower but included trout, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs. Fly anglers Nick Reding and Jim Ewoldt, both from St. Louis, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday and Thursday that week. The best action was on deep grass flats near Buttonwood Harbor, Stephens Point and the Middleground flat where they caught pompano, Spanish mackerel and trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. Friday’s trip got blown out after only 2-hours when 25-30-mph winds swept in ahead of a front. That meant good weather for a fishing show that weekend as I spoke at the Sarasota Florida Sportsman Show and helped DOA Fishing Lures out at their booth on Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9.
I was back on the water on Monday morning with fly anglers Jeff Wagner, from UT, and his uncle, Chub Bortz from PA. They caught and released trout, ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on a variety of flies in Sarasota Bay. Firman Schlabaugh and Junior Miller, both from Sarasota, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Tuesday. They had a banner day catching about a dozen trout to over 20”, with most fish in the upper end of the slot, around sand bars in Gasparilla Sound. We spent the afternoon targeting reds and they caught 7 reds to 30” along mangrove shorelines and sand bars in Turtle Bay. All fish were caught on CAL jigs with shad or grub tails.
Joe Scotti and Bill Crowley, from Nokomis, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. The best action was with trout on deep grass flats from the Radio Tower flat to Buttonwood Harbor. They caught and released 25 or 30 trout, including several over 20”, bluefish and Spanish mackerel with CAL jigs and shad or grub tails. Trout action came on strong in both Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor last week. I have been asking clients to release all trout in Sarasota Bay to help their recovery. Following the red tides of 2005 and 2006, trout were just about wiped out in Sarasota Bay. It was only last fall that they began to recover and are now on their way to a healthy level. Mike Stehlik, from MN, and his brother Dennis Stehlik, from Chicago, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. They caught and released about a dozen trout to 18” in Gasparilla Sound and 4 reds to 24” in Turtle Bay on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails.
Tides will improve next week as we head toward a full moon on Friday. Fishing deep grass flats for trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and pompano in Sarasota Bay and reds and trout in Gasparilla Sound should continue to be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 24, 2008 - 1:30 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 2/18 through 2/24/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action this week with Spanish mackerel, bluefish, trout and redfish. We also caught and released a few snook on an evening trip.
Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, his son-in-law, Dave Reinhart, and grandson, Daniel Reinhart, both from Lennox, MA, joined me for a trip in Sarasota Bay on Monday. They caught numerous bluefish in Big Pass and Spanish mackerel, bluefish and trout at the Middleground flat on CAL jigs with shad tails. We moved to skinny water near Bishops Point for the last portion of our trip and they each caught and released a redfish, also on CAL jigs with shad tails.
The next day, Charlie Troccia, from Dalton, MA and sons, Travis and Dan, fished the same areas with me. The action was a little slower, but they still managed to catch bluefish in Big Pass and blues, Spanish mackerel and trout at the Middleground flat on CAL jigs with a variety of tails. That evening Firman Schlabaugh and Junior Miller, both from Sarasota, joined me for an evening trip. We found a mix of ladyfish and snook feeding heavily on glass minnows near the Venice Inlet, but they were being very selective. Firman and Junior caught and released 4 snook to 22” on CAL jigs with glow curly tails, one on my Grassett’s Grass (Snook) Minnow fly and lost a couple more.
A mechanical problem sidelined me the next day. A seal failed on the lower unit of my outboard causing an oil leak, but I was up and running again by Thursday. Dennis Stehlik, from IL, and Ron Mosetich, from RI, fished with me on Thursday and Friday. We fished Sarasota Bay on Thursday and caught and released bluefish in Big Pass, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and trout at the Middleground flat and 3 reds near Bishops Point. We fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor on Friday where they caught more than 30 trout to 20”, including 3 in the slot, on DOA Deadly Combos. We spent the afternoon fishing skinny water in Gasparilla Sound. We saw lots of nice reds and several snook on the flats and caught and released a 25” red on a CAL jig with an Arkansas Glow Shiner shad tail.
I was the instructor for an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Saturday held out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. If you are interested in learning how to fly cast or improving your fly casting skills we have several more schools scheduled on March 15th, April 5th and 19th. Contact me or CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 to sign up. Cost is $150 per student and includes a textbook, instructional video and lunch. We are heading into a great time of the year for fishing the flats and coastal gulf waters. Fishing is good and should get even better in March.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 162
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 4:59 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 1/29 through 2/17/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor during the past couple of weeks. Sarasota Bay had the most variety and best action with bluefish, pompano, Spanish mackerel and trout. Anglers fishing Charlotte Harbor with me also had good action with trout.
Fly angler Pete Walacko, from MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Jan. 31st. It was Pete’s first saltwater fly fishing trip, so the goal was to catch a few fish and get comfortable with different tackle and techniques. Pete caught and released trout, ladyfish and bluefish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line in Big Pass and in Roberts Bay.
I was gone on a short vacation the following week and I returned with one of the worst cases of the flu that I’ve ever had, causing me to miss the next 3 days of fishing. While I was out sick my son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton, filled in for me on one of the days and took fly anglers Marshall Dinerman, from Atlanta, GA and his guest fishing in Sarasota Bay. They caught and released several pompano in Big Pass and ladyfish in Roberts Bay on Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
Dick Reece, from Dayton, OH, and Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday, Feb. 12th. They had fast action with bluefish in Big Pass and trout at Stephens Point on CAL jigs with shad tails. Leonard Calhoun, from Toronto, ON, and his friend, Murray, also from ON, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Thursday. They caught more than 20 trout to 19”, including 7 or 8 fish in the slot, on CAL jigs with shad tails. The best action was in Gasparilla Sound and in Bull Bay.
Fly angler Tom Newman, from Oakton, VA, got blown out of a trip with me on Wednesday, but we were able to make it up on Saturday due to a cancellation. Tom caught and released bluefish, Spanish mackerel and trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and my Flats Minnow fly. He caught and released 6 or 8 blues and a Spanish mackerel in Big Pass and at the Middleground flat. The best action was sight-casting big trout in potholes near Long Bar where Tom caught and released several trout including a 3-pounder and a pair that went over 4-pounds.
Next week’s tides are favorable for reds and trout in potholes of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor as we head towards a full moon on Feb. 20th. Also, the action with bluefish and Spanish mackerel in the passes and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay should continue. A front forecast to move through on Monday will cool things off for a couple of days but we should be back to normal by Thursday.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Username: Snook_finaddict
Post Number: 161
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 28, 2008 - 7:04 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 1/18 through 1/28/08
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with a variety of fish during the past week and a half. Fly anglers caught and released bluefish, trout and ladyfish while anglers using spinning tackle caught and released reds, trout and bluefish. The best action was with bluefish in Big Pass and reds along the west side of Sarasota Bay.
Sarasota winter residents, Sam Semel and Bruce Feldman, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday, Jan. 18th. They had fast action with blues in Big Pass on Diamond jigs and MirroLure Top Pups and trout to 18” on CAL jigs at the Marina Jack flat. That afternoon Bill Gallagher and Ray Smith, both from MD, had similar action fishing the same areas with Clouser flies and CAL jigs.
Sarasota winter resident, Harry Beaty, and his guest, Paul Rotz from Ontario, Canada, fished with me the following Wednesday. They caught about a dozen blues to 1 ½ lbs. in Big Pass before we headed into the bay to fish for trout and reds. They caught and released about a dozen trout and a nice Spanish mackerel near Bishops Point and 7 or 8 reds to 27” near Buttonwood Harbor on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune outdoors editor, Steve Gibson, joined me for a trip on Friday. The focus of the story was to be reds in Sarasota Bay, but a front pushed through on Thursday evening changing our game plan to “post front” fishing. With a stiff northeast wind and water in the high 50’s, we had our work cut out for us. We fished the east side of Sarasota Bay, where we caught and released a red and several trout to 18” on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Fly angler, Hal Lutz from Parish, FL, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Saturday. Hal is an experienced fly angler with several giant tarpon jumped or landed to his credit, but hadn’t done much shallow water fly fishing for reds, snook and trout. Sight fishing was our goal, but visibility wasn’t great. We worked potholes and mullet schools and Hal scored his first red and trout on my Flats Minnow fly. This fly is now available in the spring 2008 Orvis catalog and at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters along with my night snook fly, Grassett’s Snook Minnow (a.k.a. Grass Minnow).
Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and his guest, Dave Eakin from Richland, WA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught about a dozen bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and MirrOlure Top Pups in Big Pass to start the day off. During the rest of the day, they caught and released 7 or 8 trout, including a pair of 20” trout, 7 reds and a 3-lb. bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails. The best action was with reds near Buttonwood Harbor and with the big trout and bluefish along the east side of Sarasota Bay.
The weather pattern looks good for the next several days and tides will improve as we head toward a new moon on Feb. 6th. Reds and trout in potholes of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor and trout and bluefish in Sarasota Bay should all be good options.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 17, 2008 - 6:53 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 1/8 through 1/17/2008
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor during the past 10 days. Fly anglers scored with trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish. In addition to those species, anglers using spinning tackle also caught and released big reds, little tunny and flounder. Fishing for trout was best in Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor while the best action with reds was in Sarasota Bay.
Fly anglers, Richard Ives from MI, and his brother-in-law, Bob, from VA fished Sarasota Bay with me on Jan. 8th. We worked lots false albacore in the coastal gulf off Lido Key, but they were up and down so fast that we couldn’t do anything with them. We did catch and release one Spanish mackerel on an Ultra Hair Clouser fly fished on an intermediate fly line before heading into Sarasota Bay and where we found some nice reds scattered along a sand bar near Buttonwood Harbor. Richard caught and released 3 on CAL jigs with shad tails while backing up Bob, who was casting a fly while I poled the boat. We finished the day with a dozen trout on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fishing deep grass near Whale Key.
The next day, Keith McClintock from Lake Forest, IL, and his son-in-law, Rick Anderson, also from IL, fished the same areas with me. Although the little tunny were still moving fast and not giving good shots, we could throw a top water plug far enough to get in front of them. Rick caught and released a nice little tunny on a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. before we headed for the reds. In addition to the reds, which were where we left them the day before, we also caught about 10 trout to 20” and about 6 nice blues to 4-pounds. They caught and released 8 reds to 28”, including several over the slot. Everything was caught with CAL jigs with shad tails.
Fly angler, Capt. Joe Schwab from San Diego, CA, fished with me the next 2 days. Joe is a retired, big boat skipper who spent more than 20 years fishing marlin and tuna on trips from southern California to Baja, Mexico. After spending years chasing big marlin and tuna, Joe likes to relax now by sight fishing with a fly, so that was our plan. Although we saw quite a few reds in Sarasota on Thursday and had a few shots, we didn’t get one to eat. We headed for Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor on Friday hoping to find tailing reds or sight fishing opportunities by wading sand bars. However, the weather turned on us as winds picked up and clouds moved in. We salvaged the day with trout, ladyfish and a bluefish caught and released in Gasparilla Sound with Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on an intermediate fly line.
The next 2 days were also spent in Charlotte Harbor with Sarasota winter residents, Tom Lamb and Lee Williams, on Monday and Keith McClintock, from Lake Forest, IL, and Victor Feldman, from Champagne, IL, on Tuesday. Both parties caught and released trout to 21”, several reds and snook to 24”. The best day was Tuesday when we caught about 10 slot size trout to 21”. Cal Jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos accounted for all the fish.
The wind cranked up ahead of an approaching front on Wednesday so I fished Little Sarasota Bay, which offers some protection from wind, with Manuel Pretti and Donald Chiappelli, both from PA. Despite 15 to 20-mph winds, they caught and released trout, ladyfish, flounder, reds and grouper. The best action was near Blackburn Point. All fish were caught with CAL jigs and shad or grub tails. I awoke to a driving rain storm on Thursday morning, forcing the cancelation of that day’s fishing.
With water temperatures in the low 60’s, no drastic temperature changes on the horizon for the next week and good tides as we head toward a full moon on the 22nd, fishing should continue to be good. Tides are favorable for reds and trout in potholes or tailing reds in Gasparilla Sound and reds, trout and more in Sarasota Bay.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 159
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 07, 2008 - 3:18 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/26/07 through 1/7/08
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action during the week from Christmas to New Years Day. Fly anglers caught and released trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies in Sarasota Bay. Anglers using conventional tackle caught and released trout, reds, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish in Charlotte Harbor and Sarasota Bay. A strong cold front moved through on New Year’s Day forcing the cancellation of the next couple of days of fishing and slowing the action dramatically.
Michelle Ford, from Nokomis, FL, and her dad, Ray Ford, from Brogue, PA, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Dec. 26th. They caught and released numerous trout to more than 20” and a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. Brian and Joanne Shenstone, from Gross Pointe Woods, MI, fished Sarasota Bay with me the next day. They had fast action with bluefish, Spanish mackerel, trout and large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies fished on intermediate and sink tip fly lines. The best action was in Big Pass and on the west side of Sarasota Bay near Buttonwood Harbor.
Keith McClintock, From Lake Forest, IL, and his son Steve McClintock, from Pittsburgh, PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. They had great action with trout, bluefish and 4 reds to 30” on CAL jigs with shad tails. We caught reds along sand bars on both sides of the bay. The best action with reds and trout was on the west side of the bay near Buttonwood Harbor. Fly anglers Nick Reding and Bob Harness, both from St. Louis, MO, fished some of the same areas with me on Saturday. Our main goal was to catch a redfish on a fly, but we had to settle for a few trout. My son, Bryan Gibson from Sarasota, FL, joined me for a trip in Sarasota Bay on New Year’s Eve day. We had fast action with bluefish, Spanish mackerel, trout and large ladyfish on diamond jigs and MirrOlure Top Dog, Jrs. in Big Pass and near Buttonwood Harbor.
A strong front pushed through Sarasota on New Year’s Day plummeting air temperatures into the 30’s and 40’s and dropping water temperatures as low as 49 degrees. I cancelled the next 2 days of fishing before testing the waters again on Friday. Fly angler Damon Dunn, from the Chicago area, fished with me and we almost didn’t launch the boat. Even though the forecast was better, the wind was 15 to 20-mph and the air temperature was in the mid 50’s at the dock that morning. Water temperatures ranged from 49 degrees to the mid 50’s and we found several stunned and dead fish (jacks, juvenile barracuda, snook, catfish and an estimated 60 or 70-pound goliath grouper). We spent some time trying to revive the Goliath grouper, but I don’t know if we were successful. We persevered and caught a snook and a small gag grouper on a chartreuse/olive Ultra Hair Clouser fly at the Grouper Hole on the west side of Gasparilla Sound. Conditions were a little better on Saturday when Nick Reding joined me for another trip in Sarasota Bay. We started at 10:30 AM and the water temperature was in the mid 50’s. We saw quite a few reds in north Sarasota Bay and caught one red and a trout.
The water temperature warmed back up to the low 60’s by Sunday afternoon. With several warm days in the forecast, fishing should return to normal within a few days. Although our inshore water cools quickly due to its shallow depth, it also warms just as fast. This week’s tides are favorable for tailing reds in Gasparilla Sound or reds in potholes in Sarasota Bay. Trout and bluefish should also be good options on deep grass flats.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 158
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 07, 2008 - 3:17 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/17 through 12/25/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with trout and bluefish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay recently. In addition, we also caught scattered large Spanish mackerel and pompano in the same areas.
Fly angler Jeff Miller and his son, Reed, from St. Petersburg, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me a couple of days on Dec. 19 and 20. They caught a variety of fish, including trout ladyfish and bluefish, on deep grass flats with Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. The action got better toward the end of the week. Fly angler Mark Eddy, from CO, fished with me on Friday morning and had similar action with Clouser flies fished on an intermediate sink tip fly line.
Sarasota winter resident, Tom Lamb, his daughter, Diane and granddaughter, Katherine, joined me for an afternoon trip on Friday. They had steady action with trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and flounder on CAL jigs with a variety of tails and DOA Deadly Combos. Katherine had the hot hand that day landing several quality fish including a large Spanish mackerel.
Longtime friends and customers, John Collins from CA, his brother-in-law Greg Weatherby and nephew, Peter Weatherby, both from RI, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Saturday. They had steady action most of the day on deep grass flats on the west side of Sarasota Bay with trout, bluefish and large Spanish mackerel caught on Clouser flies and CAL jigs with shad tails and jerk worms. We caught some of the largest Spanish mackerel that I have seen in Sarasota Bay in a quite a while. One of the fish weighed 5-pounds on a Boga Grip before being released and we estimated another, much larger one, at 7 or 8-pounds.
The action continued this week as David Farbman, from MI, and his dad, Burt Farbman, from Sarasota joined me for a trip in Sarasota Bay on Monday morning, Christmas Eve day. They had steady action near Bishop Point with trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and a pompano. Most fish were caught on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos. I gave Dave some hands on, basic fly casting instruction and he was able to catch a couple of trout with a fly in addition to many that they both caught with spinning tackle.
I‘d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year! Hopefully you got to spend some quality time with family and friends. Negative low tides later this week are favorable for reds in potholes or tailing in backcountry areas of Gasparilla Sound. In addition, trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and more should be found on deep grass flats of Gasparilla Sound and Sarasota Bay.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 157
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 - 4:47 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 12/5 through 12/16/2007
The best action in the last 10 days has been on deep grass flats and in the coastal gulf off Sarasota. Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had great action with Spanish mackerel, bluefish and trout. In addition, we also caught and released pompano and king mackerel in Sarasota Bay and the coastal gulf. The best action was in Big Pass and deep grass flats on the east and west sides of Sarasota Bay.
A night snook trip in Blackburn Bay on Dec. 6th was slow, with only 3 snook and several jacks and ladyfish caught and released with flies. It is important to have a good, moving tide for this type of fishing, which we didn’t have. Since this is usually a 4-hour evening trip, if there is a tide change during that time frame, it will usually kill the action. A couple of trips in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound targeting reds were also slow. Despite good conditions, negative low tides and not much wind, fish in potholes and tailing on shallow grass flats ignored us. Although these things were slow, action on deep grass flats and passes of Sarasota Bay made up for it.
Walt Poxon, from MN, and his brother and sister-in-law Bill and Sue Poxon, from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday, Dec. 10th. We had steady action with large ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on CAL jigs with shad tails, DOA Deadly Combos and MirrOlure Top Dog, Jrs. The next day, 970 WFLA’s Capt. Mel Berman, fished the same area with me. We had fast action at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor with trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel on jigs and Ultra Hair Clouser flies.
I was the guest of my friend, Capt. Rick DePaiva from Ft. Myers, FL, on Thursday. Capt. Rick is an expert at locating and fishing tailing reds in Pine Island Sound. We had near perfect conditions and the reds obliged us by waving their tails all day long. Although everything was right, the reds had other ideas. They proved to be very challenging, ignoring most of our fly presentations. Rick’s friend, David McCleaf, caught and released a nice red with a weedless-rigged DOA shrimp and I caught and released a nice trout on one of Capt. Rick’s Kwan flies. If you want to fish that area, Capt. Rick can be reached at www.saltwaterflyfishing.org.
One of the best trips of the week was with fly angler Justin Bunting and his girlfriend, Sarah, from CO and Sarah’s dad, Duke Doster, from IN. We had fast action for a couple of hours in Big Pass with bluefish and large ladyfish on Ultra Hair Clouser flies and Diamond jigs. We then headed for the coastal gulf to hunt for little tunny and Spanish mackerel. We found fast action at the Silvertooth reef off Lido Beach, where they caught and released a little tunny on a Diamond jig, a king mackerel on a fly and a couple of Spanish mackerel on flies and jigs. The next stop was Stephens Point and the sand bar along the east side of Sarasota Bay where they caught and released trout to 20” and more bluefish and ladyfish. A great day!
On Saturday, my son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton and I did some scouting in Sarasota. We had fast action with bluefish, Spanish mackerel, trout and pompano on Ultra Hair Clouser flies near Bishops Point. Fishing will be challenging for a few days early next week due to a strong front that moved through our area Sunday morning. It will be cool and windy for a couple of days and fish will move due to the drop in water temperature. By the middle of the week it should warm back up and fishing will improve. Tides will also improve as we head toward a full moon next weekend.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 156
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 05, 2007 - 4:31 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/25 through 12/4/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had fast action with trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish recently. In addition we also caught and released snook, redfish and a legal grouper in skinny water!
Fly anglers, Steve Koerner from CO, and his cousin, Peter Widmann from CA, fished Sarasota Bay and Little Sarasota Bay with me last Wednesday through Friday. They had fast action with trout and ladyfish on deep grass flats. They also caught and released several bluefish and Spanish mackerel and a pair of snook. We fished Ultra Hair Clouser flies at Stephen’s Point, in Big Pass and near Buttonwood Harbor in Sarasota Bay and near Blackburn Point in Little Sarasota Bay. On a couple of days, they caught and released about 30 fish on flies. We snook fished on Thursday evening in the ICW from Blackburn Point to Albee road and only caught one snook. A slow tide was the likely culprit for the slow snook fishing.
Ken Hart, from Winterhaven, FL, and his son, Corbin, fished the Terra Ceia Bay area with me on Saturday. They caught and released numerous trout, a snook and a red, to complete their slam. They used CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails to fish potholes at the bottom of the tide. The highlight of the trip was on the last cast of the day. I was poling a shallow flat at the bottom of the tide in Terra Ceia Bay when some glass minnows scattered and a wake pushed up on the edge of the flat. Corbin made a good cast and hooked up to a fish that screamed off about 50 feet of line. It seemed a little strange when the fish buried up in some thick sea grass at the edge of the flat. After freeing the fish and one more run, we were amazed to see a legal (24” & 7-pounds) gag grouper come to the side of the boat. Although I had caught a legal grouper at the same spot on a fly several years prior, it was still a nice surprise!
Howard Bensel and his girlfriend, Deb, both from PA, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. We spent most of our time in Big Pass catching and releasing bluefish and large ladyfish on Diamond jigs and MirrOlure Top Dog, Jrs. They caught and released more than 25 fish, mostly blues, before the action finally slowed. We spent the rest of the trip fishing the west side of the bay where they caught and released several trout, ladyfish and a 3-pound bluefish on DOA Deadly combos.
A front pushed through our area on Monday evening, dropping the air temperature into the 50’s. The water temperature will also drop and fish will be on the move for the next couple of days. By the end of the week, temperatures will moderate and the water will warm back up. In the meantime, fishing may be better in the afternoon. Tides will be favorable later in the week and next week for tailing reds in Gasparilla and Pine Island Sounds.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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November 25, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
The artificial “I” reefs are still hot and getting better. There are small and large kingfish to forty pounds, small and large Spanish mackerel to five pounds, lots of bluefish, sharks and some cobia. We have had plenty of green backs (herring) for bait on both the Alan Fisher and Lynn Silvertooth reefs. Just don’t forget the gold hooks. Live shrimp and pilchards are also working. Dragging hardware has also worked but I don’t do that. Don’t drop your bait rigs too deep, the reef is covered with small gag grouper that will pull your light rig in the rocks.
On Saturday, yesterday, I had Kevin Leczkowski from PA out for six hours and he got his first kingfish. It was a 48” whopper caught while drifting with a greenback sardine on a free-line. The fish almost took all of the 300 yards of twenty pound test mono. We had to run up on the fish to get some line back and Kevin soon turned the big fish. If the fish looks a little small in the picture, it is because Kevin is 6’ 7”.
Kevin wanted to boat the fish himself while I took the pictures and then get him back in the water quickly. He grabbed the fish by the tail and got him in on the second try. “Wow, he said, this fish has got to go forty pounds”. Then the fish started to thrash and Kevin went down, hence the split in the bottom photo. We did not want to take the time to weigh the fish.
The coastal waters are looking very good with plenty of baitfish and for now, undersize grouper. I caught a few yellowtail snapper on my bait rig. The “M” reefs are also holding fish but the goliath grouper can be a problem for bottom fishing.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 24, 2007 - 7:12 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/11 through 11/24/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with a variety of fish during the past couple of weeks. Fly and spin anglers scored with reds, snook, trout, pompano, flounder and bluefish on the flats. Anglers using spinning tackle caught and released Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish in the coastal gulf off Lido Key.
Orvis Fishing Manager, Rich Merlino, of the Royal Oak, MI store, his brother-in-law, Steve and Steve’s dad, Wayne, joined me for a trip in Charlotte Harbor on Monday, November 12th. They caught and released snook, reds and trout on my Flats Minnow and Clouser flies and CAL jigs.
CB’s Saltwater Outfitters manager, Mason Tush from Sarasota, FL, and outdoor writer David Brown, from Tampa, FL, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip the next day. The goal was to get a photo worthy snook and whatever else that came our way. It was a successful trip that included several reds to 26”, a 27 ½” snook, trout and bluefish. Most fish were caught and released with CAL jigs and shad tails or DOA Deadly Combos. The best action was along the east side of Sarasota Bay. A couple of other trips in Sarasota Bay later that week produced trout, bluefish, pompano and ladyfish on jigs and flies.
Fly anglers, Harry Davis from Dalton, GA, and Fen Sartorius, from Albuquerque, NM, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me on Saturday, November 17th. They had a couple of takes by reds on my Flats Minnow fly. One fish ate a black Flats Minnow fly in Bull Bay and the other one, a tailer, ate a white one. They had shots at about a dozen tailing reds in Gasparilla Sound at the bottom of the tide. This is the time of the year when reds will tail on shallow grass flats of Gasparilla and Pine Island Sounds when conditions are right.
We had a few excellent trips in both Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor this week. Eric and Dave Buls, both from IN, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. We started off catching and releasing blues, Spanish mackerel and large ladyfish on the New Pass bar with MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr’s and Diamond jigs. We moved into Sarasota Bay later in the morning where they caught and released 4 reds to 26”, about 20 trout to 18”, a 4 ½ -pound pompano and an 18” flounder. All fish were caught on either CAL jigs with plastic tails or DOA Deadly Combos. Along the east side of Sarasota Bay and near Buttonwood Harbor.
Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL, fished Gasparilla Sound with me the next day. He started the day off with a pompano, almost as big as the one we caught the day before, and finished the day with 5 reds and an 18” trout. All fish were caught on CAL jigs with shad tails in Gasparilla Sound and Bull Bay.
Bill Beauchamp, from Bradenton, FL, and his daughter, Noelle, joined me for a Sarasota Bay trip on Friday. We fished the east side of Sarasota Bay and had good action. They caught and released 3 reds to 26” (including a double), about 15 trout to 18” and a nice bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos. It’s nice to see Sarasota Bay healthy again!
Next week’s negative low, two tide days will be perfect for tailing reds in Charlotte Harbor. I also look for flats and coastal gulf action in Sarasota to continue as we head away from today’s full moon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 11/4 through 11/10/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with a variety of fish during the past week. Fly anglers caught and released Spanish mackerel, redfish, snook and trout. In addition to those species, anglers using spinning tackle also caught little tunny and king mackerel. Reds are scattered on the flats of north Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor and have been eating. The coastal gulf off Sarasota and Charlotte Harbor has been on fire with plentiful Spanish mackerel, kings and little tunny.
Fly angler, Father Joel Morsch from Bradenton, FL, fished with me on Monday. We headed for the gulf off Lido and Siesta Keys where he caught and released numerous Spanish mackerel to more than 3-pounds. We found the little tunny hard to get on because they were moving fast and not staying up long. After a couple of hours of that action, we headed to north Sarasota Bay, near Long Bar, to hunt reds where Father Joel landed a 6-pound red on my Flats Minnow fly to finish the day.
Brad and Margaret Johnson, from Kentucky, fished the same areas with me on Tuesday. We found the coastal gulf action even hotter than the day before. They doubled with a pair of 28” kings on their first cast with Diamond jigs. They also caught about a dozen nice Spanish mackerel and a little tunny before the action slowed. They almost got spooled 3 times; a lot different than the bass and bluegill in Kentucky! We headed for skinny water near Long Bar to hunt for reds where they caught a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad tails.
Hugh Stafford, and his guest, Perry, both from Iowa, fished the same areas with me on Thursday. A reinforcing cold front had moved through on Wednesday and the wind shifted to the northwest making the gulf very rough. We gave it a try and caught and released 4 Spanish mackerel before we retreated to the gulf. The water temperature had dropped about 8 degrees (64 degrees in Sarasota Bay and 66 in the gulf) and the reds I was on in skinny water had left the area. Fortunately, fish on deeper grass flats were not affected as much. They caught and released numerous trout, ladyfish and a bluefish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos at Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor.
Longtime friends and customers Kyle Ruffing and Jon Yenari, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Charlotte Harbor with me on Friday. They are both avid fly anglers and fly tiers and always come rigged and ready to fish. We headed into the gulf off Little Gasparilla Island first thing and found Spanish mackerel and little tunny working just off the beach. However, they were widely scattered and tough to get on. They landed several nice Spanish mackerel before we headed into the backcountry of Gasparilla Sound. You always earn your fish in skinny water, particularly with a fly, and this day was no different. They caught and released a snook and several trout with Clouser and Enrico Puglisi style flies. We had numerous shots at reds a couple of bites and hooked a large red on a black crab fly pattern that streaked off like a bonefish and broke us off.
Next week’s tides are favorable for tailing reds in Gasparilla and Pine Island Sounds. Also, the coastal gulf in both areas should also be good for Spanish mackerel, little tunny and more.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 3:21 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/15 through 10/21/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had action with a variety of fish during the past week. Fly anglers caught and released little tunny (false albacore) and Spanish mackerel off Siesta Key. Anglers using spinning tackle caught and released little tunny, bluefish, trout, snook, jacks, ladyfish and a cobia in Sarasota and Charlotte Harbor on a variety of lures. There are still Spanish and king mackerel and little tunny in the coastal gulf off Sarasota, although that action has slowed from a couple of weeks ago. Even though it’s still warm, snook are making their move from the surf and passes to backcountry flats of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Shorter days and slightly cooler water prompts them to move at this time of the year.
Orvis Regional Business Manager, Robert Bryant from Greensboro, NC, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me on Monday. There were numerous schools of little tunny and Spanish mackerel breaking on the surface off Siesta Key. We connected with several little tunny and large Spanish mackerel with olive/white and chartreuse/white Ultra Hair Clouser flies. The new Orvis Helios rod performed fantastic! It’s like fishing with a rod 2 or 3 sizes smaller.
Keith McClintock and Barry Slee, both from Lake Forest, IL, fished with me the next 3 days. We fished canals in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte for juvenile tarpon on Tuesday and found very few fish. We worked a concentration of tarpon in a spot for more than an hour without a hook up and moved on in search of better action. With a low tide at mid day and not much water moving, we worked the sand bar on the east side of Charlotte Harbor south of Alligator Creek. We caught and released a small cobia and a couple of trout with weedless-rigged CAL shad tails and jerk worms.
The next day we fished Sarasota and started in the coastal gulf off Siesta Key. We found a large bait ball being blitzed by little tunny just outside of Big Pass. We hooked up several times with a large white Clouser fly and a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. and they disappeared as quickly as they popped up. Later we fished the east side of Sarasota Bay where we caught and released snook, trout, bluefish and jacks on DOA Deadly Combos and CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails.
Barry had to leave on Wednesday evening, but Keith and I fished Charlotte Harbor again on Thursday, but this time in Gasparilla Sound. We started off by locating a nice school of reds and hooking up a couple of times with a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. We found the rest of the day tough, catching and releasing a few trout and a 26” snook with CAL jigs and plastic tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
Next week’s tides are favorable for fishing the flats of Sarasota Bay or the coastal gulf as we head towards a full moon on Friday. There is still time to enter the 3rd annual Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers/Coastal Conservation Association “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” to be held out of Ken Thompson Park next Saturday, Oct. 27th. Applications and more details can be found at www.mangrovecoastflyfishers.com on the tournament page or by contacting me.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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October 12, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Inshore artificial reefs are holding kingfish to 20 pounds, little tunny to 18 pounds and large and small sharks. There are also schools of jacks, some bluefish and Spanish mackerel. The action was not real fast yesterday and live bait was the key for most of the fish I saw caught. Trolling will work, but in this shallow water, 25 to 30 feet, it will soon knock the fish down and out of the area. The greenbacks have been easy to catch on gold hook rigs and the beach has plenty of whitebait to net.
The action on the bay has been fast but most of the fish have been small. Some large barracuda have been seen on the Middle Ground grassflats. Some keeper size trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel have been caught on the grassflats. The variety of fish being caught now is very large and you might hookup with anything any place. Redfish are moving around the docks and are a good possibility.
It is the Fall run and a good time to go fishing.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 9:56 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 10/8 through 10/14/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, redfish, trout, bluefish and Spanish mackerel during the past week. The surface activity that we had in the coastal gulf about 10 days ago has slowed but the fish are still there holding over structure. Fly and spin anglers fishing the flats of Sarasota Bay had steady action with trout, ladyfish, bluefish, jacks and juvenile gag grouper. Trout fishing was strong for good anglers in Gasparilla Sound.
Rusty Chinnis, from Longboat Key, FL, and I did some scouting in the coastal gulf off Siesta and Lido Keys on Monday. We found a few little tunny early off Siesta Key, but couldn’t get a good shot at them. However, we moved to the close reef off Lido Key and found fast action with Spanish mackerel to more than 3-pounds on Crease and Clouser flies.
The next day, I fished Charlotte Harbor with Mason Tush, Brian Reese and Justin Chevas, all from Sarasota, FL. They were enjoying a week’s stay at a condo in the Boca Grande area and a couple of days guided fishing purchased at last year’s CCA Banquet. My donated trip was part of the package. The morning was slow, but the action picked up in the afternoon. They caught and released numerous trout to 21”, a snook and a red to complete a slam on the boat. The best action was with top water plugs, DOA Deadly Combos and weedless-rigged CAL shad and curly tails near Sandfly Key and Whidden Creek.
Gordon Bentley, owner of Bentley’s Outfitters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN area, fished with me on Wednesday. We fished the coastal gulf for a couple of hours and found nothing on the surface. Anglers trolling and fishing live bait at a couple of the artificial reefs off Lido were catching king and Spanish mackerel, so the fish were there. We came into Sarasota Bay where we caught and released jacks, ladyfish and trout with Clouser flies.
Bill Taylor, from NH, and Rob McDonald, from OK, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. We stopped off Siesta Key at first light and there were no breaking fish. However, they hooked a pair of king mackerel and a big shark on a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. The kings skyrocketed on the plugs, but didn’t stay hooked. The shark ate the plug all the way above 8” of wire! It only lasted about 15 minutes, but it makes me want to go back and cast Crease flies at first light when I have a chance. In Sarasota Bay they caught trout, ladyfish, jacks and sailcats on DOA Deadly Combos.
On Saturday, I was one of the participants at Andy Thornal Outfitters, of Winterhaven, FL, Fly Fishing Expo. Capts. Keiland Smith, Dan Malzone, John Kumiski, Tom Van Horn and I all did presentations on a variety of topics and participated in fly casting clinics. In addition, Capt. Bryon Chamberlin and Frank Rhodes, Leigh West and Steve Parker, all members of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club tied flies throughout the day and also participated in casting clinics. Orvis rep. Robert Bryant, from NC, and Allen Wyatt, with Andy Thornal Outfitters, were on hand to demo the new Orvis ZG Helios fly rods. Wow! These rods are going to be a hit. It is the lightest fly rod I have ever cast!
We had a small front come through this weekend and the air is a little cooler. This should jump start the fishing in the coastal gulf. Flats fishing should continue to get better as the water cools. There is still time to enter the MCFF/CCA “Fall Fly Fishing Challenge” to be held out of Ken Thompson Park on Oct. 27th. Contact me for more info.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/23 through 10/7/07
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout, bluefish, redfish, snook, Spanish mackerel and little tunny during the past couple of weeks. The best action has been on the flats for trout and in the coastal gulf for Spanish mackerel and little tunny.
Merrill Zinder, from Longboat Key, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Sept. 25th. We had fast action with trout to 18”, bluefish and a redfish on CAL jigs with curly tails and DOA Deadly Combos near Buttonwood Harbor. I spent the next week from Sept. 27th through Oct. 3rd visiting family in Delaware and fishing a couple of days in the Chesapeake Bay.
My brother, Kirk Grassett from Middletown, DE, and I fished with our friend, Capt. Matt Tawes of Chesapeake Angling out of Crisfield, MD on Monday, Oct. 1st. We fished shorelines south of Crisfield and caught and released about 10 or 12 stripers and bluefish on Clouser flies fished on fast sinking fly lines. Capt. Matt is a pleasure to fish with and his equipment is always in good condition. He can be reached at www.chesapeakeangling.com for a trip out of Crisfield, MD. The next day Kirk and I launched his boat in Taylor’s Island, MD and fished the middle Chesapeake Bay. We found a school of breaking stripers right out of the boat tramp and each caught a nice one. Although it was a good way to start, that was it as far as breaking fish for the rest of the day. We covered a lot of water and caught a few more stripers and blues at the power plant discharge on the western shore.
After returning to Sarasota, Mary Fetzko from Dallas, TX, fished with me on Thursday. We had good action near Buttonwood Harbor with trout to 22” and a nice bluefish on DOA Deadly combos. The next day, I was the guest of my friend, Capt. Bryon Chamberlin of Land O’ Lakes, FL, on his flats skiff. We fished the Ft. Desoto Park area where we caught and released numerous trout with Clouser and Estaz Marabou flies. Capt. Bryon, an excellent fly and light tackle guide, can be reached at www.barbedsteel.com for a trip in that area.
The best trip of the week was yesterday when fly anglers Steve Leibel and Carl Bettinger, both from Albuquerque, NM, fished with me. We fished the coastal gulf off Siesta Key and found fast action with Spanish mackerel and little tunny. There was a feeding frenzy going on in about 30’ of water where a bait ball was being blasted by sharks, mackerel and little tunny. The action continued as the bait ball hid under our boat as we continued to drift for about 15 minutes. They caught and released more than 20 Spanish mackerel to 3-pounds and a pair of little tunny on Ultra Hair Clouser flies. In addition there were tarpon scattered about feeding in the area and large king mackerel “skyrocketing” on bait!
I look for this action to continue and even get better as the bay and coastal gulf cools down this month. Reds are still schooling in Sarasota and Charlotte Harbor and should start to break out of schools soon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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September 29, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Spanish mackerel have moved in thick along the beach artificial (I) reefs. Along with the macks are bluefish, little tunny, and jacks. Live bait, jigs, and spoons are all working. Spoons work best when trolling with a small planer to keep your line from twisting. I find Diamond jigs the most durable when casting. A small peace of mackerel belly strip will enhance your strikes. All jigs will reduce line twist if not bent. Free-lining live bait will produce the most and largest fish most of the time. I never use wire or swivels when fishing for Spanish mackerel or bluefish. Wire will slow down your strikes and swivels will get you cut-off by other fish in the school. The following fish thing it is just some scraps dropped by the hooked fish.
The bay fishing is still good for trout, redfish, and bluefish. The variety of fish you may catch is extensive but most are small. I like the live shrimp for redfish around the docks and the DOA artificial shrimp for the grass-flats. The DOA lasts longer and gives the larger fish a chance to find it. If you can net some whitebait and free-line it out, you will get plenty of action from most of the species. However, not from the ones like pompano that only eat crustaceans.
The weather has been mostly good for morning fishing and that is a good time to go.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 9/17 through 9/22/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with reds during the past week. Large reds are schooling in Gasparilla Sound where anglers connected with MirrOlure Top Dog, Jrs, CAL shad tails, jerk worms and my Flats Minnow fly. In addition, trout and snook were also caught and released.
My son-in-law, Capt. Andy Cotton, fished with me on Monday. We found a large school of reds in Gasparilla Sound and hooked up repeatedly to reds to 32” with Mirrolure Top Dog, Jrs. When the school finally disappeared, we waded a sand bar where Andy caught and released his personal best redfish on my Flats Minnow fly.
Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers secretary, Melissa Littlewood, fished the same area with me on Wednesday. Melissa will be participating in a tournament in the Keys in October and wanted to sharpen her skills with both spin and fly tackle. She hooked several snook and landed one on my Grass (Snook) Minnow fly before daylight along Little Gasparilla Island. We didn’t find and school reds that day, but found plenty of them scattered on various flats and sand bars. She landed a pair of reds on CAL jigs with shad and grub tails and then spent a couple of hours wading and sight casting to reds on a sand bar. We had plenty of good shots with a fly but no takers.
The next day, I was the guest of Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers member, Ron Whitely, on his Maverick Mirage flats skiff. We started before dawn and caught a couple of snook before switching to the flats. With rain bearing down on us, we drifted a couple of deep grass flats in Gasparilla Sound where we caught and released several trout and ladyfish on Ron’s Estaz Marabou and Clouser flies before the rain chased us off the water.
The action should continue next week with reds in Charlotte Harbor and Sarasota Bay. Snook before dawn and trout, bluefish and more on deep grass in the same areas should also be an option.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 7:03 am: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/27 through 9/16/2007
Several trips during the week of August 27th produced trout, bluefish, jacks and ladyfish on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay at Stephens Point and along the west side of the bay from Bishops Point to Buttonwood Harbor caught with DOA Deadly Combos, CAL jigs and Clouser flies. We also jumped a 20-pound tarpon with a root beer DOA TerrorEyz fishing canals in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda.
I spent the following week in Islamorada fishing the Islamorada-Sarasota Shootout fishing tournament. It is a “for fun” fishing tournament that pits anglers from Islamorada against members of the Sarasota Sportfishing Anglers Club against each other in offshore, reef and backcountry divisions. Aledia Tush, owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, and I fished the backcountry division with fellow Orvis-Endorsed guide Capt. Duane Baker, from Tavernier, FL, as our guide. If you ever want to fish the backcountry of the Keys in the Islamorada to Key Largo area, Capt Duane is an excellent guide. He can be reached at www.keysflatsguide.com or 1-305-852-0102.
Aledia won the bonefish division with a 7 1/2-pound bonefish caught with a live shrimp and I was second with a 6-pound bonefish caught on a fly. I caught a total of 3 bonefish on flies and Aledia caught 2 with bait. Sarasota anglers placed in several other offshore divisions, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for Sarasota to win the tournament. With a point system that scores 3 points for a win, 2 points for 2nd place and 1 point for 3rd place in each division, the final tally was Islamorada 23 and Sarasota 9.
When I got back on the water at home this week, I found the fishing even better than I left it. The action was still strong on the deep grass flats and we found large schools of reds in Sarasota and Gasparilla Sound. Harold and Bill Johnson, both from Sarasota, FL, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Tuesday. They had good action with bluefish, trout, ladyfish and jacks at Stephens Point and along the west side of Sarasota Bay with flies, CAL jigs, DOA Deadly Combos and MirrOlure She Dog and Top Dog, Jr’s. We encountered a large school of reds in 8’ of water near Long Bar with 4 and 5-pound bluefish mixed with them. The bad news was that you couldn’t land a redfish due to bluefish either getting to the lures and flies first or cutting off our hooked redfish. The blues averaged about 4-pounds. So it was still great action.
Brad Sodowick, from Washington Crossing, PA, fished a couple of days with me on Thursday and Friday. He jumped a pair of tarpon and landed one of them, a 10-pounder, with a root beer DOA TerrorEyz in a Port Charlotte canal on Thursday. We fished Sarasota Bay on Friday where he caught trout, ladyfish and bluefish on DOA Deadly combos, CAL jigs and MirrOLure Top Dog, Jrs.
I fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor yesterday with Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL. He had a great day catching and releasing 3 reds to 32”. We found a large school of reds in Gasparilla Sound and Joe hooked 2 fish and landed a 32” red on a MirrOlure Top Dog, Jr. We also spent some time sight casting to reds along a sandbar where Joe landed a pair of reds to 28 1/2” on a root beer/gold CAL grub. It was Joe’s first fish caught by sight casting!
The action should continue next week on the deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and in skinny water for reds in Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound. I also look for tarpon fishing to improve in upper Charlote Harbor and Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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September 8, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Bay fishing is still pretty good! Small black-tip sharks and bluefish are hitting well in open water on live whitebait. Chumming up the water with a little live bait (sardines) will pickup the action.
Working around the docks with live shrimp has produced some very nice redfish. Pilchards and deep running lures will also catch redfish and snook around the docks. Normally I like to use a small splitshot with live bait and let it sink to the bottom and sit for a little while before I move it. You need to be flexible on this because it is not always the same.
Fishing on the grassflats with the DOA 3” shrimp has produced a large variety of fish including some very nice sea trout. The grassflats are loaded with very small fish of all kinds that will steal your small live shrimp in a heart-beat. They go after the DOA lures but it takes them a lot longer to destroy it which gives you more time to hookup with the bigger fish. Mangrove snapper are hitting very fast on the live shrimp but only one out of 12 will make the 10” limit.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
CaptainIDS (Captainids)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 10:02 am: | |
Are you a Licensed Coast Guard Captain?
This is for you
http://www.captainids.com/ |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 12:43 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Sarasota & Charlotte Harbor Fishing Report for 8/13 through 8/17/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released tarpon, snook, trout, bluefish and ladyfish on jigs and flies during the past several days. Tarpon have moved into Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound. The best action was with snook before dawn and a variety of fish on deep grass flats.
Scott Swango and his 11-year old son, Seth, both from Springfield, MO, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released 4 snook to 26” on Grassett’s Grass Minnow flies and Cal jigs with shad tails while fishing Siesta Key docks before dawn. We fished deep grass flats along Longboat Key on the west side of Sarasota Bay and caught and released a variety of fish including trout and bluefish.
John Hall, from IL, and his guest Jim, from Sarasota, fished the same area with me on Wednesday. They connected with several snook before dawn on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Tiny TerrorEyz and caught and released a mixed bag of trout, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with shad tails and DOA Deadly Combos.
The next day Steve Stallard and his fiancée, Elizabeth Parrish, both from MI, and Fred Parrish, from Land O’Lakes, FL, also fished the same area with me. We found the snook plentiful but finicky. Steve caught and released a snook on my Grass Minnow fly before we moved to Big Pass at dawn where tarpon were rolling. Fred hooked a 70-pound tarpon on a DOA Baitbuster and after numerous jumps and a 45 minute battle landed the fish. We moved to deep grass flats near Bishops Point where they ended the day with a mix of trout, bluefish and ladyfish on CAL jigs with a variety of plastic tails.
On Friday, Harry Davis from Dalton, GA, and Fen Sartorius, from NM, fished Gasparilla Sound in Charlotte Harbor with me. We started off strong, catching and releasing more than a dozen snook to 24” on my Grass Minnow snook fly while fishing docks along Little Gasparilla Island. We found a few tarpon in Gasparilla Sound but they were too widely scattered for us to have a chance at them with a fly so we moved on. We also found reds to be elusive that day but caught a few trout along the way with Clouser and my Flats Minnow flies.
Tarpon fishing should improve as they move into Charlotte Harbor and other bays to feed. Look for diving birds and schools of ladyfish to locate them. You might also find them rolling in deep bays when it is calm. Reds will begin schooling on shallow flats from lower Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. One of the best options will continue to be fly fishing for snook before dawn.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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August 26, 2007
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Bay fishing is still good! The only problem is getting the bait to the larger fish! All of the grassflats seem to be covered with small snapper, grouper and trout that seem to be more numerous than the pinfish and grunts. This is a very good time to start your younger kids fishing. It will keep them and you busy.
We are catching nice size trout, redfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and keeper size snapper by using sturdier bait instead of the small live shrimp you find in the bait shop this time of year. I mostly use artificial baits at this time and the DOA 3” shrimp is my favorite. If my people can get a DOA in the water, they will catch fish on it.
With a little more skill, you can find success with more durable lures like tandem Love lures, 52M R&W Mirrolure, Buck tails and many of the spoons and plugs we all have in our tackle box. Let them sink and work them just above the bottom grass.
The best live bait this time of year is Pigfish fished on popping cork with just an enough leader to reach the top of the grass, but not be enough to hide in it. Fresh caught pigfish are very noisy in or out of the water when hooked and will call the fish in. After your float goes under, you need to give it some time before setting the hook hard. You also need to make sure the line is tight between you and the fish before setting the hook.
For redfish and maybe some snook, you’ll need to fish around and under the docks. There are not a lot of reds on the bay, but there are some very big ones. Don’t be surprised if you snap a few lines.
I would like to thank you all for the very nice emails I have received about my website. I would also like to know of any improvements you might like or things that don’t work.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Bob Smith (Capt_bob_smith)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 1:42 pm: | |
Sarasota Florida Fishing Report
By Capt. Bob Smith
Bay fishing has been very active during the last couple of weeks and has kept us busy most of the time. Some of the fish being caught are spotted sea trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, jacks, small grouper and flounder with some redfish and snook around the docks.
Occasional hookups with tarpon, shark, and cobia have been adding to the excitement.
Most of the trout have been just undersize but plentiful with a few over 20”. The grass flats are holding large schools of very small baitfish that are attracting the fish. The fish will feed on and off but the time of day has not been predictable. In other words, first light may be good or may be dead slow.
I have been fishing with only artificial, 3” DOA shrimp and when we find the fish, everyone hooks-up. Look for feeding birds or any top-water disturbance. You may see a lot of ladyfish and jacks hitting the baitfish but along the edges you may catch trout and other species feeding as well.
Some of the hotspots for us have been the grass flats off of Stephen’s Point on the east side of the bay, south of Whale Key and along the shoal on the west side of the bay, south of Bishops Point and the marina and also the Middle Ground grassflats just north of New Pass.
I use 12 pound test line and a 30 pound test clear mono leader most of the time but also keep 40 and 20 pound test mono leader on hand if needed. With the DOA shrimp, I fish them very slow, three short snaps and let it sink. If I find it snagging in the bottom grass, I move a little faster or put on a Clacker or popping float, still using the three short snaps, then let it sit. You want to hear the Clacker when you snap the line. This will bring the fish to your bait.
For live bait on the bay, I use two types of hooks. Both are by Eagle Claw and both hard to find. First and for most live bait fishing is the 202 Aberdeen, Gold in the 4/0 size found at Economy Tackle in town and J&M Hunting Supplies & Marine on the web. The other hook is the L253 3/0 for larger and hard mouth fish like sheepshead, redfish, snook, and cobia. They can be found at Bass Pro.
Enjoy & Protect
My Website: http//www.sarasota-fla-fishing.com |
Capt. Rick Grassett (Snook_finaddict)
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Post Number: 146
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2007 - 4:33 pm: | |
Capt. Rick Grassett’s Fishing Report for 8/1 through 8/12/2007
Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released snook, redfish, trout, ladyfish, bluefish, tarpon and jumped several other tarpon during the past couple of weeks. The best action has been fly fishing for snook before dawn. In addition, we were still getting shots at tarpon on the beach until August 9th and currently in Sarasota Bay with live crabs, DOA Baitbusters and flies. Not bad for early August!
Fly anglers Stuart and Dave Sprouse, from Knoxville, TN, fished Gasparilla Sound with me on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 1 and 2. They had fast action with snook before dawn on my Grass Minnow snook fly. One morning we released 6 or 7 snook to 24” and had shots at tailing reds and laid up tarpon. The next morning we released about a dozen snook to 27”. We also fished deep grass flats in Gasparilla Sound where they caught and released trout and ladyfish with Clouser flies.
I spent a couple of days that week fishing in Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor for tarpon. Anglers jumped 3 tarpon to 20-pounds with DOA TerrorEyz and had several other bites on Estaz Marabou flies and DOA shrimp in canals. We didn’t find any large tarpon at all in the open waters of the Peace River or Charlotte Harbor, which made me wonder if they were still on the beach.
Ken Schumacher, from IL, fished with me on Tuesday morning and caught and released his first snook with a fly. I went out along the beach to hunt for tarpon after the trip and found them, although not in large numbers. I had 6 or 7 shots with flies in 2-hours, enough to make it worthwhile. I went back on Thursday, found the numbers similar and caught one, a 70-pounder, with Shubat’s Mr. Blackie. It was a perfect fish- 6 or 7 jumps, one good run, back on the fly line and landed in about 15 minutes!
On Friday morning, a fly angler fishing with me worked some tarpon in Sarasota Bay near Bishop Point, but we couldn’t get close enough for a good shot. Another angler fishing close to us caught a 100-pound fish with a top water plug on baitcasting tackle. We went out along the beach at mid morning when the sun was right and didn’t see a single tarpon. What a difference a day can make!
On Saturday morning, I went back to the spot in Sarasota Bay where we saw tarpon the day before with Joe Larosa, from North Port, FL. It took a while for the fish to show, but as soon as ladyfish schools started breaking on the surface, tarpon started busting them. Joe hooked up with an estimated 110-pound fish with a live crab under a float and had her alongside the boat in about 30-minutes. He finished the morning off with a 26” redfish caught with a CAL jig with a rootbeer/gold grub. A nice morning!
Best options in the next few weeks should be large tarpon in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Juvenile tarpon in the 15 to 20-pound class should also be a good option in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda canals. Catch and release snook fishing before dawn around lighted docks and bridge fenders and reds, trout and more on the flats after daylight should be another good plan.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com |
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